When you hire my services as an SEO Consultant, one of the first things I will do is an audit or assessment of your website.
There are a number of factors which I take into account, when planning a strategy to improve your site’s ranking in the search engines.
One of these, is something called “Domain Authority” or DA – a number from 1 to 100, with 100 being the best. Sites with a DA of 100 are practically non-existent – even hugely popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia rank around the 95 mark.
Every website when it starts out, like this new one for sports wall decals, has a Domain Authority of just 1.
Why is Domain Authority Important?
Domain Authority is the best predictor of how well a website will rank in search engines. So a site with a DA of 45, is more likely to be on the front page of search engine results, than a site with a DA of 25.
The higher your Domain Authority, the harder it is to get to the next level.
I must confess to being a bit nosy; I like to check out the Domain Authority of the websites I visit. The highest ranking Australian blog I’ve come across is the award-winning Styling You, which at time of writing has a DA of 47.
At a recent workshop I attended, Sharon from Digital Nomad Wannabe suggested that a DA over 30 is when things really start to happen – ie your site starts getting a good flow of traffic from Google and other search engines. In my experience, it doesn’t even have to be that high, particularly here in Australia. Of course it depends on the industry, but I’ve seen positive results from sites with a DA of 12 or over.
What is My Domain Authority?
The Domain Authority here at Front Page Web Writing is currently 24 – yes, I really need to put more effort into my own business website and practise what I preach! (My blog, Middle Aged Mama, is a respectable 35.) It’s a bit like a mechanic never getting around to looking after their own cars 😉 .
If you want to find out your site’s Domain Authority, head to the Moz website and enter your URL for a free domain analysis. You might be asked to set up an account, but don’t worry – there’s a free version.
There are many ways to improve your DA, and your chances of appearing on the front page of search results for your chosen keywords.
Here’s the deal: I won’t promise to get your website a Domain Authority of 100, because I know my limits! But as you may have already gathered – I’m kind of obsessed with SEO – so contact me today if you are serious about potential customers being able to find you through Google.
