What’’ s in a( domain) name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.

.- Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (sort of).

There’’ s no rejecting that the belief is both sweet and romantic, however in today’’ s market, it ’ s simply plain ignorant.

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We all understand that in the end, both Romeo and Juliet pass away. And the reality of it is that they didn’’ t pass away due to the fact that of all the errors they made or the misconceptions they had, however due to the fact that of the value put upon their names.

It’’ s the exact same thing for domain .

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Whether you’’ re almost to construct your very first site , or you ’ re a skilled domain’name owner, continue reading for our ideas on selecting the very best domain.

. Domain are essential.

An organisation might possibly pass away or live online, based upon its domain. I’’ m not attempting to frighten you into paralysis, however I am attempting to assist you comprehend simply how essential a domain actually is.

A pal of mine as soon as stated, ““ Saying that a domain doesn’’ t truly matter, resembles informing a real estate agent that place is unimportant.””

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Think of it by doing this: Your domain is the web variation of your street address. It’’ s how individuals discover you on the( World Wide) Web.

Beyond being your web place, your domain is likewise your identity online. And although many individuals believe that their site is their impression online, it’’ s really their domain that is the impression.

We key in a domain to get to a site.

Your domain likewise specifies your brand name and can possibly impact your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

It’’ s as essential, if not more crucial, than selecting your company name. Yep, you heard me properly: Your domain is as crucial as picking your service name.

So, put on’’ t delve into it haphazardly. Take your time. Believe it through and focus on the following standards:

.Discovering the ideal domain.

It utilized to be that discovering a domain was simple. We might utilize our business names, e.g., Coke, Nikon, Ford, and so on. Those one-word domains are all taken now, and they worked at the time due to the fact that they were renowned and currently identifiable prior to the web even existed.

Yes, there was a time prior to the web. It was right after we found dirt.

Now, discovering the ideal domain is a bit harder, and while some can, and still do, utilize their business names, in some cases it’’ s much better to pick a domain that ’ s more detailed of what your company does. A company called Joe’’ s that offers pipes materials might pick the domain ““ plumbingsupply ” or much better yet, a mix of the 2, like “ Joesplumbingsupply.” ” It all depends upon what you desire your impression to be.

.Standards for picking a domain.

Here are some domain standards to follow:

.Ensure your domain fits your organisation. You wear’’ t desire your domain to seem like a washrag sales outlet if it’’ s truly a blues club.Make sure it’’ s simple to discover. This is where SEO enters into play.Think about utilizing keywords in your domain (What words would be utilized to discover your service online?). If you’’ re strictly regional, think of discussing your city, state, or county in your domain, i.e., ““ ParisPrinters ” or “ LoDoDryCleaning. ” Your domain ought to be simple to promote. It ought to be simple to type, simple to state, and simple to remember.It’’ s constantly an advantage’if it ’ s unforgettable and/or memorable. You can even comprise a word as long as it ’ s brand-able, special, simple to pronounce and simple to spell. Believe Yahoo!, Google, and YouTube.

With all of that, there are a couple of do’’ s and put on ’ ts that are very important to bear in mind when discovering the best domain. Let’’ s begin with the “ put on ’ ts ”, because that list is much shorter.

. Don ’ t: Use slang or abbreviations. These put on’’ t stand the test of time and put on ’ t equate well from generation to generation, and even from area to region.Use numbers. There will constantly be confusion over whether the number ought to be spelled out or not.Use hyphens or underlines when you utilize a number in your site domain. While this might look great to you, due to the fact that it separates the words out for ease of reading, these characters frequently get missed out on by individuals attempting to browse to your site. Do: Keep it brief. 6 to 14 characters are typical, and the simplest to bear in mind. It gets difficult attempting to keep in mind things like: ““ barthalamewsoysterbarcafeanddanceclub ” … or was that “ barthalamewsdanceclubandoysterbar ” or coffee shop? Or bar” and … what was that domain again?Test it out with your pals. Inform your good friends the domain that you want. Can they spell it? If not, possibilities are nobody else will have the ability to either.Write the domain down. Can they pronounce it? What do they believe a site with that name would have to do with? If they have no concept, then a possible client surfing the web won’’ t either.Make sure nobody else is utilizing it. This is major. Ensure there are no present copyrights or hallmarks on the name. This can conserve you some severe legal costs and irritation later. : Check for web domains that sound the exact same however may be spelled in a different way. This is who would get your traffic, needs to somebody not understand how to spell your domain.

