Authority and ranking strength go hand in hand. It used to be that the number of backlinks to your website determined your authority. Google used to consider one link as “one vote” – the higher numbers of votes, the higher authority your website had. Now, Ranking authority is much more than just backlinks.
Of course, links still matter, but they aren’t the only factor that Google considers in their ranking algorithm. The more links the better, but they have to be relevant, quality links. The recent Penguin update Google launched in April picks up on irrelevant linking patterns on websites. Search engines have become much smarter and can evaluate links to determine the authority of them. Things like blogrolls have lost their effect because Google recognizes that many people have been using them strictly for SEO purposes, building their “votes” or backlinks.
Social media has also become an important consideration by Google. Yes, social media is user generated content, but in reality, Google sees social media as a bunch of webpages. The search engines still crawl these sites looking for links and mentions and well as brand recognition.
Another factor in determining your ranking authority is the quality of your website. Quality websites have a fast speed, the navigation is easy to use and the content throughout is relevant and of good quality.
What also helps your website and brand become visible on Google, is your Google Places business. If you are a local business, this is very helpful. Independent reviews on your Google Places account will help your visibility for those searching locally. If you have loyal customers, it’s not a bad idea to request their feedback on your Google local account. Google takes note of reviews and users tend to click on a business with positive reviews.
Ranking authority grows over time. It’s important that you’re always building links, refreshing your quality content and even participating on social media platforms. Optimize your website and build relationships that will help drive traffic to your website and hopefully in turn that will help your domain authority.