The one thing we will never do is base authority sites from metrics that are specific to one SEO tool. If Domain Authority (DA) is something you live by, we do not pay attention to it. It’s a Moz metric and we’ve come across more domains with a high DA but actually worthless than sites that are legitimate. Typically, the sites we identify, will come with a high Domain Authority. We identify sites that have high metrics across all of our SEO tools used. If it scores high with Moz, but low on others, we won’t use it. It needs to be relatively similar across all tools. A true authority domain will rank for thousands of their own keywords, get thousands of monthly visits and all tools rank them at the top of their niche.
What is an Authority Link?
An authority link is a reference, in the form of a clickable link, coming from a well trusted website. The authority site has a dominance within their market and is often referenced by many other sites on related topics. The authority sites will often rank for 10’s of thousands of related keywords, have been online for many years and often show up on the first page of search results for keywords related to your market. Establishing authority is not an easy task and takes consistent work and time. The more time and effort you put into it, the better your chances are in establishing yourself as an authority. During this time, obtaining authority links to your own site will help build your own authority, as well as providing your own content that is helpful to visitors.
These are factors that determine the level of authority a link will pass:
No-follow attribute
The no-follow attribute is used when the website linking to another website tells the search engines that they do not trust or do not want to give credit for the link. Many have run tests to see if no-follow links actually help or do nothing and the consensus is that they typically do not help. One test says they proved many no-follow links from high authority sites actually do help, but actual data was not provided to prove their theory. Overall, a no-follow link is of no value to site owners that are looking to improve their search presence.
Location of the link
It matters where you locate your link. Search engines pass on more authority to contextual links provided within the content. If you locate your links at the end of the content, less authority will be attributed to it as it is viewed to be less important to the content. You want to get your link towards the top for the best performance. In the end, a link anywhere on an authority site is beneficial so if you are able to achieve a link from one, just be happy you have it.
How to attain an authority link
Be resourceful when creating a link; consider the needs of your customers. Remember, the purpose of the link is to increase online visibility. If your content is relevant, the search engine will attribute authority to your link. Ensure that your link is uniquely written and is data-driven so that people can click on the link easily. Do not overuse backlinks and when you must, make sure it is on a minimal number. Using other people’s posts in your link building can be important as you can attain a high number of sharing online but writing an informative post for your own link is important too. Helpful content will be attributed to high authority.
Online presence
As a marketer, create a website and use social media outlets that make sense to your site to attract and maintain potential customers. Create a good relationship with the public. In return, the public can help you to share your blogs. Authority sites are often read by many people and when you get an article with a link published on one, the article is often shared by their readers on their own sites which will help grow your link profile. The more this happens, the more improvement your online presence will gain.
Build more links on current issues
Creating a link on a trending topic is an easy way of obtaining an authority link. Always ensure the information is from reliable sources. Use photos and videos where necessary to encourage engagement from your audience. If infographics are to be used, ensure you ask a professional to create the right graphics. As it is trendy information, it will get maximum visits creating more power in authority links.
Fixing broken links
When a post has been deleted from a website, all links directed to that site will lead to a dead end. To fix it, you can approach the authors of the pages with options. If the authors agree, you can offer your own links for their website. When users click on the link, they will be directed to your post instead of an erroneous link that will be empty. There are many dead link checkers available online to use and find dead links.
Use influencers to get more ranking
A site that is already high ranking can be vital in getting a high ranking too. A known blogger can mention you so more people can get to follow your post. You can also open an account with popular institutions like government institutions to link to you by writing information related to the institution. Charity work in organizations or sponsoring activities can also boost your ranking authority when they mention you on their sites or link to your site to appreciate what you did to them.
Advantages of an authority link
An authority link gives credibility to your own site. The more you gain, the more of an authority your own site will become within your market. As your own authority grows by way of gaining authority links, the more of a presence you’ll get through the search engines.
As your authority grows, your website traffic will grow. The more traffic the higher the conversions will become. The end game is getting more eyes on the service or products you’re selling.
Earn greater revenue. The profits gained from the sales will be higher, so authority links are a diverse way of generating revenue.
Authority links also start to build your brand. Brand awareness is everything and once you achieve this, you’ve become an authority within your vertical.
Authority sites also grow their keyword ranking profile. Many will know the hot keywords that are beneficial to their site, but there are hundreds or even thousands of keywords you might never think of that will drive visitors to your site. Continuing to build your site into an authority will start to uncover these hidden keywords as you’ll start to rank for everything related to your site.
It is continuous and long-term. It is also a cost-effective way of marketing. People can always use the link to get information, and other people can use it as a reference. As you build authority links through informative content, your content will continued to be shared and over time, your site continues to build itself into a monster authority site.