Increase Your Domain Authority with Proven SEO Strategies
Introduction
If you've ever found yourself wondering why your site isn't ranking despite high-quality content, it might be time to take a closer look at your Domain Authority (DA). Originally developed by Moz, Domain Authority is a predictive score that estimates how well a website will rank in search engine results. While it's not a direct Google ranking factor, it's widely used by SEOs and marketers to gauge a site's strength relative to competitors.
The higher your Domain Authority, the better your chances of outranking competitors in search engine results pages (SERPs). But increasing DA isn't about shortcuts or gaming the system—it's about consistently building a solid SEO foundation.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about how to increase your domain authority, from link-building strategies to technical SEO tips. Whether you're just getting started or looking to level up, this article has you covered.
1. What Is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a metric developed by Moz to predict a website's ability to rank in search engines. It ranges from 1 to 100—the higher the score, the better the predicted performance. It's calculated using multiple factors, including the number of linking root domains, total backlinks, and the quality of those links.
Here’s what you should know:
DA is a comparative metric: It’s best used to benchmark your site against competitors, not as an absolute goal.
Not a Google metric: Google doesn’t use DA in its ranking algorithm, but a high DA correlates strongly with better rankings.
It evolves over time: As your backlink profile grows and your content improves, your DA can increase too.
Moz also offers Page Authority (PA), which predicts how well individual pages will rank. Together, DA and PA give a more complete picture of your website’s SEO potential.
2. Audit Your Current Authority
Before you can improve your Domain Authority, you need to know where you stand.
Tools You Can Use:
Ahrefs Site Explorer
SEMrush Domain Overview
Ubersuggest
Run a full domain analysis to check:
Current DA score
Number of backlinks
Number of referring domains
Types of links (do-follow vs. no-follow)
Top linking pages
Also, benchmark against 3–5 direct competitors. Are they scoring higher? What types of backlinks do they have that you don’t? This competitive intelligence will shape your strategy moving forward.
3. Create Link-Worthy Content
Content is the foundation of every link-building and authority-building strategy. To earn links, your content must provide value that others want to reference.
What Works:
Ultimate guides: In-depth resources (like this one!)
Original data or research: Industry stats or surveys
Infographics and visual assets: Easy to embed and share
Thought leadership content: Expert opinions, predictions, case studies
Follow Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines: demonstrate Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness in your content.
🔗 Related: SEO Tools for Beginners
Pro Tip:
Use the Skyscraper Technique—find top-performing content in your niche, improve upon it, and promote it to the same audience.
4. Build High-Quality Backlinks
If DA is a kingdom, backlinks are its currency. One of the most effective ways to increase your domain authority is by earning high-authority backlinks from trusted websites.
Proven Link Building Tactics:
Guest Posting: Publish on niche-relevant blogs with a good DA.
Broken Link Building: Find broken links on authority sites, suggest your content as a replacement.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out): Provide expert quotes to journalists for backlink opportunities.
Digital PR: Launch data-driven campaigns that attract media attention.
Resource Pages: Get listed on pages curating valuable resources in your industry.
Focus on relevance + authority. A single backlink from a high-authority, topical site can outweigh dozens of low-quality links.
🔗 Related: Link Building Basics for New Websites
📘 External Resource: Moz’s Link Building Guide
5. Improve Technical SEO
Great content and backlinks won't get you far if your site has technical issues. Google's bots must be able to crawl and index your site efficiently.
Key Technical SEO Areas:
Crawlability: Submit an updated sitemap to Google Search Console.
Mobile-Friendliness: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your site performs well on mobile.
Site Speed: Optimize images, use lazy loading, and consider a CDN.
HTTPS: Use an SSL certificate to secure your site.
Core Web Vitals: Focus on loading performance, interactivity, and layout stability.
Structured Data: Add schema markup to help search engines better understand your content.
🔗 Related: What Is Technical SEO?
These elements not only help improve rankings but also enhance user experience—a win-win.
6. Internal Linking and Site Structure
While backlinks get most of the attention, internal linking is just as important for distributing authority across your site.
Best Practices:
Use descriptive anchor text to signal relevance
Link to deeper pages, not just the homepage or main categories
Avoid orphaned pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them)
Implement a silo structure to organize your content into topic clusters
Internal links help search engines understand the hierarchy of your site and ensure that your most important pages get the authority they deserve.
7. Clean Up Toxic Backlinks
Not all backlinks help your DA—some can actively harm it. Spammy or irrelevant links from shady domains can drag down your authority and potentially trigger Google penalties.
How to Clean Up:
Use Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to audit your backlink profile
Look for links from low-quality, irrelevant, or penalized sites
If you can’t remove them manually, use Google’s Disavow Tool—carefully
Be proactive about managing your backlink profile to protect your site’s reputation and authority.
8. Increase Social Signals and Brand Mentions
Social media doesn’t directly influence DA, but it amplifies your content’s reach, leading to more backlinks and brand visibility.
Tips:
Share content consistently across channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook
Repurpose content into different formats (e.g., video, carousel posts)
Use tools like BuzzSumo to analyze what gets shared in your niche
Encourage brand mentions and reviews—even if they don’t link back
Unlinked brand mentions can still benefit your SEO and contribute to building trust and authority.
9. Be Patient and Consistent
Unlike technical SEO tweaks, Domain Authority doesn’t increase overnight. It’s a long-term metric that reflects your website’s reputation and authority across the web.
Focus on:
Publishing quality content regularly
Building relationships in your industry
Earning links naturally over time
Updating and improving old content
Consistency is key. Keep at it, and the results will follow.
Conclusion
Increasing your domain authority is not about quick wins—it’s about sustainable SEO practices that improve your website’s credibility, visibility, and performance over time.
To recap:
Start by auditing your current DA and backlink profile
Create valuable, link-worthy content
Build high-authority backlinks strategically
Fix technical SEO issues and strengthen internal linking
Promote your content on social channels and monitor your progress
Improving your Domain Authority is a journey, but every step you take compounds over time.
🔗 Want more SEO help? Check out our guide: SEO Tools for Beginners