Updated October 2024
Your business’s growth depends on getting more visitors to your website but getting organic traffic is more difficult than ever.
A great SEO strategy can help you get more organic traffic from search engines. This is why it’s important to understand everything that affects your ranking on search engines.
One of the biggest factors that help to determine your ranking is domain authority.
What is Domain Authority?
When search engines rank websites on search engine results pages (SERPs), they use several factors to determine this ranking.
After all, it’s a search engine’s job to interpret a user’s query and quickly deliver results that are relevant to the search.
Search engines like Google need to have an accurate way of determining whether the content on a website is from a trustworthy and knowledgeable source.
This is where domain authority comes in.
Domain authority measures how accurate and dependable the content found on a website is, which directly impacts how highly a site ranks on SERPs.
Domain Rating vs Domain Authority
The inbound marketing and marketing analytics company Moz coined the term “domain authority” and developed an authoritative way to measure it.
You can use their free tools to measure your site’s domain authority.
Other SEO specialists have developed similar tools, like Ahrefs’ Domain Rating.
So, both Moz and Ahrefs domain authority measuring scales aim to help you measure your site’s authority.
High Authority Backlinks & Referring Domains
But how does domain authority affect your search engine ranking?
Google and other search engines use algorithms to analyze website content based on hundreds of factors.
They look at things like the quality of the information presented, the context of the content, and if other sites link to the information found on this site, among other things.
Search engine algorithms use the same factors to rank pages and contribute to a site’s domain authority.
While addressing the question – ‘Do backlinks build authority’? A recent study by Strategically Digital found that more than just the number of links, increasing the number and quality of the referring domains linking back to you directly correlates to improving your domain authority and online visibility.
Why is Domain Authority Important?
Having a high domain authority will not only rank your website higher on SERPs but can also help build consumer trust in your brand.
Domain authority is one of the most important parts of a good SEO strategy, and it’s one way to gain an advantage over your competition.
While Moz measures domain authority on a scale of 1-100, with 100 as the highest possible score, having a lower score doesn’t necessarily mean your site will rank poorly. This score has more to do with how it compares to the score of the sites you’re competing with.
Even if you only have a domain authority score of 60, sites with a lower score will likely still rank lower on SERPs.
It’s important to regularly assess your domain authority because it’s the closest you’ll get to having a picture of how Google ranks sites. After all, Google’s algorithms are proprietary, so you’ll never be able to see exactly how Google makes ranking decisions.
Because domain authority directly correlates to how pages rank on SERPs, knowing your domain authority can give you insight into why your website is ranking how it is, especially if those rankings are lower than you’d like.
How do You Build Domain Authority with Backlinks?
Having helpful, relevant, and informative content on your site is a solid strategy for building your domain authority.
But there are other things you can do to give yourself an extra edge, including using backlinks.
When another website links to your website, it’s called a backlink.
Backlinks act as referrals from other websites, using them to prove your domain authority.
Essentially, backlinks build authority.
6 Suggestions for Acquiring More Backlinks
But how do you get other websites to link back to yours?
Here are a few suggestions about how to get more authority backlinks:
1. Produce high-quality content.
When you create great content, other sites will be motivated to link to it.
Unique content such as case studies and industry research, expert roundups, statistics, and the like is much more likely to be referenced by others.
2. Use social sharing.
Asking people to share your content on social media can get it in front of a wider audience who may continue to share it further. This is especially effective if you engage and provide value on various forums or social media groups.
3. Talk to your network.
Reach out to companies and individuals you may already have a good business relationship with and ask them to include backlinks on their site.
4. Use social listening.
Social listening can allow you to listen to what people say about your business and brand. If people are already talking about you, you can reach out to ask for a backlink.
5. Reach out to websites relevant to your industry.
Industry blogs or news sites that mention your competitors are great places to look for backlinks. Introduce yourself to them and your brand, and suggest they include a backlink.
6. Write guest posts.
If there’s a popular blog in your industry, ask if you can write a guest post. They will likely offer to provide backlinks. If you create an engaging and educational piece of content, you may find more guest posting opportunities.
Use these tips to start getting more referring domains and their high-quality backlinks.
Having plenty of valuable backlinks and referring domains is necessary to build your domain authority, increase your organic traffic, convert more visitors, and ultimately grow your business.
Keep in Mind…Referring Domains & Backlinks Build Authority
A solid SEO strategy is important for any business that wants growth. While a great SEO strategy has a lot of different components, getting those backlinks is essential.
Your focus should always be on creating relevant, engaging content that your customers will find valuable.
Great content lets Google know that you’re an authority in your industry and that what you have to say is trustworthy. This will naturally improve SEO and get you the backlinks you need to increase your domain authority.
This means your website and business will be more visible to the audience you want to reach.
As a business owner, it can be tough to keep up with all the latest marketing trends. You have a lot on your plate, and we can help.
LocalBizGuru is a full-service digital marketing agency that can help to create a marketing strategy that works for your business.
Contact us if you’re looking for more tips on increasing your domain authority to rank higher on SERPs.
