What is Domain Authority and why does it matter to estate agents looking to rank?
In another article, I quickly mention Domain Authority (DA) as a factor to consider for search engine rankings. It is only a single factor, so it is far from the be all and end all when it comes to ranking, but understanding the concept of Domain Authority helps you grasp the changes and improvements your website needs to rank for relevant terms.
You can find that article through the following link, and it focuses on whether you should care about trying to rank. (Spoiler alert: You should.) Anyways, back to Domain Authority.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz, a leading SEO software company, that predicts the likelihood of a website ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s a score that ranges from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of ranking well in search results.
Domain Authority is based on various factors, including the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to a website, the overall popularity and trustworthiness of the website, and other SEO-related elements. It’s important to note that DA is a relative metric, meaning it’s not an absolute measure of a website’s SEO performance, but rather a comparative score in relation to other websites.
If you want to check our your website’s DA, you can do so for free (with no need to sign in or hand over an email address) at the Moz website.
Why does Domain Authority matter?
Some of the leading reasons DA matters include:
Search Engine Ranking: Websites with higher DA scores are generally more likely to rank higher in search results. A higher DA indicates that a website is considered more authoritative and trustworthy by search engines, which can result in better visibility and organic traffic.
Competitive Advantage: A higher DA score can give your website a competitive advantage over other websites in the same niche. Websites with higher DA are more likely to outrank their competitors and attract more traffic, potentially leading to more conversions and revenue.
Backlink Opportunities: Websites with higher DA are more likely to attract quality backlinks from other reputable websites. Backlinks are an essential element of SEO, and having a higher DA can make it easier to earn high-quality backlinks, which can further boost your website’s authority and SEO performance.
Credibility and Trustworthiness: A higher DA score can enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of your website in the eyes of users and search engines. A website with a higher DA is perceived as more reliable, reputable, and trustworthy, which can result in increased user engagement, longer time on site, and higher conversion rates.
SEO Performance Tracking: Domain Authority serves as a useful metric to track the progress of your website’s SEO efforts over time. By monitoring changes in your DA score, you can assess the effectiveness of your SEO strategies and identify areas that need improvement.
In summary, Domain Authority is an important SEO metric that can impact your website’s search engine rankings, competitive advantage, backlink opportunities, credibility, trustworthiness, and SEO performance. Improving your website’s DA can contribute to a stronger online presence and better SEO results.
Improving Domain Authority
Here are some tips on how to improve the Domain Authority (DA) of a website:
Create High-Quality, Unique Content: Producing high-quality, unique, and relevant content is crucial for improving your website’s DA. Focus on creating informative and valuable content that provides value to your users and encourages them to engage with your website.
Build a Solid Backlink Profile: Building a diverse and authoritative backlink profile is essential for improving your website’s DA. Seek out reputable websites in your niche and try to earn high-quality backlinks from them. Avoid spammy or low-quality backlinks, as they can negatively impact your DA.
Optimise On-Page SEO: Optimise your website’s on-page elements, such as meta tags, headings, and URLs, to make them search engine friendly. Use relevant keywords naturally in your content and optimise your website’s structure and navigation for a better user experience.
Improve User Experience (UX): User experience plays a significant role in SEO and can impact your website’s DA. Ensure your website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly. Create a user-friendly interface that encourages users to spend more time on your site and engage with your content.
Social Media Engagement: Active engagement on social media platforms can help increase your website’s visibility and drive traffic, which can positively impact your DA. Share your content on social media, engage with your audience, and encourage social sharing of your content.
Internal Linking: Internal linking refers to linking relevant pages within your website. This helps search engines understand the structure of your website and the relationship between different pages, which can positively impact your website’s DA. Be sure to use descriptive anchor text and avoid excessive linking.
Keep Your Website Updated: Regularly update your website with fresh content, fix broken links, and ensure that your website is up-to-date with the latest design trends and technology. An updated website signals to search engines that your website is relevant and credible.
Monitor Your Website’s Performance: Keep a close eye on your website’s performance using analytics tools. Monitor your website’s traffic, engagement, and other key metrics to identify areas that need improvement and take corrective actions accordingly.
Improving your website’s Domain Authority is a long-term process and requires consistent effort. By following these tips and implementing best SEO practices, you can gradually improve your website’s DA and enhance your overall SEO performance.
Why do backlinks matter?
