Have you ever wondered how some websites seem to rank at the top of search results? One such deciding factor is their Domain Authority (DA).
Websites with a higher domain authority often outperform those with a lower score, especially when it comes to search engine rankings. Increasing your domain authority is crucial if you’re thinking of boosting your site’s credibility and rankings.
In this blog, we’ll explain how to increase domain authority with strategies to achieve a 50+ DA score.
Let’s get started!
In this article:
What Is Domain Authority?
Domain authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). The domain authority score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a greater ability to rank.
Imagine DA as your website’s report card. Just as a higher GPA indicates a student’s proficiency, a higher domain authority score indicates your website’s credibility and quality. It is derived from multiple factors, including linking root domains, number of total links, rank, and more.
Your domain authority score directly correlates with your website’s performance in search results. A higher DA means better chances of ranking on the first page of search engines. If you’re working on SEO, then aiming for a higher DA is a must.
Understanding domain authority and its significance is important for anyone looking to improve their website’s visibility. It’s a comprehensive reflection of your site’s health and credibility. Hence, working to increase domain authority should be a priority for you for better search engine rankings.
In the following sections, we’ll discuss effective strategies to increase your domain authority.
How is Domain Authority Calculated?
To understand how to increase domain authority, you need to know how it’s calculated in the first place. Domain authority isn’t just a random number; it’s a culmination of multiple factors that give a holistic view of a website’s strength and credibility. Let’s discuss the factors that are instrumental in determining your DA score:
- Linking Root Domains: This refers to the number of unique domains linking back to your site. It’s not about the sheer quantity but the quality. A diverse range of reputable sites linking to yours is golden.
- MozRank: It measures the link popularity, and the score is based on the number of links (both internal and external) to your site.
- MozTrust: Similar to MozRank but with a twist. It evaluates how closely you’re linked to trusted websites. For instance, a link from a renowned institution like Harvard University would give a significant MozTrust boost.
- Quality Content: Search engines love high-quality, relevant content. Regularly updating your site with informative and engaging articles can impact your DA positively.
- SEO: From your site structure to meta tags, proper SEO techniques are considered for calculating DA.
- Social Signals: The number of shares, likes, and overall social media visibility can influence your domain authority. It indicates how interactive and engaging your content is.
- Search Engine Friendliness: How optimized your website is for search engines plays a great role. Factors like site speed, mobile optimization, and sitemap availability can impact your DA score.
Knowing these factors can assist you in how to increase domain authority effectively. But remember, it’s about consistent efforts over time.
What Is a Good Domain Authority Score?
Before we jump into numbers, it’s essential to note that domain authority is a relative measure. What might be a good score for a new blog might not be the same for an established media outlet. It means you need to focus on having a better DA than your competitors to outrank them for your business keywords. Moreover, the industry and competition level can also influence what can be considered a good DA score.
As a rule of thumb, websites with a higher domain authority score are generally more trustworthy and have a better chance of ranking higher on SERPs. But does that mean a DA of 100 is the ultimate goal? Not necessarily. Let’s break down the scores to give you a clearer picture.
For a more structured view, let’s glance at the DA scores:
| DA Score | Quality Indicator |
| 1-20 | New or low-authority websites. |
| 21-40 | Growing websites with reasonable credibility. |
| 41-60 | Good Domain Authority, notable presence in the niche. |
| 61-80 | High Domain Authority, well-established sites with regular traffic. |
| 81-100 | Top-tier, authoritative sites. Think of giants like Wikipedia or Google. |
Remember, while it’s beneficial to aim for a higher score, what’s more important is to ensure that your content provides value, your SEO strategies are in place, and you consistently strive for genuine engagement and credibility. In the realm of domain authority, quality always trumps quantity.
How To Increase Domain Authority?
Improving your domain authority is a challenging yet achievable task. It’s an ongoing effort; your website needs quality content, strong backlinks, and optimal SEO to thrive and increase domain authority.
Before discussing the specifics, consider an example: Imagine two local coffee shops. One has consistent positive reviews, offers a variety of beverages, and has a clean, welcoming ambiance. The other rarely gets customers and doesn’t prioritize cleanliness. Naturally, the former attracts more people and flourishes. Similarly, in the digital world, consistent effort and quality make a website more appealing to search engines, thus boosting its domain authority.
Now, let’s break down the strategies into clear categories to understand how to increase domain authority:
1. Quality Content Creation
Search engines prioritize websites that offer valuable, relevant content to users. Websites with high-quality content are more likely to attract organic backlinks, boosting their domain authority.
So, you need to focus on the following features to get a high DA score.
