Domain authority is a term used within the digital marketing industry. It is a measure of a domain’s authority and is based on a search engine’s ranking algorithm. Domain authority is one of several factors that influence how a website performs in search engine results pages and is used by digital marketers to gauge the potential success of a website in terms of inbound traffic, lead generation and sales opportunities.
Domain authority is based on a number of factors, the most pertinent being domain age, the number of links to the domain, the quality and relevance of content published on the page, and the number of social signals from users of the page.
Domain age is important because the longer a domain has been online and registered, the higher its authority is likely to be. This is because search engines attach greater trust to older domains. Thus, if a domain has been registered for several years or longer, its authority as measured by domain authority is likely to be strong.
In addition to domain age, the number of links to the domain will also affect its authority. Most search engines attach some form of value to the number of incoming links a website or page receives. The more links the higher the authority.
The quality and relevance of content published on the page is also an important factor in determining domain authority. Content that is well-written, well-researched and provides value in terms of information or entertainment will be more likely to receive higher domain authority scores.
Finally, the number of social signals from users of the page is another factor taken into account. Social sharing, likes and +1s are all indicators of engagement with a website or page and will often be taken into account when calculating domain authority.
Become a Sales & Marketing Rainmaker
Learn valuable skills to win more customers, grow your business, and increase your profits.
The three main factors that contribute to domain authority are domain age, the number of links to the domain, and the quality and relevance of content published on the page.
The domain age will factor in to domain authority, with older websites generally being seen as more authoritative. In this respect, business owners should be aware of the importance of registering a domain name and then actively maintaining the website in order to benefit from the authority of time.
The number of incoming links to the domain will also have an impact on its authority. To benefit from this, digital marketing strategies should include regular link building to the website. Link building can take the form of traditional link exchanges, as well as content marketing strategies such as blogging, article syndication and guest blogging.
Lastly, the quality and relevance of content published on the website or blog will affect its domain authority. Poorly written and irrelevant content will not attract visitor engagement and these factors should be taken into account when creating content and choosing topics to write about. Another factor to consider is the webpage loading speed. Pages that take too long to load may be penalised by search engines, so should be optimised to ensure visitors have a good user experience.
Social signals should also be taken into account when calculating domain authority. Since the rise of social media, social sharing, likes and +1s have become important factors in gauging the success of any given web page. As such, digital marketing strategies should include the integration of social infrastructure and social sharing buttons on all website pages, as well as actively encouraging users of the page to take part in social media interactions.