The Crazy Animal Called Domain Authority
If you are a new blogger and have high hopes about taking the world by storm, you need to, first of all, carefully consider your strategy. That’s because if you are not careful, the boogeyman that’s called domain authority will get you. Should this happen, you will join the ranks of the millions of bloggers who give up after only a few months, and your site will join the 95% that are orphaned across the length and breath of the World Wide Web. So, what is domain authority and how does it affect beginner bloggers?
What is Domain Authority?
The term Domain Authority refers to the power that a particular domain has, and is used to predict the rank that a site will get on Search Engine Result Pages. It was developed by Moz and uses a scale of “0” to “100.” Domain authority is based on the following three factors
- Domain Age
- Domain Size
- Domain Popularity
Domain Authority and new websites
One of the things that new website owners do not realize, in the rush to take over the blogging world, is the fact that their sites do not really have the needed authority at this juncture. This is the major reason why you will find your new blog performing dismally when compared to ones that have been around for some time. But, why is this the case?
New Domains are…well, new
We have already noted that one of the major factors that determine authority is domain age. What this means is that new websites actually need to be around for quite some time to be able to begin ranking well on Search Engines.
New Domains do not have that much content
Another thing that militates against new domains is the fact that they are often launched with very little content. For most people, getting started is a matter of writing one or two articles, signing up with one web host or the other and that’s it. Compare that with established blogs that publish hundreds of articles on a daily basis and you will realize that you have your work cut out for you.
Popularity
This factor is one on which, fortunately, you can work even when your site is still relatively new. We have previously written about Social Media and how it can be used to boost a blog or blog page. Although our experience with Facebook Marketing did not go according to plan, Social Media remains the greatest tool that new bloggers have at their disposal.
How long does it take for a website to get the needed domain authority?
Debate rages on the exact time frame that is needed in order to give a website greater visibility. Domain Authority is not only a matter of time, however. We have already noted that there are other factors; content and popularity. Getting Domain Authority is a matter of working on all these factors, and should you do the work properly, you will begin to notice your website getting a boost at between 6 to 12 months.
How to Increase Domain Authority
So, how do you increase domain authority for your blog? Well, by doing the following;
- By producing well written, engaging content
- By producing content that is unique and adds to humanity’s great knowledge repertoire.
- Carrying out On-Page SEO
- Internal Linking
- By being patient (time will give you a boost)
- By vigorously marketing your site
- Marketing your site on Social Media
- Guest Posting
Why Increase Domain Authority
If you are like the majority of bloggers who are out there, you probably dream about reaching out to as many people as possible. Increasing your Domain Authority also increases the chances that your content will be discovered and read by your target audience. That is a major reason why all website owners should be preoccupied with increasing their sites’ domain authorities.Again, we need to emphasize that you need to be patient. Time will increase your domain authority, as long as you continue to produce engaging content.