You have probably heard of search engine optimization (SEO), and if you are like most companies you work to improve your ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). But have you heard of the SEO factor called domain authority (DA)? This important metric is key to your SEO strategy. In this post, we will define domain authority and outline ways you can improve this important number.
Domain authority is a metric developed by Moz, an SEO software provider. It predicts how well your website will rank on SERPs. On a scale from one to 100, the higher your score the more likely you will rank. Around since 2010, this is a logarithmic scale, meaning it is easier to increase your ranking from 10 to 20 than it is from 80 to 90. Brand new websites always start with a DA of one and work their way up from there. An average DA is around 40 to 50.
This Moz metric underwent an upgrade in March of 2019. Domain authority 2.0 is now based on a larger link index which includes 35 trillion links. It has a new machine learning model and incorporates spam detection. It also detects link manipulation and is updated on a daily basis. Moz has gotten better at assessing the quality of inbound links, and DA is now a more accurate reflection of Google’s algorithm.
You can check your website’s domain authority score using the MozBar extension for your internet browser. While DA accounts for your entire website, page authority measures the likelihood of individual pages to rank on SERPs. Google does not use DA or PA in its algorithm, so they have no direct impact on your search engine rankings.
It is important not to take DA as the only important SEO metric. Use DA as a relative metric to compare your website against competitor sites. DA on its own is fairly meaningless, so using it as a comparative metric is very important.
There are many ways to improve your website’s domain authority. Having a high number of linking root domains is key. Boosting your website’s overall SEO is also vital. Make sure your website loads quickly, within three seconds ideally. Create compelling content that will boost your website engagement and ultimately your DA.
Improve your SEO with optimized meta descriptions and title tags as well. Use image alt tags and optimize the content itself. Internal links will make it easier for search engines to index your website. Be sure to remove broken links on your website and promote your site’s content on social media to improve your domain authority. The age of your domain is another important factor Moz uses when calculating your score.
Links are also very crucial to improving DA. Conduct a link audit and disavow any bad links. You want to have high-quality links coming to your site from high authority websites. You also should have links coming from a large number of unique domains, as link diversity is a key DA factor.
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