Pro Tip: Purchasing extra domains, with different spellings and/or extensions, and pointing them to the right domain, will send out that traffic to your site, rather of to the site of a rival.

.Try to find your domain on social networks. You put on’’ t desire somebody impersonating you prior to you even end up being you.Think long-lasting. A domain is permanently. Or a minimum of it must be. It takes some time to construct a web existence, so ensure you think of keeping the domain for the whole life of your organisation. If you hope to hand it down to your children.Avoid patterns, you may even believe generationally. Actually, this provides itself to the above, and to not utilizing slang, however it’’ s worth discussing once again. (Remember those finger toys that spun?) Ensure you enjoy it! –-- Again, the concept is that you’’ ll have this domain for a long time, so make certain you like it prior to you purchase it. This is no time at all to opportunity purchaser’’ s remorse. Domain extensions These are simply a few of the more popular gTLDs.

Extensions interact the place of a site, however can likewise communicate the function. In the United States,. gov indicates the website is owned and run by a federal government firm, and whenever we browse to a.gov website, we understand that the details there is essentially ““ real to the law.””

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Forgive me, however here’’ s where we enter into some tech-speak. The extension at the end of a URL (. com,. org, and so on) is called a Top-Level Domain (TLD). The most typical TLD is.com, which is a generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD), suggesting that anybody can utilize it. Still with me?

Here are a couple of more gTLDs, and what they presume:

. details –-- simply as it indicates, this is utilized for educational sites.co –-- an abbreviation for commerce.net, neighborhood and/or business –-- this is typically utilized for technical or facilities sites.biz –-- as it sounds, this is frequently utilized for industrial or company, such as e-commerce sites.org –-- utilized for non-commercial websites like nonprofits.me –-- frequently utilized for blog sites, however likewise popular for individual sites of all sorts.

Along with the gTLDs, there are a range of TLDs that show where an organisation is geographically. These are called nation code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs). :. us = United States,. uk = United Kingdom,. au = Australia,. ca = Canada,. in = India, and so on

While there are a huge selection of less typical gTLDs out there, you might wish to prevent them since they are not as quickly remembered. Unless, obviously, it makes good sense for your company; e.g.,. service or.pizza. When going into a web domain name to discover a company they are looking for, simply keep in mind that the majority of web users will default to.com.

.Prepare to acquire your very first domain.

Take a couple of minutes to do a last check.

.Does it fit your service? Will it be simple to find?Will it be simple to promote?Is it unforgettable or appealing? Did you keep away from utilizing slang? Numbers? Underlines?Is or hyphens it short?Does it pass the good friends’ ’ tests?Did you ensure that nobody else is utilizing it (copyrights and hallmarks)? Is it going to stand the test of time? Do you like it?

If you’’ ve marked off all packages above, there’’ s simply one last thing to hellip &do;

.Next action: Purchase your domain.

Not sure how to buy your domain? Take a look at our post on How to Buy a Domain Name . We simply may conserve you some irritation, cash and time.

The post What’’ s a Domain Name and Why Does it Matter? appeared initially on Constant Contact .

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Read more: blogs.constantcontact.com

When I acquired my very first domain, I did whatever incorrect. There wasn’’ t a great deal of details out there, and I didn’’ t even understand that I might purchase a domain and construct a site in the very same location. All I understood was that I was going to begin a brand-new organisation, and I required to be’on the World WideWeb.

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I didn ’ t understand:

. Where to purchase a domain The distinction in between a domain registrar and a web hostThe numerous expenses connected with purchasing a domain nameWhat to do if my domain was takenThat I might purchase an existing or ended domain nameWhat to do after I got my domain.

The great news is that I had problem with all of this currently, so you put on’’ t need to!

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Need to select a domain?

Read our short article What’’ s a Domain Name? . Analyze your choices. Follow the do’’ s and wear ’ ts. And when you ’ ve discovered your domain, continue reading …

. Where do I purchase a domain?