In SEO, the relevance of domains linking to a site, also known as backlinks, is significant for ranking for a particular keyword term. Backlinks from other domains are considered a vote of confidence or endorsement for a website, indicating that the content is valuable and relevant. Here’s how backlinks can impact keyword rankings:
Authority and Trust: Backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy domains can positively impact a website’s authority and trust in the eyes of search engines. When reputable websites link to your site, it signals to search engines that your content is credible and relevant, which can potentially boost your website’s rankings for the targeted keyword term.
Relevance and Context: Backlinks from domains that are topically relevant to your website’s content and the targeted keyword term can also contribute to better rankings. When websites with similar content or in the same niche link to your site, it indicates that your content is relevant to that topic and can help search engines understand the context of your content.
Anchor Text: The anchor text, which is the clickable text in a hyperlink, used in backlinks can also impact keyword rankings. When the anchor text used in backlinks includes the targeted keyword term, it can signal to search engines that your website is relevant for that particular keyword, potentially boosting your rankings for that term.
Link Diversity: Having a diverse and natural backlink profile with links from various domains can also positively impact keyword rankings. A diverse backlink profile indicates that your website is being referenced by different websites, which can contribute to your website’s credibility and authority in the eyes of search engines.
Link Quality: The quality of the linking domains is crucial for SEO rankings. Backlinks from reputable, high-quality websites are more impactful than those from low-quality or spammy websites. High-quality backlinks can potentially boost your website’s rankings for the targeted keyword term.
It’s important to note that while backlinks are an essential element of SEO, they should be earned naturally and not through manipulative or spammy practices. Search engines have become sophisticated in detecting low-quality or unnatural backlinks, and such practices can result in penalties and negatively impact your website’s rankings. Focus on building a diverse and high-quality backlink profile from authoritative and relevant domains to improve your website’s chances of ranking well for your targeted keyword terms.
How can estate agents earn links to their website?
Estate agents, like any other business, can earn links to their website from other websites through various legitimate and ethical methods. Here’s a thorough overview of some common strategies for earning links in the real estate industry:
Property listing sites: If you list property for slae on sites like Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket, you have an opportunity to share a link that takes people from these sites to yours. This is a crucial link with respect to connecting with interested people, but also in picking up links from well-regarded sources.
High-Quality Content Creation: Creating valuable and informative content on your website, such as blog posts, articles, guides, infographics, and videos, can attract links from other websites. When you provide unique and valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience, other websites may naturally link to your content as a reference or resource.
Guest Blogging: Writing guest posts for reputable websites in the real estate niche can be a great way to earn links. By contributing high-quality and relevant content to other websites, you can establish yourself as an industry expert and gain exposure to a wider audience. Most websites that accept guest posts allow you to include a link back to your website in your author bio or within the content, which can drive traffic and improve your website’s authority.
Building Relationships and Networking: Building relationships with other businesses, influencers, and industry organisations in the real estate sector can lead to link-building opportunities. Networking and collaborating with other websites can result in mutual link exchanges or mentions on each other’s websites, which can help to increase your website’s visibility and authority.
Local Business Directories: Listing your business on reputable local business directories and industry-specific directories can also earn links to your website. Many directories allow you to include a link to your website in your business profile, which can improve your website’s visibility in local search results and drive targeted traffic.
Testimonials and Reviews: Providing testimonials or reviews for other businesses or services that you have used or partnered with can also result in links. Many businesses appreciate and publish testimonials or reviews on their websites, along with a link back to the source. However, make sure that the testimonials or reviews are genuine and not incentivised, as search engines may penalise manipulative practices.
Community Involvement: Participating in local community events, sponsoring local charities or organisations, or supporting local initiatives can also earn links from local websites. Such involvement can result in mentions, acknowledgments, or links from local websites, which can improve your website’s visibility and authority in the local market.
Social Media Engagement: Active engagement on social media platforms, such as sharing your website’s content, engaging with other industry influencers, and participating in relevant discussions, can also lead to link-building opportunities. When you establish yourself as a credible and valuable contributor on social media, other websites may link to your content or mention your website in their posts or discussions.
It’s important to note that earning links should be done naturally and ethically, without resorting to manipulative or spammy practices. Focus on creating high-quality content, building genuine relationships, and engaging with your target audience and industry peers, which can result in valuable and authoritative links to your website. Always prioritise relevance, quality, and authenticity in your link-building efforts to ensure long-term success in improving your website’s authority and rankings.
So, that is Domain Authority, and this page has a lot of words for something that is only one factor in a myriad of components which influence how a website ranks. Whether you ploughed through it or skipped to the end, you probably don’t want to spend too much more of your time worrying about DA. This is why you should call on people like me, I’m more than happy doing this sort of thing for business. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you recognise DA is important, but you’ve no interest in doing it personally!
