How to Boost Domain Authority: Checking and Improving This Key Site Metric
By Neil Patel
Knowing your domain authority is key to help you create or improve your marketing plan. But how do you know what your domain authority is?
Let’s dive into what this metric is and some tips for picking the perfect domain authority checker for your business.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain authority (DA) refers to the number of relevant backlinks—links to your website from other reputable sites—your site has. The relevance of those backlinks also contributes to your score.
Moz created the Domain Authority metric to help businesses figure out where they may rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). They estimate a page’s possible ranking via several channels, “including linking root domains and the number of total links, into a single DA score. This score can compare websites or track the ‘ranking strength’ of a website over time.”
Some brands are authoritative without even seeming to try. This is because the keywords that naturally exist on their websites will carry some weight.
For example, movie site IMDB has a high DA because relevant keywords are naturally integrated throughout the site. Secondary related keywords are also prevalent.
When you have a better idea about the terms for which you’re deemed authoritative, you’re able to optimize your site better.
But it’s not just keywords—the better your backlinks are, the better your chances are at increasing in DA.
Domain authority is determined on a logarithmic scale. This means solo metrics won’t always increase or decrease the score to the same degree. The more important a metric is, the greater effect it’s likely to have.
Why Should I Care About Domain Authority?
Although Google doesn’t use domain authority in their rankings, but a study by Ahrefs found a correlation between DA and SERP ranking.
The results of this study suggest DA may be a useful metric by which to gauge how much organic traffic you may receive from Google.
If you want to grow your SEO rankings, consider ramping up your domain authority strategy. However, it can take a while to develop authority, so don’t worry if you don’t see results right away.
What is a Good Domain Authority Score?
Domain authority scores range from one to 100. When you have a greater domain authority score, it’s more likely you’ll see increases in web traffic and SERP rankings.
When you debut a new website, its domain authority is one. Moz points out sites with many external links are usually higher when it comes to DA, while small business sites and those with fewer inbound links generally have a lower DA score.
A strong gauge for your site is to measure it against other comparable or similar sites. Your DA can fluctuate over time and, with so many moving parts, identifying why it changed can be challenging. But don’t give up.
Moz highlights several factors that can influence your score.
One could simply be that your link profile growth hasn’t been seen by their index yet.
Another occurs when …read more
Source:: Kiss Metrics Blog