Type any word or phrase into Google, and you’ll instantly be met with billions of results. It’s easy to get lost in all the noise when you have so many competitors to deal with. If you want to stand out, you need to find a way to set yourself apart.
You already know how important it is to optimize your website for more views. But how can you measure the overall performance of your site?
This is where domain authority comes in. Here’s everything you need to know about this digital marketing tool and how it can boost your website’s success.
What Is Domain Authority?
Domain authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score that measures the performance of your website. This score’s primary purpose is to predict how likely your content is to rank on search engine results pages, also known as SERPs.
DA scores are represented on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher your website’s score is, the greater chance it has of ranking well on top search engines like Google. It’s worth noting that Google does not use this score to analyze search rankings, which means the score you get has no impact on the SERPs themselves.
Who Created Domain Authority?
Domain authority was developed by Moz, a software as a service (SaaS) company that provides inbound marketing analytics software. DA metrics have helped digital marketers, small business owners, and other content creators plan for their success and strive towards their goals with more intention.
How Is a DA Score Determined?
Several factors determine domain authority scores. Some of these include:
- Number of total links
- Quality and relevance of inbound links
- Linking root domains
- Number of websites linking to you
When linking to external sources on your website, it’s important to give plenty of thought to the types of links you’re using. Sites with a high number of links to authoritative sources generally rank higher on the DA scale.
It’s also a good idea to optimize keywords that are relevant to the topics on your site. This will help signal to Google what your site is about and bolster your inbound links.
Why Does Your DA Score Matter?
Because Google doesn’t directly use domain authority, you might be wondering if this site metric is a waste of time. Luckily, this isn’t the case. Your DA score can be highly useful to you in several ways.
One of the most significant advantages of domain authority is predicting your organic traffic. Organic traffic is traffic from search engine results that is earned rather than paid. When users visit your website via unpaid search results, they contribute to organic search engine traffic.
Boosting your organic traffic can help you target the right visitors, making you more likely to convert visitors into customers. Your DA score tells you where your website stands in organic search results, so you know how to improve going forward.
Ranking highly on the DA scale can also help you attract more advertisers. Ads are crucial to boosting visibility for your website and improving its ranking overall.
How Can You Check Domain Authority?
If you’re ready to put your website to the test, you can check your domain authority score for free. Moz lets you do this with their Link Explorer and MozBar, which is their free SEO toolbar. This site even includes a Keyword Explorer with a built-in SERP Analysis tool that lets you check your DA score at any time.
You can also check your domain authority using other SEO and online marketing sources across the web. Be sure to choose a reputable resource that helps you understand your website’s ranking and what you can do to improve it.
How Can You Improve Your DA Score?
If your website is still new, there’s a good chance that it ranks low on the DA scale. Improving your ranking takes time. However, there are a few steps that you can take in the meantime to boost your site’s performance.
Backlinks are at the heart of your domain authority, so you’ll want to put most of your energy toward improving the links you use. Be sure to sprinkle plenty of links throughout your website to attract more viewers. While you’re at it, link to authoritative trusted sources that help boost your site’s credibility.
Another good strategy for improving your DA score is getting others to link to your website. To do this, you need to produce content that earns other people’s attention. Focus on creating helpful, compelling content that people will want to link to.
Getting the Most Out of Domain Authority
Domain authority is one of your most valuable tools for boosting your SEO ranking. Keep these tips in mind to get the most out of your DA score.
Hi! My name is Carter Stroup. I am the founder, president, web and SEO professional at Render Results. I have been a web developer for over four years and currently hold five professional certifications. My number one goal is to provide custom websites for an affordable price to help grow small businesses.
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