A domain can be bought from:

. An – ICANN registrar-- like our good friends at Domain.com ( based in the United States) and BigRock (based in India). The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ) is the group that controls domain and keeps the web secure.A webhosting –-- a service that hosts sites and typically uses domain registration as one of their services, such as Constant Contact , HostGator , Bluehost , Ipage , and Sitebuilder.com . A domain market –-- where domain are purchased, offered and auctioned to the greatest bidder (every domain has a rate, even if it doesn’’ t exist yet).

Within these 3 alternatives, some have auctions, and some wear’’ t. Some offer premium names, while others wear’’ t. And wear ’ t get me begun on extensions/generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs)!

Don’’ t concern-- we ’ re here to stroll you through all of it.

. Domain registrar vs. webhosting’.

There ’ s a great deal of details out there about this, much of it complicated and complicated —-- primarily since the majority of registrars offer webhosting services, and a lot of webhosting likewise sign up domain. And you put on’’ t need to get your domain from your webhosting( although often it ’ s simply simpler ). The hardest part is keeping whatever directly.

So keep this in mind …

A domain is an address on the World Wide Web. And a site resembles the ““ structure ” at that address. You can generally get both in the exact same location, however not constantly.

At Constant Contact, you can acquire and host your site in one practical area. Expenses related to purchasing a domain.

As I pointed out, domain rates might differ based upon whether you’’ re buying from an ICANN registrar or a webhosting. And although I’’ ve discovered that usually, they’’ re all quite close as far as fundamental domain expenses go, often costs can differ commonly.

The most pricey kind of domains are those thought about Premium domain, such as martialarts.com, or golfshop.com. These are domain that are brief, exceptionally simple to bear in mind, and a breeze to discover. If you believe you may wish to purchase a Premium domain, you can have a look at more at BuyDomains.com .

The point is, there are various rates for various domain and various extensions. Search for the very best costs and the gTLD (keep in mind—-- that’’ s the extension at the end of your domain, such as.com,. net, and so on) that fits you.

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In addition to acquiring the domain itself, there are a couple of other expenses you’’ ll requirement to pick:

. Webhosting. Who ’ s going to host your site? Here ’ s what to try to find in a hosting business: Reputation. What is being stated about them? Are their consumers delighted or frustrated?Customer service. Is it offered when you require it? And is it simple to call them?Do they offer an alternative for an individual e-mail address? Just how much do they cost each month?What do they offer as part of their hosting service?Secure Socket Layer (SSL). This is security online, and if you have it, it lets individuals understand that your website can be trusted.Domain Privacy. Called Privacy Protection, and ID Protection (amongst other things). This keeps others from seeing who owns your site and can assist to keep you from getting spammed. Generally, it safeguards your privacy.Site/ Registrar Lock. This will lock your domain so the settings can not be altered. This makes it so somebody can’’ t hi-jack your domain and reroute it to another web site.Email. This permits you to have several e-mail addresses connected with your domain. E.g., gino@ginospizza.biz. When buying a domain, this is what a normal shopping cart might appear like.

Pro Tip: Make sure to auto-renew. Making sure that you wear’’ t lose your domain name to a rival since you forgot to pay your yearly charge, signing up for auto-renewal might be the only method to get some of the previously mentioned additionals.

Here is an example of one method to make certain you’’ re set-up to auto-renew. Constant Contact makes purchasing a domain and hosting a site simpler with 2 basic strategies. What if my domain is taken?

The most crucial thing is not to panic. You wear’’ t need to begin all over. At least not.

Your very first choice is to select a various extension. If Ginospizza.com is taken, consider utilizing Ginos.pizza, or Ginospizza.biz rather.

As seen here, If your very first option is not offered, the majority of domain signs up will immediately offer a number of alternatives that are close to your preliminary option.

If that doesn’’ t work for you, you can constantly return to the drawing board. It’’ s fine; you may create something much better!

Here are a couple of techniques to assist:

.Utilize a thesaurus to discover comparable words to what you were going to use.Use a catchphrase that’’ s typically utilized for your line of work/business. Consider things like ““ LocationLocationLocation, ” “ PlumbersCrack” ”( yes, that ’ s a real domain “) or “ HorsingAround. ” Just ensure it doesn’’ t have any of the “ put on ’ ts ” in it.As a last hope, utilize a domain generator to see if it can develop something that you never ever would have considered, however that fits completely.

