Becoming a trustworthy source on the internet takes time. There are countless sites offering their thoughts and opinions, with thousands more appearing every day. You want your site to stand out as a reliable and trustworthy source. You want it to be one that users return to time and time again.

To help you navigate the process we’ve put together a list of steps you can do to improve your domain authority.

Why become an authority online?

Becoming an authority online is about your site’s visibility. Search engines want to present credible and reliable sources to their users. In order to do this, they use a selection of key indicators to establish whether a site is an authority in their area or not.

The more authoritative search engines think a site is, the higher up the search rankings it gets. So without attaining some level of domain authority, your site will never profit from organic traffic.

Tell users (and the search engine) who you are.

The first step in building your authority is creating an ‘About Us’ page. So simple, right! This page will tell both users and the search engine who you are and what you do. Litter it with keywords so the search engine can recognise your purpose and send the right audience to your site.  

When users come across your page you want them to know within a few clicks exactly who you are and what you offer. Information about yourself or your company legitimises your site – users know you’re a real person and not a bot – and means viewers are more likely to trust your page and return to it in future.

Write the best content you can.

Make sure that the content you are producing is worthwhile. Don’t fall into the trap of producing content for content’s sake. Do your research, talk to experts, write the content that you’d want to read. Write pieces that are valuable and interesting to your target audience – write pieces that offer something new.

If it’s possible, find a niche market for your content and then write what they need. This tactic reduces your competition as they will most likely be an under catered for audience.

Focus on creating new content, and upload on a regular basis. Search engines are attracted to fresh content – and so are users.

Move across different platforms to diversify your content.

Once you’ve covered the basics and made sure that the content you are producing is high quality, you can start experimenting with different formats.

This could mean starting a blog on your site to create more content more often, writing listicles, developing new ideas, broadening your research, or engaging with social media sites like Instagram and LinkedIn. Diversifying your content and the platforms you use means your content will reach a broader audience.

But don’t just put your content out there and leave it to do all the work on its own. Start engaging with your audience and creating an interactive space through forums and comment sections. You could also try writing articles that spark a conversation based on what your audience is interested in.

Reach out to others in your space.

Now that you’ve produced a site that you’re proud of, it’s time to make sure everyone sees it. Digital PR or the link-building strategy is a way to get in touch with the right people and make sure your content travels far and wide.

The best ways to do this are:

1.  Create content with a unique hook- something that engages users and encourages them to read on.
2. Make sure you have nailed the angle of your piece – avoid wishy-washy statements that fill up space.
3.  Reach out to journalists or bloggers in your industry and work on building a relationship- utilise their readership/follower base.
4.  Refine your media list – make sure you’re contacting the right people, not just the people at the top. Find the types of publications that align with your content, think about which section of society you want to reach and research their web habits, use media databases to find new contacts, look at your competitors and find out who they have used for media coverage.
5. Make the most of every interaction – before getting in contact with someone make sure you’ve done your research and know exactly what you’re asking of them. 

Becoming an authority online takes persistence but your hard work will pay off in the long run. Domain authority ensures visibility and longevity for your site.

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