How to Raise Your Domain Authority (DA): 7 Expert Tips
Your DA score functions as a performance metric that indicates how effectively your site meets search engine standards and compares to competitors. While some marketers become preoccupied with this number, understanding its proper role matters.
DA represents an evaluation on a 100-point scale, assigned by SEO software like Moz based on numerous performance indicators. The scoring methodology continuously evolves, and importantly, DA is not a definitive grade. It's expected to fluctuate from time to time. Additionally, domain authority carries no direct ranking impact—obsessing over it can actually hinder your SEO efforts.
Viewed responsibly, it remains a useful metric. The practical path to improving DA involves implementing broader SEO improvements that naturally elevate this score as a byproduct.
What Goes Into a DA Score?
Domain Authority calculation incorporates multiple factors:
- Quantity of unique backlinks to your site
- Backlink quality (links from trusted sources)
- Content quality
- Site structure and usability
- Social signals (Facebook likes, LinkedIn shares on your content)
According to Dr. Peter Meyers of Moz (DA's originator): "If I had to over-simplify Domain Authority, I would say that DA is an indicator of your aggregate link equity."
Higher DA scores indicate stronger websites. However, it shouldn't become an isolated objective—instead, consider it a natural outcome of strong SEO implementation.
7 Tips for Increasing Your Domain Authority
Tip 1: Practice Good On-Page SEO
Foundational optimization is essential. This includes:
- Optimizing for fast load times and mobile friendliness
- Conducting comprehensive SEO site audits to identify problem areas
- Evaluating your entire site structure, not just individual pages
- Establishing regular optimization processes for frequently updated content like blogs
- Targeting appropriate keywords
- Consolidating and optimizing images
- Customizing metadata
- Checking content relevancy scores
- Maintaining strong internal linking structures for both user exploration and Google crawlability
Poor site navigation or technical issues discourage users from recommending your site, as they fear reflecting negatively on themselves.
Tip 2: Find a Niche to Produce Content For
Google favors sites consistently publishing high-quality content about specific subjects. Building expertise within a focused niche provides several advantages:
- Keeps content concentrated and purposeful
- Prevents the overwhelm of juggling multiple disparate topics simultaneously
- Allows you to establish authority within your area
Identify your niche by considering your ideal customers, their characteristics, concerns, and questions related to your expertise. This analysis reveals core topics, subtopics, and long-tail keywords to target.
Pro tip: Maintain a customer-centric rather than keyword-centric strategy. Sometimes topics lacking keyword data still merit coverage if they address emerging customer interests.
Tip 3: Partner with Other Experts
Brand partnerships provide powerful marketing vehicles, enabling you to earn white-hat backlinks while generating expert-driven content.
Seek complementary partners—those sharing your audience but filling knowledge gaps or providing supplementary services. Avoid direct competitors.
Popular collaboration formats include:
- Blog swaps
- Joint webinars (repurposable as video clips or derivative blog posts)
- Newsletter spotlights
Tip 4: Write for Other High-Authority Sites
Google emphasizes E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) when assessing site and creator quality.
Guest blogging opportunities help you:
- Grow your backlink profile
- Demonstrate site trustworthiness
Selecting appropriate publishing partners matters significantly. Evaluate a publisher's standards, trending headlines, voice alignment with your company, and DA score.
Note: Some publishers, particularly media outlets, restrict do-follow links in guest contributions. Regardless, brand mentions increase visibility and site traffic.
Tip 5: Nurture Superstars on Your Team
Google values seeing proven industry experts as your authors. Well-credentialed authors increase content trustworthiness.
Additionally, involving team members in content creation:
- Fosters cross-departmental knowledge sharing
- Yields higher-quality output
- Scales distribution as employees share work through personal networks
Boost author reputation by:
- Encouraging key team members to publish regularly on your site and high-authority platforms
- Including author bios wherever content appears, helping Google and readers recognize experts
Tip 6: Repurpose Content for Various Channels and Mediums
One blog post generates numerous derivative content opportunities:
- eBooks
- Videos
- Emails
- Presentations
This approach engages different audiences. When content resonates in a particular medium, increased sharing elevates overall brand visibility, driving more site traffic and referrals.
Repurposing also enables marketing teams to scale efforts more efficiently. Focus on evergreen content identified through Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, or social data as your best-performing material, ensuring information remains current during testing periods.
Tip 7: Create Shareable Content
Going the extra mile with graphics, videos, and visual elements significantly impacts user engagement.
Consider these questions:
- When landing on a blog, where do your eyes naturally go?
- Would you read a blog consisting of unbroken text blocks?
- What links, multimedia, and visual indicators suggest a blog deserves your attention?
Information presentation substantially influences whether visitors stay engaged or leave. Use formatting, media, and tone strategically to inspire sharing rather than requesting it.
The Bottom Line
Websites achieving the highest DA scores aren't implementing revolutionary tactics—they're executing solid SEO fundamentals. Following these recommendations boosts DA scores while, more importantly, delivering optimal user experiences for visitors.