If those put on ’ t work, you can constantly attempt to buy your domain from the’existing owner. Look them up utilizing Who.is . Who.is, is a directory site of who owns what domain. Every domain owner is noted there unless they ’ ve bought Domain Privacy through their registrar or webhosting. In which case, you can connect to the noted registrar and overcome them to purchase the domain and attempt name from the present owner.

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You might likewise have the ability to protect an ended domain through auctions and/or backorders.

. Purchasing an existing or ended domain. Care thinking believing purchasing acquiring existing or expired ended name, #ppppp>Take caution.

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It ’ s a great concept to utilize the web archive, Wayback Machine , to have a look at what that domain resulted in the past. Essentially, it provides you a snap-shot of the site that was up at a provided domain at different moments. It doesn ’ t have every domain and site, however if you ’ re aiming to invest the’money to buy a current domain, it ’ s worth an appearance.

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While acquiring an existing or ended domain might possibly aid with traffic and Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ), that traffic might not be the kind you desire. You never ever wish to buy a domain that has a bad credibility, might send out “ bad ” traffic or may “be prohibited in Google Analytics . While you ’ re taking a look at the archives,’it ’ s a great concept to’likewise inspect the domain ’ s status at bannedcheck.com and ismywebsitepenalized.com —-- to be sure you truly desire that website.

.How do I choose which domain company to utilize?

Think of domain merchants (registrars, webhosting, and market locations) like grocery or huge box shops. Rates, quality of service, and offerings vary. It pays to look around and select the one that fits your requirements the very best.

If you like to have whatever in one location, your best choice might be an all-encompassing kind of service, like that provided by Constant Contact , where you can buy and keep your e-mail marketing, domain, and site all in one location.

Or maybe you choose to keep things different. Because case, you may wish to buy a domain from Domain.com , have Bluehost.com host your site, and handle your e-mail marketing projects through Constant Contact .

Or perhaps you’’ re someplace in between.

Whatever you choose to choose, ensure your selected companies have the items and customer care that will not just assist you to start, however likewise assist you to grow.

.What’’ sthe next action?.

Now that you’’ ve protected your domain name, make sure that you schedule your organisation name on social media websites. If it’’ s taken, include suffixes or prefixes. An example would be FoCoLaundry.com. The very first option for social accounts would naturally be @FoCoLaundry, however it might quickly end up being @TheFoCoLaundry, @focolaundryco, or @yourfocolaundry. As long as you ensure to brand name your social accounts in the very same method as your site, there will be little space for confusion.

After that, you’’ ll wish to develop your site and your social networks pages. And wear ’ t forget to send an statement e-mail , to let everybody understand about your brand-new domain and site.

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But very first things initially-- purchase a domain today and begin constructing your online existence!

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The post How to Buy a Domain Name appeared initially on Constant Contact .

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Why should you care about domain authority?

By now, you realize just how important it is for your site to be visible in search engines.

Search engines like Google are the primary mode of discovery for billions of users, so if you can get your site at or near the top rankings for relevant keyword phrases, you can secure an ever-growing stream of new traffic to your website.

But many online business owners neglect a fundamental element of search engine optimization (SEO) strategy: domain authority.

Learning how to increase domain authority and using a good domain authority checker can dramatically improve your overall SEO results.

In this guide, you’ll learn the intricacies of how domain authority is calculated, why domain authority matters, and of course, the strategies you need to be successful in improving it.

Related: Beginner’s guide to search engine optimization for small business websites

What is domain authority?

Let’s start with a basic outline of what domain authority is and how it functions.

Domain authority is a cumulative score of trustworthiness for a given web domain.

 

When search engines formulate search engine results pages (SERPs) they usually look for two things: relevance, or how appropriate the content is for the given query, and trustworthiness, or how valuable and reputable the content is.

Domain authority is useful for gauging how reliable a website’s content is; the higher the domain authority for a site, the more likely its content will be to rank highly in SERPs.

