When considering the relationship between Domain Authority (DA) and organic SEO rankings, it’s important to remember these three rules:
- Google ranks pages, not websites.
- Correlation is not causation.
- DA calculates only the strength of your backlinks.
Let’s address the fundamental question: Does DA impact your organic ranking?
The short answer is that websites with high-ranking Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) typically have a high relative DA. However, a high DA does not guarantee high SERP rankings or impressive organic traffic. Note the keyword “relative,” as DA is industry-specific.nk highly in SERPS or have impressive organic traffic. Note the keyword “relative” because DA is industry relative.
What is DA / Where did it originate from?
So, what exactly is Domain Authority (DA)? It’s a metric created by Moz, a widely-used SEO software company. According to Moz, higher DA scores correlate with a greater likelihood of ranking well, but they emphasize that correlation does not mean causation. Moz has clearly stated that “Domain Authority is not a Google ranking factor and has no effect on the SERPs.” This makes sense because Google ranks individual pages, not entire websites.
DA primarily reflects the strength of your backlinks. Therefore, it’s natural for directory sites to have significantly more backlinks than lead generation or e-commerce sites, resulting in a substantially higher DA. However, this doesn’t mean that lead generation sites will have a harder time ranking for industry-specific keywords that attract quality leads.
What is it based on
Domain Authority (DA) is determined by several key factors:
- Numerous elements incorporated in its calculations
- Machine learning algorithms predicting the frequency of a domain’s appearance in Google’s search results
- Number of backlinks
- DA of the linking domains
- Linking root domains
In essence, DA is primarily influenced by the Domain Authority of the backlinks referenced on your site.our site.
BackLinks
A backlink is essentially other sites vouching for your content. Backlinks, inbound links, and incoming links all refer to the same concept – they are created when one website links to another. Backlinks are crucial because they serve as a vote of confidence from one site to another, signaling to search engines that other sites endorse your content. This is precisely why Google introduced the concept of backlinks. However, the system was undermined by black-hat SEO methods involving the buying and selling of backlinks.
As a result, websites are always incentivized to build backlinks. There are proper ways to build backlinks (white hat methods) and improper ways (black hat methods).
White-hat method
White hat SEO encompasses any genuine method that improves search rankings on a SERP, such as:
- Publishing high-quality content
- Optimizing on-page SEO
- Utilizing meta tags
- Enhancing the site’s UX and UI to reduce bounce rates
- Acquiring backlinks from relevant and authoritative sites
Black hat method
Black hat SEO is the opposite of white hat methods. It involves purchasing backlinks from other sites. While this may boost your DA, it is risky and vulnerable to Google’s updates, which can significantly reduce your SEO effectiveness. As Google’s algorithm continues to evolve, it becomes increasingly difficult to deceive, and outdated, deceptive tactics are more likely to be detected.
Avoid engaging in black-hat SEO practices.
Grey hat method
Actively building backlinks is considered gray hat SEO, while white hat SEO involves allowing other websites to link to your site organically.
Does follow vs no-follow links make a difference
According to Moz, SEMrush, and Ahrefs, no-follow links do not impact website rankings. However, Google specifically states that no-follow links do affect a page’s ranking. You can find more information here.
