Domain Authority – A Great Metric, Yet Overrated

Why does one website in Coffs Harbour rank in Google search results higher than another? Given that two websites may appear to be of the same quality and have similar content, just what is it that makes the difference? Moreover, how do we test a website’s potential ranking ability to see where it sits in the online marketplace hierarchy? Well, for digital marketing folks, one way is to use a metric called Domain Authority. So, let’s delve a little deeper into what exactly is Domain Authority, why it’s useful and why it’s often overrated.

What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority was developed by one of the web’s original SEO software companies, MOZ.  You can check any website’s DA score for free by visiting Ahrefs website. Every website can be given a DA score. The higher the score, the more ‘important’ that website may be and, potentially, the better it will rank in a Google search. Scores range from 1 to 100. High-scoring websites like Amazon, CNN and the BBC all score very highly at over 90. But these are exceptions. For example, a common score for a local business in Coffs will be around 10, which is fine because it’s relative to their competitors. Some digital marketing agencies on the Coffs Coast score between 40 and 60.

Also, note that Domain Authority is not a ranking factor for Google. Yes, there is a strong correlation, but it isn’t the whole story.

 How is Domain Authority Measured?

The Moz algorithm aims to scan a huge proportion of the internet and calculate the relationships between those websites. It does this by examining each site’s backlink profile. A backlink is simply a hyperlink that points to another website. Therefore, the more backlinks a site has, the more ‘authority’ it gains. Lots of backlinks make it appear trusted and likely a more valuable source of quality information. This isn’t a fool-proof concept, but given that we know so little about the precise methods that Google use to rank sites (apart from a data leak we discussed previously), it’s the best metric we have for a snapshot.

Why is DA Overrated?

DA scoring could be considered one-dimensional. It scores websites on their face value. For instance, consider a photograph of a person. You can ascertain limited information by just looking at the picture; that’s the Moz algorithm. Google, on the other hand, has access to far more information contained in and about the picture. Moreover, Google analyses the picture’s wider relationship with everything else and makes a far more accurate assessment in a more nuanced and multi-dimensional way. Furthermore, whereas a website is likely high authority if it’s gaining backlinks from other high authority websites, the system can be gamed. This is why some websites have good DA scores, but they aren’t ranking as well as they should. Essentially, Google is tracking every metric and looking much deeper than backlink profiles to establish its own ranking score.

Buying Backlinks to Boost DA

Because DA scores are often seen as a proxy for Google’s ranking results, backlinks from high-authority websites can be bought. This isn’t seen as malpractice because if a backlink strategy is well-planned and intentioned, some websites can indeed boost their rankings and traffic. However, there are pitfalls. Firstly, simply buying backlinks that aren’t strongly associated with your core business often produces little benefit. And these backlinks can add up to thousands of dollars that could be spent in other, more beneficial ways. Next, ultimately, backlinks are intended to increase a website’s traffic. If all they do is little more than improve a site’s DA score, then what’s the advantage?

Don’t Go Bust for Backlinks

The best backlinks are generated organically because your content is genuinely valuable. Plus, if they derive from strongly associated businesses or areas of interest, they create powerful topical Authority within a niche. In other words, if a website is considered an expert source, it will rank highly. Moreover, buying backlinks doesn’t necessarily buy improved traffic, but it can fruitlessly improve your DA score. Therefore, focusing a digital marketing budget solely on backlinks may not yield the desired results. Instead, focus on creating valuable, original, and industry-relevant content. High-quality content will attract backlinks because other businesses will want to link to your blog or webpage, and that’s great. In addition, for Coffs businesses, prioritise local SEO strategies. In the end, high-quality content will create more traffic, loyal customers and gain effective backlinks organically.

Chat with our team at F1RST today about effective strategies to boost your website’s ranking.