In search engine optimization (SEO), Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) are two important terms that are often used. However, not everyone knows the difference between the two. This article will discuss the definition, how to measure, and the differences between Domain Rating and Domain Authority.
What is Domain Rating?
Domain Rating is a score given by Ahrefs to measure the strength of backlinks on a domain. The more quality backlinks a domain has, the higher the Domain Rating it has. The Domain Rating scale is from 0 to 100.
Domain Rating is based on backlinks, which are links from other websites that point to your website. Good backlinks come from websites that are authoritative and relevant to your website topic. The more quality backlinks a domain has, the more likely it is that the website has a high Domain Rating.
Ahrefs.com is one of the tools used to measure Domain Rating. This tool checks all backlinks to a domain and assigns a score based on the number and quality of backlinks.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is a score developed by Moz to measure the strength of a domain. The Domain Authority scale is from 0 to 100. The higher the Domain Authority score, the more likely a domain is to appear at the top of search results.
Moz calculates DA by analyzing various factors such as domain age, content quality, social media interactions, number and quality of incoming links (backlinks) to the website, and others. Moz uses a complex algorithm to take all these factors into account and provide accurate DA values.
Moz.com is the most frequently used tool for measuring Domain Authority. This tool uses various factors to calculate the Domain Authority score, including the number of backlinks, backlink quality, domain age, and so on.
What is the difference between DR and DA website?
Domain authority is a metric created by Moz to predict how likely a website is to appear in Google search results. To measure DA, Moz uses several things, including:
- Website domain age. So, you can try checking the domain age if you are curious about the age of your domain.
- The number of unique domains connected to the website domain
- The quantity and quality provided and obtained by the website
The higher the domain authority score, the higher the website's potential to get a high ranking on SERP. If it has a higher DA than a competitor's website, your website's ranking on Google is likely to be better. Therefore, how to increase domain authority is something you must know.
So, the difference between domain authority and domain rating is their function. DA simulates the ranking strength of a website, while DR tells the strength of a website's backlinks.
You can use domain authority as a benchmark to increase website ranking in SERP. Meanwhile, you need DR in your link building strategy to determine a good website to exchange backlinks with.
Even though Domain Rating and Domain Authority have the same concept, namely measuring the strength of a domain, they have differences. Domain Rating measures the strength of backlinks on a domain, while Domain Authority measures the overall strength of a domain, including factors such as domain age and domain size.
Why is Domain Rating Important?
Ahrefs domain rating does not include website ranking factors in Google search results. However, having a high DR score can help increase your website ranking.
Remember, domain rating is calculated by the number of websites that provide backlinks to your website. The more backlinks your website receives, the higher the DR.
Well, Google uses the number of backlinks as a ranking factor in search results. So, increasing your DR score by getting lots of backlinks can also make your website rank better.
However, don't just focus on the number of backlinks, okay? Even though the number of backlinks affects the domain rating, you must also take into account their relevance. You must get quality backlinks so that Google considers the information on your website to be trustworthy.
How to increase Domain Rating and Domain Authority
An effective strategy to increase your website's Domain Rating and Domain Authority is as follows:
1. Build High-Quality Inbound Links
Building high-quality inbound links is one of the best ways to increase your website's Domain Rating and Domain Authority value. High-quality inbound links are links that come from websites that have high credibility and are relevant to your website topic.
You can try the strategy of building incoming links by collaborating with other websites that have similar topics to your website. Apart from that, you can also guest post on websites that are relevant to the topic of your website.
2. Removing Bad Links
Bad links can damage your website's Domain Rating and Domain Authority value. Therefore, you should remove bad links from your website to increase the value of both.
Bad links are links that come from spam websites, websites that are not relevant to your website's topic, or websites that have a bad reputation in the eyes of search engines.
3. Create High Quality Content
High-quality content can help increase your website's Domain Rating and Domain Authority scores. High-quality content is content that is relevant to your website topic, easy to understand, and provides value to your website visitors.
You can try strategies for creating high-quality content by conducting keyword research that is relevant to the topic of your website, writing articles that have added value for your website visitors, and sharing your content on social media.
4. Optimize Website Loading Speed
Website loading speed is an important factor in SEO and can affect the value of Domain Authority and Domain Rating. Make sure your website has fast load times and is responsive to improve visitor experience.
5. Participate on Social Media
Participating in social media can help increase social engagement and the credibility of your website. Make sure to follow social media best practices and promote your content properly.
6. Use Relevant Keywords
Using relevant keywords in your website content can help increase your website's visibility in search engines. Make sure to use keywords that suit your website topic and not overstuff the content with keywords.
By implementing the strategies above, you can increase the Domain Rating and Domain Authority value of your website. However, make sure to carry out regular evaluations and make strategy changes if necessary to get better results.
7. Exchange Backlinks with Credible Websites
Armed with quality content, you can do link building well. That way, you can get lots of backlinks by exchanging links. The tip is to prioritize websites with a high domain rating. But remember, the website you are inviting to do link building must have a topic that is relevant to your website, OK? That way, you not only get backlinks, but also maintain the quality of the links.
8. Optimize Internal Links
Internal links as links between pages on your website that have relevant topics can also increase DR. Because, a good internal linking strategy will show that the information on your website is complete and useful.
For example, in your content that discusses SEO there is a link to content about on-page SEO. That way, visitors can easily learn one of these SEO techniques in more depth.
9. Share Your Content in Different Formats
To have a high DR score, you can share content in different formats. For example, videos, podcasts, and social media posts.
You don't need to cover the entirety of your main content information. Just give the big picture, then invite your audience to read the complete information on your website.
That way, the source of visitors who are likely to share your website content is not only Google searches, but also from other platforms such as YouTube and Twitter. As a result, it will be easier for you to get free backlinks.
10. Don't forget technical SEO
How to increase your domain rating score doesn't just involve getting backlinks, you know. You also shouldn't forget about implementing technical SEO.
Efforts such as optimizing loading speed, overcoming broken links, and improving website structure do not directly affect the DR score. However, this can have an impact on the experience of website visitors. If you provide a good visitor experience, it shows Google that your website is credible.
Conclusion
Domain Rating and Domain Authority are two important terms in search engine optimization. Even though both have the same concept, namely measuring the strength of a domain, they both have differences and factors that influence it. It is important for website owners to understand the difference between Domain Rating and Domain Authority and how to improve them to improve their website's ranking in search engines.
That's an explanation of what a domain rating is, which is a score to show the strength of your website's backlinks. There are several ways to increase your domain rating, including creating quality content and doing link building.
What is no less important, your website domain name must match the topic you are discussing. The reason is, a domain name that does not match your niche can reduce the credibility of the website.