You have landed on part 4 of our series on how to do SEO. In this blog post, we will be focusing on SEO and authority. We will look at several factors that contribute to a website’s authority and have a significant impact on search engine optimisation.
Don’t miss Part 1, where we talked about content and how to make it SEO-friendly, Part 2 where we touched on the technical aspects of SEO, and Part 3, where we discussed SEO and user experience.
SEO and authority
In SEO, authority refers to the perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and popularity of a website or web page. Websites that are considered authoritative by search engines tend to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant queries.
Domain age
Search engines consider older domains to be more authoritative as they have been around for a longer period of time, making them appear more established and trustworthy. This means that they are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) than newer domains.
However, this doesn’t mean that newer domains cannot become authoritative. It’s possible to gradually build up the credibility of a new domain over time by creating valuable content that addresses the needs of your target audience, building relationships with other authoritative websites in your niche, and engaging with your audience across various channels.
Over time, these efforts can help establish your website as a credible and authoritative source in your industry, regardless of the age of your domain.
Backlinks
Backlinks refer to the links on other websites that lead to your website. They are a crucial factor in determining the authority and credibility of your website in the eyes of search engines.
However, not all backlinks are equally valuable. Backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy websites are the ones you should be aiming for while staying away from low-quality or spammy websites. This is because search engines assume that if a reputable website links to your content, it must be valuable and relevant to the users.
On the other hand, if your website receives links from low-quality or spammy websites, it may be seen as suspicious and can actually harm your website’s authority and search rankings.
Therefore, it is essential to focus on building high-quality and relevant backlinks from trustworthy websites to improve your website’s authority and visibility in search results.
Social media
Social media presence can also impact your website’s authority and search engine rankings.
Establishing links between your website and your social media profiles acts as a signal to search engines, demonstrating that your business is present and active on other online platforms. This makes your website more trustworthy, which in turn fosters its authority.
Furthermore, social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn can serve as important channels for sharing your website’s content, engaging with your audience, and building a community around your brand. By regularly posting content on social media, you can demonstrate to search engines that your website is active and relevant, which can help improve your search engine rankings.
Additionally, social media can increase the reach of your content and foster engagement, which can lead to more traffic, conversions, and backlinks. This is why it is important to focus on building a strong social media presence and use it to regularly share your website’s content.
Google Business
When you create a Google Business listing, you are essentially creating a business profile that appears in Google search results and on Google Maps. This profile includes important information about your business, such as address, phone number, website URL, and hours of operation.
Having a Google Business profile can benefit your website’s authority and SEO in several ways.
Firstly, it can help increase your website’s visibility in search results by providing users with a direct link and displaying your website’s URL in search results.
This can increase traffic to your website, which also acts as an authority booster and increases your chances of exposing your content to a larger public.
A Google Business profile can improve your website’s credibility and trustworthiness, as having a verified Google Business listing can signal to users and search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy.
Overall, having a Google Business listing can help improve your website’s authority and SEO by increasing its visibility, credibility, trustworthiness, engagement, and traffic.
Learn more about Google Business and how to make the most of it.
Reviews
When users leave reviews on platforms such as Google, Yelp, or Facebook, they are contributing to the amount of user-generated content related to your business. This can be incredibly valuable for improving your website’s authority and, respectively – its position in search engine results pages.
User-generated content, like reviews, signals to search engines that your website is relevant and up-to-date. When users write reviews about your business, they are providing essential insights into the quality and credibility of your products or services. This contributes to increasing your website’s visibility in search results, as search engines are more likely to show websites with high-quality user-generated content.
This is why it is important to encourage customers to leave reviews for your business, especially on Google. By actively managing and promoting user-generated content, you can help improve your website’s authority, as well as build a stronger, more engaged community around your business.