Google doesn’t explicitly publish these scores, nor does it document how these scores are calculated. Instead, SEO experts (like the smart folks over at Moz) have come up with their own estimated formulations for domain authority. The scale usually runs from zero to 100, with zero being brand new sites with no authority and 100 being the most trustworthy sites on the web.

We’ll get more into how domain authority is calculated and how to increase domain authority later. But for now, understand that it takes into consideration a mixture of content quality, domain history and inbound link profiles.

Domain authority applies across your entire domain, so every page of your site shares the same domain authority rating.

You might also want to consider page authority, which is similarly calculated, except it applies at the page level. For example, you could have a high domain authority, but if one piece of content you published has a significantly higher page authority than your other pages, it’s going to perform comparatively better in organic search results than the rest of the pages on your site.

Related: Everything you need to know about domain names 

Why is domain authority different from other SEO tactics?

The first SEO strategy most webmasters learn is how to optimize for strategically relevant keywords.

The basic idea here is to include important keywords within page metadata, and notably, in the body of your content, to increase their likelihood of ranking for queries with similar wording.

Website owners who follow this strategy while ignoring other SEO tactics are often perplexed to learn that their search rankings aren’t improving as expected.

Focusing on domain authority is distinct from keyword-based tactics for several important reasons:

The authority factor

Remember, search engines need to see both relevance and authority to regard you highly for SERPs. As the name suggests, improving your domain authority is critical for improving the “authority” side of the equation.

Without it, even the best keyword optimization strategies are going to fall short because search engines will have no way to measure whether or not that content is trustworthy.

Sitewide application

Your domain authority applies to your entire site, including any subdomains you have and any and all pages of content you produce.

This makes any investment in your domain authority valuable for every other SEO tactic you execute.

 

It’s a rising tide that lifts all boats.

Growth and sustainability

Domain authority is hard to increase because it depends on so many factors, but once you start increasing it, it’s relatively easy to preserve that momentum. Over time, your domain authority will get higher and higher, boosting your relevance almost permanently.

Short of following black-hat SEO tactics, there are few ways to decrease your domain authority, so you’ll likely continue reaping the benefits of your domain authority investments for years to come.

Related: What is a meta description?

Why is measuring domain authority useful?

With the help of a domain authority checker, you can numerically measure your site’s domain authority, on a scale of 0 to 100. Why is this useful?

For starters, it’s a good indicator of the overall health of your SEO campaign. Your domain authority can increase thanks to better on-site content, more inbound links and other factors, so if you see your DA ticking upward, it’s a good sign you’re doing things right.

Additionally, it’s a useful measure for competitive analysis. Understanding that your top competitor has a higher domain authority than you can help you identify some of the specific tactics that set them apart. It can also help you determine when it’s worth fighting a competitor for a contentious keyword phrase, and when it might be wiser to back off.

Related: How to find inspiration from your competitors (without stealing their ideas)

How is domain authority scored?

Now let’s investigate how domain authority is scored.

Inbound link profile

There are several minor factors that play into your domain authority, but the biggest factor is your inbound link profile. Google’s search algorithm relies on a system known as PageRank, which basically calculates a site’s trustworthiness based on the number and quality of links pointing to it.

A site with many links pointing to it will typically be seen as more authoritative than one with few links pointing to it.

However, there are many other factors to consider. For example, links from more trustworthy sources pass more authority than links from new or untrustworthy ones, and it’s better to have links from many different sources than it is to have many links all from one source.

Accordingly, link building is one of the best ways to increase domain authority.

Related: How to get backlinks to a small business website

Other factors include:

Site structure

Sites that are properly structured for search engines to crawl are automatically going to be considered a higher domain authority than sites that aren’t. If Google can’t even see your site, you won’t have an authority score at all.

On-site content quality

Google has built-in algorithms that are able to calculate content quality, or at least estimate it. Using evaluations like natural language recognition, Google can reward sites with better-written material.

Domain history

Older domains tend to carry more authority than newer ones. This isn’t a make-or-break factor, so don’t let it discourage you if you’re starting a new site from scratch.

Note that domain authority is best used as a comparative tool, and might not have a one-to-one relationship with search rankings — in other words, a site with a higher domain authority won’t universally outrank a site with a lower one.

