SEO authority is one of the most important ways that search engines use to rank websites in search engine results. SEO authority (aka backlinks) is measurable by both search engines and humans. For Google and other search engines, SEO authority is established by being a trustworthy source of help and information. The more authority your website, or webpage has, the more likely Google is to recommend it to its users. To put a human spin on things, if your refrigerator breaks, do you ask your neighbor who doesn’t know anything about appliance repairs for help, or do you call your local handyperson who has experience with repairing refrigerators?
It’s more logical and effective to talk to the authority on the subject, the appliance repair person. This will also save you time and money, all while solving your problem. Google and other search engines want to show results with authority. Starting with E-A-T, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, authority is established by being an expert and trustworthy source both for search engines and for people. SEO authority is a great example of the dual nature of how what is good for search engines is good for humans too.
Consider Google to be a Helpful Librarian. According to the Search Engine Journal, “Modern search engines use complex algorithms to find, reach and ascertain the topicality of webpages. They can then match those pages with search queries looking for the information they contain.” To put it more simply, search engines are trying to find the most relevant match with the most SEO authority.
Back in the dark ages, pre-internet, people would go to libraries to do their research. While there were often dozens, if not hundreds of relevant books, most likely people only needed three to five of those books if they were the most relevant. Instead of manually searching through a hundred books to find the ones most applicable, they would ask the librarian for help in their search. The librarian, with their more extensive knowledge, would be able to point people in the direction of finding the most relevant information.
What is EAT in SEO?
Google is trying to be that librarian and wants to match user’s search questions with the most relevant sites containing the information being searched for. Google looks at three specific areas (in addition to dozens of other metrics) when it comes to ranking its answers. These three areas are E-A-T, or expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Given the massive amount of information on the internet, it is very important to have search engines capable of sorting the relevant information from the non-relevant information, in addition to establishing the expertise, authority, and trustworthiness of said information.
Types of SEO Authority
Two of the main categories in SEO authority can be defined as domain authority and page authority.
Domain Authority
Domain authority is not a metric that Google uses to determine search rankings. Domain authority was developed by Moz and is calculated by factors like the number of links your domain has. This metric is simply a way to see how well your website ranks on search engine results pages. What’s more important than your Domain Authority ranking, is that you rank higher than your competitors. It’s a great way to see which competitors you want to try to beat. It’s also a way to assess your site visibility. Comparing your score to others in your industry is a much better way to view your domain authority than simply by how “high” your score is. That said, your Domain Authority score is a good way to evaluate your site’s overall authority ranking.
Page Authority
There is another type of SEO authority called Page Authority, which was also developed by Moz. Like Domain Authority, it is scored on a 100-point logarithmic scale and based on many factors. It is a comparative tool, so what’s more important than your number score is how your score compares to competitors and others within your industry. Page authority is calculated the same way as domain authority, but it is simply rating a single webpage rather than the whole website. This is a great tool for tracking the authority of individual blog posts, like that pillar article you wrote for your content strategy.
Building Your Website’s SEO Authority with CadenceSEO
We here at CadenceSEO know how important it is to your business’s visibility on the web to be considered an authoritative source of information. We can help you help your customers solve their problems, meet their needs, and improve their quality of life by establishing your business as an authority.
You’re already an expert at your business. Let our team of SEO experts and consultants help you show that to Google and customers alike. Additionally, we offer a free SEO toolkit that your team can utilize as you start evaluating your website’s SEO ranking.
For help with building your website’s authority on the world wide web, contact us here at CadenceSEO, an SEO authority you can trust.
