How We Increased Our Domain Authority by 20 Points in 6 Months

Domain Authority (DA) is a critical metric in SEO, representing your website’s strength and credibility in the eyes of search engines. A higher DA can lead to better search rankings, increased organic traffic, and greater online visibility. However, improving DA is no easy feat—it requires a strategic, consistent approach.

In this blog post, I’ll share how we increased our domain authority by 20 points in just 6 months. You’ll learn actionable strategies to boost your website’s authority and improve your SEO performance.

What is Domain Authority?

Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). It’s scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater ability to rank. DA is influenced by factors such as:

• The quantity and quality of backlinks.
• The relevance and authority of linking domains.
• The overall SEO health of your website.

While DA is not a direct Google ranking factor, it’s a useful benchmark for assessing your website’s competitiveness.

Why We Decided to Focus on Domain Authority

When we started our journey, our website had a DA of 35. While this wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t strong enough to compete with industry leaders. We knew that improving our DA would:

• Help us rank for more competitive keywords.
• Increase our organic traffic and conversions.
• Establish our website as an authority in our niche.

With these goals in mind, we developed a 6-month plan to boost our DA. Here’s how we did it.

Step-by-Step Strategy to Increase Domain Authority

1. Conducted a Comprehensive SEO Audit

Before making any changes, we conducted a thorough SEO audit to identify areas for improvement. This included:

• Analyzing our backlink profile using tools like Ahrefs and Moz.
• Identifying toxic or spammy backlinks that could harm our DA.
• Reviewing our website’s technical SEO (e.g., site speed, mobile-friendliness).

Key Takeaway: A solid foundation is essential for growth. Fixing technical issues and removing harmful backlinks set the stage for our DA improvement.

2. Focused on Creating High-Quality Content

Content is the backbone of any successful SEO strategy. We prioritized creating content that:

• Addressed our audience’s pain points and questions.
• Was comprehensive, well-researched, and actionable.
• Included a mix of formats, such as blog posts, infographics, and videos.

For example, we published a detailed guide titled “The Ultimate Guide to [Industry Topic],” which became a cornerstone of our content strategy.

Key Takeaway: High-quality content attracts backlinks and engages your audience, both of which contribute to higher DA.

3. Built High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are one of the most significant factors influencing DA. We focused on earning backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites through:

• Guest Blogging: We contributed articles to reputable industry blogs, including a backlink to our website in the author bio.
• Outreach Campaigns: We reached out to websites that had linked to similar content and pitched our resources as a better alternative.
• HARO (Help a Reporter Out): We responded to journalist queries and earned backlinks from high-authority news websites.

Key Takeaway: Quality matters more than quantity. A few backlinks from authoritative websites can have a bigger impact than dozens of low-quality links.

4. Leveraged Social Media and Online Communities

Social media played a crucial role in our strategy. We used platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to:

• Share our content and attract organic traffic.
• Engage with industry influencers and build relationships.
• Participate in online communities and forums, providing value and linking to our content when relevant.

Key Takeaway: Social media amplifies your content’s reach and helps attract backlinks, indirectly boosting your DA.

5. Optimized for Local SEO

As a local business, we knew that optimizing for local search could help us attract backlinks and improve our DA. We:

• Claimed and optimized our Google My Business listing.
• Submitted our website to niche-specific local directories.
• Encouraged satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google and other platforms.

Key Takeaway: Local SEO helps you earn backlinks from local websites and directories, contributing to higher DA.

6. Monitored and Disavowed Toxic Backlinks

Not all backlinks are beneficial. We regularly monitored our backlink profile using tools like Ahrefs and Moz to identify toxic or spammy links. For links we couldn’t remove, we used Google’s Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore them.

Key Takeaway: Regularly auditing your backlink profile ensures that only high-quality links contribute to your DA.

7. Improved Website Speed and User Experience

A fast, user-friendly website is essential for SEO. We:

• Compressed images and optimized code to improve load times.
• Simplified navigation to enhance user experience.
• Ensured our website was mobile-friendly.

Key Takeaway: A positive user experience keeps visitors on your site longer, reducing bounce rates and improving your DA.

8. Tracked Progress and Adjusted Strategies

We monitored our progress using tools like Google Analytics, Moz, and Ahrefs. By tracking metrics such as organic traffic, backlinks, and DA, we were able to identify what was working and adjust our strategies accordingly.

Key Takeaway: Regular monitoring and flexibility are key to sustained growth.

Results: How We Increased DA by 20 Points

After 6 months of consistent effort, we achieved the following results:

• Domain Authority: Increased from 35 to 55.
• Organic Traffic: Grew by 65%.
• Backlinks: Earned over 200 high-quality backlinks.

These improvements not only boosted our DA but also enhanced our overall SEO performance and online visibility.

Tips to Boost Your Domain Authority

1. Focus on Quality Over Quantity: A few high-quality backlinks are more valuable than hundreds of low-quality ones.
2. Create Link-Worthy Content: Invest in content that others want to link to.
3. Engage with Your Audience: Build relationships with influencers and participate in online communities.
4. Monitor Your Backlink Profile: Regularly audit your backlinks and disavow toxic ones.
5. Be Patient and Consistent: Improving DA is a long-term process that requires ongoing effort.

Increasing your domain authority by 20 points in 6 months is achievable with the right strategies and consistent effort. By focusing on high-quality content, building authoritative backlinks, and optimizing your website, you can boost your DA and improve your SEO performance.

Remember, DA is just one metric—focus on providing value to your audience, and the results will follow.