You’ve probably heard the term “site authority” before — it’s a pretty important metric for measuring the success of a website. But what is it, exactly, and how can you increase it?
Building an authoritative site is one of the most important steps you can take when it comes to SEO. By having high site authority, your website will be more likely to rank higher in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
So read on each step, and start seeing your site take off in no time!
#1 Create High-Quality Content to Attract an Audience
A site’s authority is based on the quality and quantity of information it promotes. Make sure to create high-quality, original content that is informative and engaging for your target audience.
Nobody wants to link to a source that is low-quality and full of errors. In fact, it fails to attract readers and eventually loses rankings.
This doesn’t mean you have to be a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist — just make sure the information you provide is well researched, pertinent to your audience, and interesting enough that people will want to read more.
Here are some tips to keep yourself in the race for high-quality content:
- Research your topic thoroughly before starting to write. Also, research relevant keywords through Moz, AHREFS, or SEMrush. This will help you choose the right angles and topics to cover.
- Stay true to your brand’s voice and content standards. Don’t try too hard to be original or creative, as this may lose credibility with your audience. Stick with what’s been working for you in the past.
- Keep an eye out for trends in your industry and steer clear of anything that could be controversial or misleading (this includes promoting fake news!).
You can use Google Analytics to measure the traffic and conversion rates on your website. By understanding how people are interacting with your site, you can make changes that will improve your rankings and visibility.
#2 Optimize for Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO is the process of optimizing for SEO factors outside of your own website. There are many different techniques you can use to increase off-page search engine ranking, including link building and submitting high-quality content to forums, Reddit, and Quora.
Getting High-Quality Backlinks from Relevant Websites
One of the most important parts of off-page SEO is getting high-quality backlinks. Backlinks are links from websites that are relevant to your niche, and they help increase the authority of your website. There are a few different ways to get high-quality backlinks:
- Guest posting
- Social bookmarking
- Writing for Bloggers
Remove Low-Quality Backlinks
Not all links impact positively to your site — some links may be low quality. If your website has a lot of low-quality backlinks, it can damage your site’s authority and ranking. To remove low-quality backlinks:
- Use link audit tools to identify LOW-QUALITY links
- Make sure all links are from high-traffic websites with good content
To remove unwanted links to your site, simply go to Google Search Console and disavow links.
#3 Create an About Us Page
An about us page is a great way to introduce your company and tell your story. This page should include the following information:
- Vision (what you’re trying to accomplish)
- Mission statement (why you exist)
- Values (how you prioritize values in your business)
- History (where did the idea for this business come from?)
Your About Us Page should also highlight some of the successes or milestones that your company has achieved.
Create Author Pages
An author page is a great way to promote yourself and your work. This page should include the following information:
- Bio (what you do)
- Books (any books authored, co-authored, or published)
- Articles (any articles written for any websites in your niche)
- Podcasts (links to any podcasts you’ve produced)
- Social links (to connect with you)
You can also highlight any awards or accolades that you’ve received.
#4 Improve Your Site Speed
Nowadays, rank and visibility are influenced by how quickly your site loads. Low speed can cause users to abandon your site or search for a different option.
Improving page loading speed isn’t only a positive signal to Google but also to your visitors. Faster loading sites are perceived as being higher quality, meaning they’re more likely to be clicked on and looked further into.
You can improve your website’s speed by doing the following:
- Upgrade your hosting provider and make sure the servers are configured optimally
- Enable compression in web browser settings
- Disable plugins that you don’t need
- Images play an important role in ranking and visibility. Minimize images (use low-resolution versions when possible)
- Enable caching for important pages
#5 Work on Social Signals
Promoting your content through social media can increase organic traffic and visibility.
Make sure to post original, valuable content that will engage your followers. Share articles you’ve written, images of your work or products, and anything that relates to your niche.
Your website should be supplemented with an effective social media strategy. This strategy should include the following:
- Establishing a Twitter and/or Facebook page
- Posting regular updates (at least once per day)
- Engaging with followers on a personal level
Use effective hashtags (#) and promote relevant Facebook Pages (especially those with a large following in the market you’re targeting).
Here are some social media strategies for increasing website authority:
Twitter: Follow industry leaders, retweet interesting articles/links, and post engaging thoughts about the industry on a regular basis
LinkedIn: Share insightful articles from other professionals in your field, connect with other industry players, and share blog posts you’ve authored
Facebook: Share your latest work, connect with potential clients/customers, and post insightful thoughts on the industry.
Conclusion
You can’t win against real authority websites by faking them. Make sure your website is well-optimized, with high-quality content and relevant off-page SEO techniques.
The fact that you’ve read this article shows that you have a clear vision of how to improve your website. Remember to focus on quality over quantity and stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends.
Good Luck!
