Domain Authority: What it is, how to measure it, and how to increase it

Within Off Page SEO, Domain Authority is one of the most relevant terms. But do you really know what we mean by this concept? What does it influence exactly? How is it measured? Is it possible to improve it and increase it with link building? We will address all these questions in this post, so keep your eyes on these lines.

Definition of Domain Authority

Domain Authority is a metric that indicates the relevance of a website compared to other pages in the world. We could define it as the strength of that domain and the weight it carries, both in its theme and in general. It is another factor that Google may consider when ranking a page.

It is also a numerical value assigned by the MOZ tool. This indicator has values from 0 to 100, with 100 being the maximum Domain Authority a page can have. However, this number does not determine that a post ranks higher just because it is on a site with a DA of 60 compared to another on a site with a DA of 20. As we say, it will depend on other factors.

But then, why do we care so much about Domain Authority in the world of SEO? Knowing this metric saves us a lot of trouble when selecting links on certain websites. Between two pages that discuss topics in our sector and that already enjoy some popularity, the one with the higher authority can help us decide if we only have one "shot". But remember that this is not a rule or a strict value.

Moreover, in terms of our competition, it is a quite intelligent move, making them understand that our website gains significant relevance.

And... can Domain Authority be increased? If so, how? We will tell you in the next section.

How to increase Domain Authority

This is a common question among most media that want to gain relevance on the Internet. It is an important metric for Google to place our content in the top search positions. Therefore, it is important to know how to work on Domain Authority.

Link building strategy

This is where link building comes into play. A good link strategy is key for our Domain Authority to increase.

With quality external links from relevant sites in our sector, Google identifies us within that context and positions us for those keywords we have worked on.

It is advisable that these links are dofollow, as they are understood to transmit that authority. However, with Google's recent changes, it has been shown that it is the search engine's algorithm that decides which links to follow. Also, keep in mind that nofollow links also contribute to naturalness and context, so they are equally important.

But remember that it is not about putting a huge number of links wherever you can. It is about determining the media most aligned with your project and choosing those sponsored articles of value where your link will be helpful.

Another interesting point is to analyze your competitors' links. If other media in your sector have this higher indicator, it is likely that their links are helping them achieve this result. Therefore, knowing the links pointing to their website will help you visualize the media you should choose.

Practice guest posting

Without leaving the world of link building, writing posts as a guest on other blogs and reference websites is another action that helps increase Domain Authority.

By creating an interesting article on these websites, you present yourself as a reference in the sector, in addition to helping Google contextualize the sector in which you operate.

Therefore, examine those websites of most interest within your sector or the topic you want to enhance, contact them, and try to offer valuable articles as a guest.

Create quality content based on strong keywords for your project

Without content, there is no SEO. And if there is no SEO, Google will not know about you. Nor will you achieve an improvement in your Domain Authority.

Only by providing articles that help your target audience will you attract more traffic to your website. This traffic and the proper development of content will catch the attention of other media that will link to you as a reference and/or consultation point. And this will be another signal for Google to take you into account.

Of course, linking to these quality articles from other media will be seen as a truly natural action that will be valued by both Google and the user, which will place you higher in search results.

Promote your content

Both through the different social media profiles you have created and through Ads campaigns, giving visibility to your content by promoting interaction is another key.

Whether through clicks, visits, mentions, or comments, this will make Google value it positively and perceive that there is movement that it should be aware of.

Take care of your internal linking

Links to other content on your own website are essential. Sometimes, this aspect tends to be neglected, but it contributes to increasing Domain Authority.

If you correctly link to other useful content for the user and use the correct anchor text, this will increase their time spent on your website.

This link juice transfers authority from one internal page to another, guiding the user through different elements of interest. It is something that Google will take into account and will positively value when increasing your Domain Authority.

Conduct a link audit

There are links that clearly benefit you... but there are also others that may be harming you or not providing what you seek. In this case, nothing better than conducting a link audit to discern which types of links are most beneficial to you.

Monitoring the status of the links pointing to your website will help you maintain a natural visibility accordingly. If, for example, you have a large number of low-quality links or those that could be considered SPAM, you could end up being penalized by Google.

How is Domain Authority measured?

This is another of the big questions when we talk about Domain Authority. To measure this indicator, we can use different tools dedicated to web positioning. But they will only reflect the MOZ parameter mentioned earlier. After all, Google assigns a PageRank to each website and it cannot be determined by the tools we discuss below. In any case, the main ways to obtain this numerical indicator are:

• MOZ. It is the preferred tool for many when it comes to knowing Domain Authority. In its Domain Authority section, we will have a number from 1 to 100 that will give us the value.
• AHREFS. This SEO tool will indicate the Domain Authority of any website numerically in its Domain Rating (DR) section.
• SEMrush. It has its own metrics that provide us with indicators to know if one medium has more authority than another.

However, it is advisable not to obsess over these metrics, neither when choosing a link nor when assessing your project. Yes, they are a good indicator to guide you, but they are not the holy grail within link building. In fact, they can even be manipulated.

As we mentioned earlier, there are multiple variables that influence a good link. And there are many variables that Google takes into account to evaluate our website.

So, why improve Domain Authority?

Throughout this article, we have resolved numerous doubts about Domain Authority: what it is, what actions are taken to improve it, and how those improvements are measured. But you may still wonder why you should invest time and money in these types of actions.

The short answer is: invest to gain. The long answer is more complex, and some of its main points have been touched upon in this article.

First of all, by improving Domain Authority, we will be working on an important part of our SEO positioning. It is a solid pillar to increase our online presence.

Linked to this improvement in positioning, we have more web traffic and an increase in the reach of our target audience. As you might guess, if we reach a larger audience, we have more chances of sales.

In addition to being more valued by Google and attracting a larger number of users, increasing our Domain Authority will also attract the attention of other websites and professionals in our sector who are starting or want to develop a strong strategy. We will be their reference.

In this sense, just like us, many media, niche websites, and online businesses will want to place a link on our page to obtain part of the authority we can transmit. And what does this mean? Well, they will pay to include their links on our website, which will allow us to earn extra income with these types of strategies.

In short, improving Domain Authority is a task to consider if we want our project to thrive in the digital environment, to position ourselves as sector leaders, and to increase our profits.

Start with sponsored articles and links on other media so that Google gets a better context of your website. On platforms like Unancor, you can access hundreds of media outlets to publish links to your website and start working on your Domain Authority.

And remember, if you found this article interesting, sharing it on your social networks will help it reach other users who need this information. See you in the next post!