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If you didn’t already know, where you rank on Google’s search results page (SERP) is crucial. Be honest – how often do you actually go to the second page? Chances are you don’t. You click on the links at the top of the page.

This is exactly where you want your website to be.

Ranking first on SERPs can be a challenging thing to do. Getting Google My Business reviews, adding internal linking, and blogging just might not be enough. One SEO tactic you might be forgetting? Increasing your domain authority.

In this blog, we will discuss what your domain authority (DA) actually is and 5 simple things you can do to increase it.

What is your domain authority?

Domain authority is a prediction of your site’s performance in SERPs. It is calculated on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the best, although your DA is considered good if it is between 50 and 60. These scores take time and effort to achieve, so don’t feel discouraged if your score is well under that.

It is important to note that Google does not recognize domain authority and therefore does not use it to determine your ranking. That said, the factors used to assess domain authority and the factors Google uses to rank your site are similar, so a higher DA likely means that you’ll rank well on the results page.

The best domain authority checker and the one Charley Grey uses is called Moz.

5 Simple Ways to Increase Your DA

A low domain authority doesn’t automatically mean that you won’t rank first on Google – so don’t panic; however, it is a good metric to track your website growth! If you’re looking to boost your domain rating, try implementing these 5 ideas!

  1. Write good on-page content

You’ve heard it a million times – content is king. To increase your domain authority, put some effort into writing long-form, helpful content. The goal of this is to get people linking to your content. Some post ideas include case studies, tutorials, and top lists!

  1. Get high-quality backlink

Think of links in the same way you think of a group of friends. If one friend makes good choices, the others tend to, too. If Google sees your site with high-quality links attached to it, then it will assume your site is useful as well, meaning that your DA will increase and you’ll be bumped up on the search engine results page.

To do this, you’ll want to create linkable content so that other sites in your industry will want to link to you. Write “Top List” or “Roundup” blog posts. Then reach out to these sites or individuals to let them know you’ve written something they might want to see! Don’t be afraid to directly ask them to link to you as well.

  1. Get rid of the bad links

If Google sees your site with some toxic links attached to it, then it will assume your site is spammy as well.

The best way to get rid of these is to go through your link profile. Keep your eyes open for any backlinks that come from bad sources. While you’re at it, run your site through a broken link checker to ensure that your own website isn’t connecting to any bad links.

  1. Improve your SEO

This means everything from making sure your site is mobile friendly to improving your internal linking. Yes, it even means making sure your web design is optimized for SEO. All of these factors affect your site’s SEO. And your SEO affects your sites DA and ranking. If you’re doing well in one area, you’ll do well in the others!

  1. Make the most out of social media

Social media is a free way to market your content while simultaneously boosting your SEO and domain authority. Social signals play an important role in letting Google know that your content is valuable and, more importantly, liked. Wrote a new blog? Share it on your Facebook! Have a new special? Post it on LinkedIn!

Be sure to ask followers to like, share, and comment on your posts, too! Engagement and link follow-throughs are key.

Need help improving your domain authority?

At Charley Grey, each website we build is optimized with on-page SEO that leads to a higher domain authority. To do this, we write good content, remove bad or broken links, improve your overall SEO, and offer social media help!

If you want to become part of the Charley Grey family, give us a call at (317) 659-1982!