- Stay Current: Regularly update your blog posts, articles, and other content forms.
- Engage Readers: Use a conversational tone and encourage comments, shares, and discussions.
- In-depth Research: Longer, well-researched articles often outperform shorter, superficial ones.
Let’s understand it with an example of two websites discussing the same topic. One has a comprehensive 2000-word article, while the other has a 500-word brief overview. The in-depth article is more likely to be shared, linked, and favored by search engines, increasing its domain authority.
2. Effective Backlinking
The quality and quantity of links pointing to your website significantly impact your domain authority. Think of each link as a vote of confidence for your site.
Therefore, you must focus on the following features.
- Prioritize Quality Over Quantity: Ten links from high-authority websites are more valuable than a hundred from low-quality sites.
- Guest Posting: Write for authoritative websites in your niche. It’s a win-win as you provide them with content and get a backlink in return.
- Engage in Relevant Forums and Communities: Participate in discussions and share your expertise.
For example, if an authoritative site like Forbes or TechCrunch links to your article, it’s like getting an endorsement. Such endorsements make search engines view your site more favorably, boosting your domain authority.
Many businesses prefer to outsource link building to scale their backlinking efforts efficiently. When considering outsourcing, vet potential partners rigorously to ensure they adhere to ethical practices and align with your goals. Wondering how to outsource link building? Look for agencies or freelancers with a proven track record in securing quality backlinks from reputable sources. Communicate your objectives clearly and establish transparent reporting mechanisms to monitor progress effectively.
3. Strengthen Technical SEO
Search engines favor websites that offer an excellent user experience, which includes technical aspects.
So, you should work on:
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website looks and performs well on mobile devices.
- Fast Loading Speeds: Slow websites can be penalized by search engines.
- Implement XML Sitemaps: They help search engines understand the structure of your site better.
Consider two online stores. One load in 2 seconds, while the other takes 10 seconds. Users are likely to abandon the slower site, and search engines take note of this, impacting its domain authority.
4. Maintain a Healthy Link Profile
Not all backlinks are beneficial. Links from spammy or irrelevant sites can harm your DA.
So, you should take the following measures to ensure a healthy link profile.
- Regularly Audit Your Backlinks: Use tools like Ahrefs and Google Search Console to keep track of who is linking to you.
- Disavow Harmful Links: Ask site owners to remove unwanted links or use the Google Disavow feature.
For example, if a dubious website or one known for spreading misinformation links to your site, it can be seen as a red flag by search engines, potentially dragging your DA down.
5. Broken Link Building
Broken link building is an SEO tactic where you identify broken links on other websites, produce content that matches or improves upon the original content the broken link pointed to, and then reach out to the site owner, suggesting they replace the broken link with a link to your newly created content.
By focusing on the Broken Link Building strategy, you can get the following benefits, which will increase Domain Authority:
- Broken Link Building: It helps in getting natural backlinks. By providing valuable content that replaces broken links, you’re giving other websites a reason to link to you. Natural backlinks are a significant factor in improving domain authority.
- Two-way benefit: The website owner gets to fix an error on their site, and you receive a quality backlink. It’s a win-win!
- Enhanced User Experience: By replacing broken links with relevant content, the user experience on the host website is enhanced, making it more likely they’ll approve your link replacement request.
Broken link building is a creative way to improve your website’s domain authority by turning a problem (broken links) into an opportunity (quality backlinks).
6. Directory Listing
Think about the last time you searched for a local business or service. Did you find a neatly organized list of businesses, each with its details and descriptions? These are directory listings, and they’re more than just an online phone book. These directory lists offer a promising route to elevate domain authority.
You must choose the right and relevant directories. Not all directories are created equal. Go for those with a good reputation and high domain authority. Avoid spammy or low-quality directories.
List your website or business in the most relevant category. This not only helps in improving visibility but also ensures the right audience finds you.
Directory Listings enhance Domain Authority in the following few ways:
- Quality Backlinks: Reputable directories provide backlinks to your website, which is essential for improving domain authority.
- Increased Visibility: Being listed in directories can drive organic traffic to your site, enhancing its authority over time.
- Trustworthiness: Being part of a recognized directory can enhance your site’s credibility, signaling search engines about your site’s trustworthiness.
These factors will ultimately boost your domain authority.
How Analytify Can Help Increase Domain Authority
Lastly, let’s discuss how Analytify, a powerful WordPress plugin, can aid in your quest to increase domain authority. Understanding your site’s performance, visitor behavior, and content engagement is important. Regularly keeping track of your web analytics helps you know the original situations, thus helping you build your strategies to increase Domain Authority.
