What is Domain Authority (DA)?

It is important to start off this article by stating that DA is not a Google Ranking Metric. It is in fact a Moz-made Ranking Metric (developed by Moz) which shows you how Moz views your website, in the eyes of Google. This is important to clear up because it can cause confusion.

So, Moz has used Google’s ranking metrics to develop an “authority” based metric to tell people how trustworthy and authentic their website is. Confused yet? Basically, if you want to rank highly in organic search results, your Domain Authority is one of many factors that can assist. So, monitoring your Domain Authority and taking steps to increase it, has the potential to rank you higher in Google and therefore allow you to reach more users and convert more leads.

Why is DA Important?

Smart Insights states that more than 50% of clicks go to the first 3 google results. So, it’s safe to say that doing everything you can to rank higher is a must if you want to increase traffic to your website.

How does DA work?

Domain Authority is a ranking metric which impacts search engine optimization (SEO). Moz developed DA to predict how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). Who is Moz? Moz is a marketing software company which focuses on SEO and making SEO easier to understand and use to ones advantage. They have also built a free tool for people to check their website DA – https://moz.com/link-explorer

A Domain Authority score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores corresponding to a higher rank which means higher visibility, which means…. a higher CTR (click through rate). Domain Authority is calculated by assessment of over 40 factors, including linking root domains and number of total links, into a single DA score. So, it’s not simple and it certainly is not going to be magically increased over night. However, there are a range of steps you can take to work on your DA.

Just to make things more complicated, you have an overall DA and you have DA’s for certain keywords… for example imagine you have an Electrical business and you provide a range of services and you’re based in the Brisbane CBD. If I type into Google “LED Lighting Installation Brisbane CBD” and you have no content, keywords, or backlinks relating to this service on your website, your DA for this keyword might be really low and therefore shows you that your ranking for this keyword wouldn’t be very high. However if you also do Air-conditioning Installation and you have an abundance of content, keywords and backlinks relating to this keyword you are more likely to have a higher DA for this particular keyword.

How can I get a Higher DA?

Okay if you’ve made it this far you are doing really well! Pat on the back! DA is confusing and it is slightly fluffy at first, but then you find simple solutions to increase your DA and the world makes sense again! See below some simple ways to increase your DA:

  1. If you have ever bought backlinks off a website, now would be a good time to check your DA to see if it has decreased. A Recent upgrades to Moz’s Ranking Metric, was smacking down on “spammy links”. A lot of spammy websites, offer backlinks for $$$, this is now more thoroughly analysed in the Ranking Metric System and websites who have bought backlinks from untrustworthy sources are now being penalised. So, this goes without saying, stay away from spammy links! Do not associate your website with untrustworthy links as you will be penalised.
  2. Getting backlinks from high DA websites will have a positive impact on your DA; if Moz can see that you’re connected to trustworthy websites, this shows that you too can be trusted.
  3. Working on your overall SEO strategy and ensuring everything is running smoothly and consistently can also have a positive impact on your DA. For example, monthly blogs, cleaning up online directories, and consistently updating your GMB (Google My Business) can be a great way to make sure your SEO efforts are in good shape.

It’s been one hell of a ride but you did it! You made it, and you may now rest your tired eyes and your sore brain! Domain Authority is tricky, it’s forever evolving and it can be difficult to wrap your head around. But the solutions for a higher DA are relatively straight forward and simple…especially with a little added help. If this article has been helpful and you would like to discuss working on your DA, get in touch and we can chat about how we can help you with your DA, search engine optimization and ranking higher!