Domain authority is a metric used to rate your website in the SEO stakes.
In short, the higher the domain authority (DA) a website has, the easier it will be for its content to index and rank. All of which means the website is more likely to gain top search engine rankings, along with more clicks, engagements and conversions as a result.
Website owners can find their current DA score by using SEO software such as Semrush or Ahrefs.
Brand new websites will have a domain authority of 0. Over time, existing websites may struggle to boost their DA score past a certain point.
So how do you grow your score to a decent level, no matter what your current DA happens to be?
Here are our top tips for success.
First – What Is A Good Domain Authority?
According to Moz, domain authority scores are rated like so:
Under 30 = Poor
30 – 40 = Below average
40 – 50 = Average
50 – 60 = Good
60 – 70 = Very good
80+ = Excellent
However, it’s essential to know that domain authority is also subjective, and can also be dependent on niche. That’s why it’s important to focus on the DA scores of your competitors, since ranking above the average of your industry is more important.
Naturally, nobody wants a DA of 1. Though aiming for a DA of 85 isn’t going to be feasible for most websites, which is why focusing on providing the best quality experience, and also a score in line with your competitors is what to aim for.
Optimise Your Website Design
If a website provides a poor experience in terms of the navigation, responsiveness or load times, it’s just not going to climb the rankings. Instead, that website will have a high bounce rate and a lack of decent backlinks.
When a website has been professionally designed and is regularly updated, it will provide the best user experience.
For any website owner or content creator who is struggling to boost their domain authority, this step definitely can’t be skipped.
Some of the websites with the highest domain authorities on the internet include Apple and Amazon. While we’re not saying you have to pour millions into your website to soar to similar heights, there’s definitely something to be said for prioritising user friendliness throughout.
Improve Your Website Content
When your website’s design is hitting all the right notes, it’s time to fine tune your content. This includes all metadata, page headings, landing page content, blogs, images and other media.
Users want a website that loads fast and is relevant to their search terms. The content they find on your website should feel genuinely helpful so that users will spend longer on the page. Plus share your content with others as well as convert.
Every website will have a main niche, and other pages may feature umbrella terms from this main keyword. So the aim is to ensure each page naturally supports the rest of the content.
So definitely ditch pre-made website templates, stock images or copied text. Basically, anything that isn’t original or helpful. Making the sales journey as seamless as possible is also a must.
You may also be interested in: How to identify and manage keyword cannibalisation
Attract High-Quality Backlinks
It’s no secret that backlinks are a huge determining factor of a website’s domain authority.
The SEO specialism backlinks that fall under is off-page SEO.
There are two main problems with backlinks:
– Getting backlinks full stop can be really difficult (hence the need for good & relevant content!)
– Not all backlinks are created equal
Hopefully this is a given but purchasing backlinks is always a bad idea. It’s also essential to keep an eye on new backlinks on your SEO software, since lots of backlinks from low DA websites can be seen as spam.
Getting genuine backlinks is really difficult, let alone backlinks from high domain authority websites. But, this is far more likely to happen when a website contains original and high quality content.
Use More Internal Links
Google (other search engines also exist) will reward you for using internal links within your own content, especially over anchor text.
A good rule of thumb is to include a backlink for every 200 words of content on a page or blog post. Certainly don’t go overboard, or link to the same content twice within a page.
Instead, what you’re looking to do is naturally lead users to other relevant content, or the next logical step within the sales process.
Conduct Regular SEO Audits (& Fix Errors)
Any number of aspects may be hindering your website’s SEO, and therefore, negatively affecting your domain authority score.
The only way to find out and keep on top of any issues is by conducting regular SEO audits.
Most SEO platforms are also good at sending email updates if anything flags up as a problem, such as multiple H1 tags or missing meta descriptions.
Hiring a dedicated SEO specialist or agency can take care of these problems on your behalf, while preventing new errors from occuring wherever possible due to following best practices.
Imaginaire – SEO Agency Nottingham
Need any help with all things SEO including improving your domain authority score?
Imaginaire is a digital marketing agency based in Nottingham, and we provide SEO services to our clients across various industries.
Let us know how we can help by getting in touch with our team. Simply drop us a message or give us a call on 0115 697 1541.