Since I started working on Search Engine Optimization, the one metric that has been most useful is Domain Authority. It ranks websites on a search engine using a metric from 1 to 100. Basically, it determines where a website features on a SERP. This is why I always ensure that I am constantly updated about the changes made in Domain Authority, which was developed by Moz. This allows me to predict ranking trends and ensure security to all the clients that I work with.
Like every year, Moz has made several changes for the year 2019. What excites me the most is the development of Domain Authority 2.0 that is loaded with new features? Let me tell you how to make the most of these changes to improve your SEO ranking .
What are the Changes in Domain Authority 2.0?
What I have noticed is that the focus of Domain Authority 2.0 is to detect websites with better content. The second aspect that Moz focuses on this year is security. Let us take a look at the features that are most important for anyone who wants to improve their SEO.
- You have access to a larger link index: In comparison to last year’s link index, the current one contains a larger link index. It contains close to 35 trillion links. What this means for website owners is that competition is extremely high. That is why I strongly suggest that you work on the content that you are providing across platforms in order to stay ahead.
- It utilizes a new machine learning model: You are no longer competing with only high ranking websites on Google, you must also take into consideration those that are ranked lower. With this approach, Domain Authority 2.0 improves the accuracy of predicting the ranking of a website on Google also increases.
- It comes with spam detection: if you think spamming is a way of getting popular overnight, think again. Domain Authority 2.0 comes with a metric named SpamScore that considers several on-page factors to check for spams. So, only if your content is genuine and reliable will you stand a chance in even featuring on a SERP.
- Link manipulation can be detected: I have always believed that it is genuine content that sells and stays relevant for a longer period of time. Now, Domain Authority 2.0 has left developers with no choice but to generate good quality content.
Any link manipulation such as PBNs, selling and buying of links etc. can be detected using Domain Authority 2.0 instantly. If any manipulation is detected, the ranking of the website drops immediately by almost 11 points. This helps improve SEO practices of websites.
- Provides daily updates: How do you keep up with changing technology? It is quite simple, add regular updates to a software. That is exactly what Domain Authority 2.0 does, making this one of my most preferred SEO metrics.
This is one of the most important features incorporated in Domain Authority 2.0. With the old version, any upgrades or developments were made each month. However, with the new version, improved features are added on a daily basis to make this tool a lot more useful to websites.
How to Use Domain Authority 2.0?
Like any metric, even with Domain Authority 2.0, the results that you get depends on how tactfully you use the new features and upgrades. Here are some tips that have worked wonderfully for all my projects:
- Don’t stick to just one tool: While Domain Authority 2.0 is an extremely powerful tool, I do not recommend using it in isolation. Using more metrics along with Domain Authority improves the usage keyword targeting, domain history and even the on-page content as parameters to determine the ranking of any page.
- Make sure that the potential value of a link is evaluated: What I have noticed is that most content developers go crazy with backlinks. That simply does not favor your SEO. Unless the links that you provide have a good, Domain Authority evaluation, I would say that you are better off avoiding them.
Choosing a link with a DA 80 or 90 as opposed to a DA 10 or 20 is a good idea to help improve the rankings of the website.
- Checking the keyword difficulty: Keywords are the heart of your SEO strategy. So it is only logical to spend time finding the best ranked keyword to suit your brand or product.
Keyword difficulty can be judged using the SERPs or the Search Engine Results Page. If other websites have a higher DA in comparison to yours, ranking is difficult. However, with other websites on the SERPs having a low or moderate DA can improve the rankings with a certain keyword.
What I normally adhere to is the Keyword Difficulty Score, provided by Moz, to calculate and predict the performance of a certain keyword.
- Check the campaign performance: If you are a content developer or a website developer, I strongly recommend using Domain Authority 2.0 to develop links for your clients. These links are built for you to improve the potential of the website to rank higher. This, in addition to evaluation of the traffic and conversions, shows how a particular campaign is performing.
- Purchase existing domains: With Domain Authority 2.0, I can assure you that there is no room for link manipulation. So, it is a good idea to purchase existing links to improve the SEO of a certain website.
You can do this using websites that have a better DA or fare better in a similar metric. This makes the link a lot more trustworthy and makes the rankings of the website on Google a lot better.