How to protect your websites domain authority.
Sometimes I feel like a high school student chasing popularity, only I am not chasing popularity with my peers, I am trying to catch the attention of the high profile platforms and search engines. As a Business Coach, I to want to ascertain visibility for my website and social platforms, but sometimes I find myself heavily reliant on key industry players, such as Meta and Google, to achieve that.
For instance, if I want to reach small business owners in Toronto, then Meta requests I post at least 3 times a week and use language that draws engagement. For any small business owner these days, that is a major commitment.
The same applies with google and other search engines. It is not enough for me to have a quality website, chalk full of keywords that open me up to business owners who need a marketing strategy or who are looking to work with a Business Coach. I must also suck up to them just to stay relevant. It definitely parallels high school behaviour.
So let’s say I play along, which I am in fact doing. I want to impress google and other search engines and protect my domain authority. Perhaps you aren’t exactly sure what that means, so let me simplify it for you. You build a reputation with the aid of your website, but because there are so many competitors, you can start to fall behind every month, slowly losing relevance. The only way to build up your domain authority again (it is an actual score) is by abiding by the ‘rules’ set in place by search engines.
Here are 5 top way to protect your Domain Authority;
1) Be consistent. Much like Meta, Google and other search engines want you to continue to churn out content so it looks like your website is not just laying dormant on the internet. The engines want to see activity, so they crawl your page for new information. Blogging is often used to add relevant content to your website. (this is where I clear my throat and point out that I am doing it right now),
2) Attract and request authentic reviews for your google profile. Formerly Google My Business, your profile allows your business to update hours, add photos, but most importantly, get reviews!! Quantity plays a big role here, so do the best you can to request reviews. Even if they are on Facebook.
3) Write content that is relevant to your business and keywords. Search engines and users reward expertise and trust. By publishing authoritative content, you signal that your site is a reliable source, which is the foundation of high authority. That is the end game here. It leads to free organic traction!
4) Find ways to get high quality back links on sites that are already getting strong traffic. For instance, consider a blog swap—a mutual arrangement where you contribute a relevant guest post to another site, and they, in turn, contribute one to yours. Both posts should link back to the other party's website, ensuring mutual business relevance. As a Business Coach serving Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and Canada, I would not be putting my efforts towards a blog post with a Massage Therapist. The two don’t compute.
5) Use links to link back to your page. As an example, you can connect with me for a free discovery call by clicking HERE. You can also link other credible sites to show search engines that you value other people’s content as well. Something of relevance. In my case, here is a link to learn more about ChatGPT’s new group chats.
Note: Be careful to not create all your content with Chat, Gemini, or other AI sources. The search engines spit it out to you, and if just throw it back onto your blog, they will know and will penalize you for it. So try and speak from the heart. Or, try and make their words yours by modifying the words to match your personal style.
Currently the North American economies are under stress. Part of your marketing strategy can include increasing your domain authority so you can capture organic growth. It’s a lot to ask to be “popular”, but it can be worth the effort if it translates to more revenue.