What Is Domain Authority?<\/h2>\n
To understand whether Domain Authority is a part of the Google algorithm, first, we must understand what Domain Authority is.<\/p>\n
First, there is domain authority \u2013 the concept \u2013 and Domain Authority (DA), the metric by Moz.<\/p>\n
As VentureSkies<\/a> describes it, the general definition of domain authority is as follows:<\/p>\n \u201cThe domain authority of a website describes how important the site is for a specific targeted subject area [and] relevance with respect to \u2026 search words..\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Then, there\u2019s Moz\u2019s<\/a> Domain Authority or DA score, which defines the metric as \u201c\u2026a search engine ranking score developed by Moz that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search engine result pages (SERPs).\u201d<\/p>\n Domain Authority by Moz is calculated using dozens of factors, including the number of linking root domains and the total number of links. The score itself is displayed on a 100-point scale.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Moz is not the only SEO platform that has developed a metric for measuring website authority. You will also find that:<\/p>\n Many articles discussing Domain Authority refer to it as a search engine ranking score and suggest it is a good predictor of how well a website will perform in SERPs for targeted keyword phrases.<\/p>\n This can lead some to believe that Domain Authority is a ranking factor for search engines like Google.<\/p>\n There is even an interesting Twitter thread in 2020<\/a> from the co-founder of Moz, Rand Fishkin, showing internal documents<\/a> from Google, suggesting Google does have a domain authority-like metric.<\/p>\n But continue reading \u2013 the evidence becomes clear.<\/p>\n [Discover:]<\/strong> More Google Ranking Factor Insights<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Moz\u2019s website<\/a> says its Domain Authority score does not impact Google search results.<\/p>\n \u201cDomain Authority is not a Google ranking factor and has no effect on the SERPs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 2015<\/a>, Gary Illyes, Chief of Sunshine and Happiness at Google, was asked about authority passing from HTTP to HTTPS. His response:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have \u201cauthority\u201d, but signals should pass on, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 2016<\/a>, Illyes answered a question about whether adding or removing pages from a website affected its domain authority.<\/p>\n \u201cso, my problem is that I don\u2019t know of anything in ranking that would translate to \u201cdomain authority\u201d, so can\u2019t answer\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A few weeks later<\/a>, during a discussion about linking to image files or webpages for an impact on domain authority, Illyes replied:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t really have \u2018overall domain authority\u2019. A text link with anchor text is better though\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n From there, you will find many confirmations from John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google, that Domain Authority exists but that Google doesn\u2019t use it.<\/p>\n In December 2016<\/a>, Mueller responded to a comment about a desktop domain having higher authority.<\/p>\n \u201cGoogle doesn\u2019t use \u2018domain authority\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 2018<\/a>, someone asked if Domain Authority existed on a Reddit AMA with Mueller.<\/p>\n Mueller\u2019s response acknowledged that:<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it exists, it\u2019s a tool by Moz.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Later that year<\/a>, when asked on Twitter if Domain Authority existed \u2013 again \u2013 Mueller responded:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Domain Authority (DA) is a search engine ranking score developed by Moz\u2019 so exists = yes. Search engines don\u2019t use it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 2019<\/a>, when asked about a site-wide metric similar to Domain Authority on Twitter, Mueller answered:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t use domain authority. We generally try to have our metrics as granular as possible, sometimes that\u2019s not so easy, in which case we look at things a bit broader (eg, we\u2019ve talked about this in regards to some of the older quality updates).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Later that year<\/a>, a Twitter user asked if a drop in search engine traffic was due to a loss in Domain Authority. Mueller replied:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t use domain authority, that\u2019s a metric from an SEO company. I\u2019d recommend starting a thread in the help forum with the details, including the URLs & queries you\u2019re seeing changes in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 2020<\/a>, Mueller received another question about domain authority. This time, someone asked if backlinks from high domain authority websites matter in website rankings. His response:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t use domain authority at all in our algorithms.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A few months later<\/a>, Mueller was asked how important Domain Authority was to crawling webpages faster on Twitter.<\/p>\n \u201cJust to be clear, Google doesn\u2019t use Domain Authority *at all* when it comes to Search crawling, indexing, or ranking. This is pretty clear on their site.<\/p>\n We do, however, index tweets that talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Up until that point, Google representatives seem clear that there is no use of Domain Authority. However, in a late 2020<\/a> interview with SearchLove, Mueller was quizzed on whether Google had a domain authority-like metric.<\/p>\n Unlike the ones before, this answer hints at a possible DA-like metric in Google\u2019s algorithm.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019d call it authority like that, but we do have some metrics that are more on a site level, some metrics that are more on a page level, and some of those site-wide level metrics might kind of map into similar things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In 2022<\/a>, Mueller answered another question about Domain Authority on Reddit. The question was how to increase a website with a Domain Authority of 31. Mueller answered:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m kinda torn. On the one hand, you do not need DA for Google Search. Google doesn\u2019t use it *at all*. If you\u2019d like to level your site up in search, you\u2019d need to focus on something else, or at least use other metrics for it. This is mostly why DA as a metric is frowned upon by many SEOs. For context, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever looked up the DA for a site in the 14 years I\u2019ve been doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He offered additional advice on how one could improve a domain\u2019s authority by focusing on a topic with low competition and creating \u201c\u2026a reasonable collection of fantastic content\u201d about that topic.<\/p>\n He emphasized that user signals, not any kind of authority score, would be what moves the needle.<\/p>\n\n
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The Claim: Domain Authority As A Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n
Domain Authority As A Ranking Factor: The Evidence<\/h2>\n
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![\"Domain](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/domain-authority-is-it-a-google-ranking-factor-via-sejournal-kristileilani.png\")
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