Domain authority checker tools

So how can you measure your domain authority? The best way is with an online domain authority checker. These are some of the best tools available:

Moz’s Link Explorer

Moz is the company that defined domain authority initially and set the zero to 100 scale. You can use its Link Explorer tool to calculate the DA of practically any domain and analyze the links pointing to it at the same time. You’ll be limited in how many queries you make unless you pay for full access.

Small SEO Tools

Small SEO Tools has a more basic domain authority checker, but it should give you all the information you need within seconds. All you have to do is plug in the URL you want to check, and you’ll see its DA, page authority and more.

SEMRush

SEMRush is a paid search analytics tool, but you can make 10 free queries when you create an account. With it, you’ll get access to measurements like domain authority, page authority and SEO-related data like search rankings and organic traffic.

Editor’s note: Do you need some expert help with search engine optimization (SEO)? Check out GoDaddy’s SEO Services today! After a free consultation, we’ll work with your business to help you rank higher and earn more traffic.

How can you increase domain authority?

Now let’s get into how to increase your domain authority. Let’s assume you’ve structured your site in a crawlable way, and that you have no real control over the length of time your domain has been active.

1. Produce high-quality content

Your first step is to produce high-quality content for your blog on a regular basis.

High-quality content is not only going to directly increase your domain authority, but it’s also going to serve as an anchor point for the links you build for your domain.

High-quality content is free of spelling and grammatical errors, has a diverse vocabulary, natural speech patterns (i.e., no keyword stuffing), and links to other valuable sources.

It’s also important to publish new content regularly since Google disproportionately favors new content. Aim to produce at least one high-quality post per week, if not more, but remember to prioritize quality over quantity.

Related: Editorial calendar — The content, keyword and SEO connection

Earn inbound links

Your next step is to earn more inbound links for your site.

This is the best way to increase your domain authority, but it’s also the trickiest. That’s because Google is acutely aware of the possibility that webmasters are building fraudulent or manipulative links for the sole purpose of increasing their domain authority and search rankings.

Accordingly, your link building strategies need to be focused on providing value to web users while simultaneously pointing to your site.

The safest approach is to popularize your best content in the hopes that other writers will see it and cite it in their own work.

For example, you can distribute your content on social media, complete with original research and statistics that other content producers will link to.

However, it’s often more reliable to build links on your own. If you want those links to be relevant and valuable to web users, the best way to do this is through guest posting with external publishers. The basic idea is to write an article that the publisher (and their audience) will find valuable, and find a way to relevantly link to your on-site content in the body of that article. For example, you might cite your own original research or link to a guide you’ve written for further reading.

Related: How to start guest posting for your business

Link building strategies

Link building is a complex strategy that takes years to truly master, but these introductory tips can help you if you’re just getting started:

Prioritize content quality. New link builders often get carried away trying to link to their work no matter what, but it’s vital to prioritize the quality of your content above everything else. If your articles seem slapped-together or poorly researched, you aren’t going to get featured.

Always link in a relevant, valuable way. Your link can’t be shoehorned in, or it’s going to be removed or look spammy. When linking to your on-site content, always make sure it’s done in a way that’s valuable to readers and relevant to the topic at hand.

Keep seeking new publishers. Subsequent links on the same publisher will yield diminishing returns, so always keep seeking visibility on new publishers.

Point to many different articles. Keep your page authority in mind, and try to build links to a variety of internal pages.

Work toward obtaining links from high DA publishers. The higher the domain authority of the referring domain, the more authority you’ll gain from a link built on it. High DA sites often have high standards for the content they publish, so consider starting with low DA sites and gradually working your way up.

Avoid link schemes. Many sites will promise to increase your domain authority quickly, or build you lots of links in a short period of time. These are usually link schemes, and they’re going to do more harm than good. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Start building domain authority

It’s practically impossible to rank higher in search engines unless you spend time focusing on improving your domain authority — and there are plenty of secondary benefits to authority-boosting strategies as well.

Rely on link building and content development to be the pillars of your strategy, and keep an eye on your competitors so you continue to improve.

This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by Christopher Ambler.

The post What is domain authority and how can it enhance your search visibility? appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.

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