Analytify presents your Google Analytics data in a friendly dashboard within your WordPress setup. Following are a few important ways in which Analytify aids you:
- Content Insights: Learn which content pieces resonate most with your audience. You can double down on such topics to produce quality content consistently.
- SEO Metrics: Track vital metrics such as bounce rate, session duration, and more, helping you fine-tune your site’s technical aspects for a better user experience.
- Referrals Tracking: Understand which sites are driving traffic to yours. It can aid in backlink strategy, focusing your efforts on important websites.
With the help of these powerful insights, you can make informed decisions, refining your strategies to aim for higher domain authority. Read: How to Install And Activate Analytify Pro Plugin.
It’s not just about numbers; it’s about understanding your audience and delivering unparalleled value.
How To Check Domain Authority?
If you’re eager to find out your website’s domain authority or even that of a competitor, various tools are available to assist you. These tools not only give you the DA score but also offer additional insights that can be vital for your SEO strategy. Let’s dive into some of the most popular domain authority checker tools out there.
1. Moz Free Domain Authority Checker
Moz is the pioneer when it comes to domain authority, having developed the metric. Their domain authority checker is trusted by many SEO professionals worldwide.
Features: Apart from checking DA, it also provides link analysis, highlighting the number of inbound links, ranking keywords, and the site’s spam score.
All you need to do is write the URL of the domain for which you want to know the DA score and click on Check Authority. The results will be similar, as you can see in the screenshot below:
2. Ahrefs Website Authority Checker
Ahrefs is another powerful domain authority checker in the SEO world. Its features give a comprehensive overview of your domain’s health.
- Features: While it offers a domain rating (their version of DA), it also showcases backlink data, referring domains, and the overall strength of the website’s backlink profile.
3. SEMrush
SEMrush is a versatile SEO tool that caters to various needs, including checking domain authority and more.
Features: A complete overview of a domain, including the online visibility and its Authority Score.
It also offers related metrics like organic search traffic, backlink data, and comparison with competitor domains.
4. Ubersuggest
Developed by Neil Patel, Ubersuggest is a comprehensive, user-friendly SEO tool, especially for beginners.
Features: Along with a domain score, Ubersuggest offers details about organic keywords, monthly traffic, and an overview of backlinks.
5. Majestic SEO
Majestic is known for its focus on backlinks and provides a unique “Trust Flow” and “Citation Flow” score that can be used parallelly with domain authority.
Features: It provides insights into a site’s backlink history, topical trust flow (which categorizes the site based on its topical relevance), and more.
Domain Authority FAQs
1. What is a good Domain Authority (DA) score?
While the DA score ranges from 1 to 100, what’s considered “good” can vary based on industry and competition. Generally, a score above 50 is seen as good, but even websites with a lower DA can rank high if they have high-quality content and are in a niche with less competition.
2. How to increase my Domain Authority?
You cannot directly change your DA score, as it’s based on an algorithm set by Moz. However, by focusing on improving your overall SEO, especially your backlink profile, you can positively influence your DA over time.
3. How often does Domain Authority update?
The DA score typically updates every few weeks. Moz’s algorithm considers several factors to update the score, including the number and quality of backlinks.
4. Does a higher DA always guarantee higher rankings on search engines?
Not necessarily. While a higher DA indicates a website’s potential to rank well, actual rankings are determined by many other factors, including content relevance, user experience, and specific keyword competition.
5. Why did my Domain Authority drop suddenly?
Several reasons can cause a drop in DA. Some common reasons include losing valuable backlinks, a competitor gaining more high-quality links, or updates to Moz’s algorithm.
Conclusion
Domain Authority stands as an important metric in the digital realm. Whether you’re a newbie or an expert digital marketer, understanding how to gauge and improve your site’s DA is paramount.
From the nuances of what the term means, strategies to enhance it, tools to check it, and addressing common queries, we’ve covered the world of Domain Authority in detail. Moreover, with tools like Analytify, navigating this journey becomes simpler and more data-driven.
As you progress, remember that Domain Authority is not just a score; it’s a testament to your site’s credibility, relevance, and trustworthiness in the vast online landscape. So, strive for excellence, stay patient, and watch your digital footprint grow.
Do you know there are some Google Analytics metrics that could potentially help increase domain authority as well?
One thing is clear after knowing the Domain Authority in detail: it’s a continuous journey of learning, adapting, and growing. Now, we turn the spotlight to you!
What strategies have you implemented to boost your website’s domain authority? Or do you have any unique experiences or challenges while trying to improve it?
Share your ideas in the comments below.
