When it comes to your website, you probably think a lot about the way it looks and how it functions. As for the “behind-the-scenes” stuff, you’ve likely focused on optimizing your SEO and also keeping your site maintained. But have you given any thought to how your domain ranks with search engines?
First, let’s define what your site’s domain is versus the URL. The domain is the actual name of your site (i.e., www.hammersmithsupport.com), whereas the uniform resource locator (or URL) contains not only the domain name but also other information like the path and transfer protocol. So then, what’s in a domain?
What Is Domain Authority?
Domain authority is a search engine ranking given to your site’s domain. The biggest difference is that while Google utilizes Google Ranking Factors to determine the search engine results page—or SERP—order, domain authority is determined by a set of measurements set up by a software development company, Moz. Moz utilizes a scoring system between 1–100 with a higher number being more desirable. While higher scores are better, it’s important to compare your site’s domain to a competitor’s score, rather than trying to reach a score of 100. The only sites that achieve this are sites like Facebook, Google or Wikipedia.
Some of the factors considered in the DA metric are:
- quality and quantity of links to other sites
- quality and quantity of backlinks
- age of your domain
- quality of keywords
- quality of content
Why Does It Matter?
Much like SEO, domain authority is a good judge of how easily your site is able to be evaluated and returned on a SERP. While Google insists that domain authority is not a factor used to determine rank, the same factors that optimize SEO also optimize domain authority—which means your site will be given a more favorable rank in a SERP.
How to Improve Domain Authority
There are a few ways to improve your DA score:
- Get backlinks from high authority sites (state sites, official pages, etc.)
- Create engaging content
- Improve site functionality
Let Hammersmith Support Help
Questions? Totally confused? Not sure when you would have time to implement improving your domain authority? Don’t worry; Hammersmith Support is here to help. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation and let’s talk through your questions and see how our services can support your business. And if you’re curious about your site’s domain score, you can check it for free with Moz’s online tool.