How valuable is your website? Domain Authority will tell you!

Domain authority (also known as domain value or DA) indicates how important and relevant a search engine considers your website to be. The influence of this metric should not be underestimated, as it plays a key role in determining your ranking in Google’s search results. In this blog, we’ll explain how you can measure your domain authority and how you can improve it.

What is domain authority?

Before we tell you more about increasing domain authority, it’s worth knowing what domain authority is. Domain authority is a score that indicates how valuable your website is. The score is expressed on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher your score, the higher your domain authority. Good to know: a score of 30 is certainly not bad. Only websites such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube have a score above 90.

Domain authority was developed by Moz, an American SEO software company. It is therefore not a Google term. Domain Authority is a score that indicates how strong your website is in the eyes of search engines. It is primarily based on the number and quality of backlinks to your website. Moz uses a combination of a proprietary link index and machine learning to estimate how well the website can rank. The result? Your Domain Authority. Although your domain authority is an important ranking factor, it is not the only factor that counts.

What are the benefits of high domain authority?

Your website’s authority is one of the three most important pillars of SEO. The higher your domain’s value, the greater the chance of achieving a higher ranking on Google. In addition, content and technical aspects are also important for achieving a higher Google ranking.

Domain authority or page authority?

There is a difference between domain authority and page authority. Page authority is very similar to domain authority, but there is a distinction. With page authority, only a specific page is measured, rather than the entire website. It is possible for your domain authority to have a score of 20, whilst a new page has a page authority of 5. Every website page relies on the website’s domain authority.

How is domain authority determined?

There are various criteria that determine a website’s value:

• The website must be optimised for search engines in accordance with SEO guidelines. These guidelines are updated regularly. It is therefore important that the website is updated to comply with the new guidelines;
• Websites are indexed by web crawlers and automated bots. The better your website’s navigation structure, the higher your domain authority will be;
• The more often your domain is linked to by external websites, the higher your domain authority becomes: link building.
• Time is a key factor. The longer you’ve been active in a domain, the higher your domain authority score becomes. You cannot force a high score with a new website.
• Do you have links on your website that no longer work or are no longer relevant? If so, these will have a negative impact on your website’s value. So make sure you keep your website well organised.

How do you measure domain authority?

There are many different ways to check your domain authority. We’ve therefore listed the three most reliable options for you.

• Moz’s Domain Authority (DA);
• Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR);
• Trust Flow (TF) & Citation Flow (CF) from Majestic.

Good to know: these companies and tools are independent of Google. Google does not disclose all the details of its algorithm. Nor does it reveal exactly how it measures domain authority. That is why the companies mentioned above have emerged. Each in its own way, they attempt to determine domain authority.

How to increase your domain authority

We’ll give you a few tips on how to increase your domain authority. These are, however, tips that pay off in the long term. The results will therefore not be immediately visible.

1. Let’s start: high-quality content

Content on your website is extremely important. It tells both the reader and Google what the website is about. Content ensures that you rank highly in search engines. In addition, the content on your website attracts backlinks. Domain authority cannot be improved without high-quality backlinks to your website. The more you inform your readers and provide them with strong content, the easier it is to attract new backlinks and increase your domain authority. Do you need help writing good content? Then take a look at the possibilities offered by Content Marketing.

2. Building backlinks

Once you’ve written the content for your own website, it’s time to start link building. This is because when other websites link to your pages, you’re signalling to search engines that your page is ‘link-worthy’.

Check out your competitors

Find out which websites rank highly for the keywords you also want to rank for. Even if the websites do not compete with your products, you are still competing for website traffic. Look for synonyms that also have search volume, or use variations on certain search terms by adding words such as ‘buy’ or ‘order’.

How important is domain authority?

Domain authority is quite important. In fact, domain authority accounts for around 30 per cent of your Google ranking. It is also important to focus on high-quality, relevant content and a high domain value. Another key aspect is your website’s technical setup. Ensure this is in order and that your website is user-friendly. This will ensure your website remains Google-friendly for the long term. But perhaps even more importantly: your website will be easy for your visitors to use. After all, it’s always worth bearing in mind that it’s not Google, but your visitors alone, who buy your products or services.

Want to rank highly on Google?

Do you want to rank highly on Google, but are struggling to figure it out yourself or could you do with some help? Then we at Traffic Today are happy to assist you! We’ll help you optimise your website in various areas, for example through link building or content optimisation. Get in touch with us for more information!