Does Domain Authority Help Get more Local Leads?
If you’re a local service wondering whether your website’s domain authority will get you or keep you on page 1 of Google, the answer is both yes and no. It matters when you’re trying to attract traffic from other sites, but you can also build your domain authority in as little as 30 days and begin ranking on page 1 of Google simultaneously.
🔎 Search Engines Don’t Care about Your Domain Authority
Google doesn’t utilize or regard Domain Authority at all. Google considers hundreds of variables when ranking your webpage on page 1 of its search results or relegating it to the depths of page 2 and beyond.
Here’s what they care about:
- Do you have other sites linking to your page
- Content and User Actions:
- Is it easy to read? (8th grade reading level)
- Is it helpful to the reader?
- Does it contain original content that has never been stated before?
- Entertaining (how long do they stay on the page)
- User actions (do they click on things on the page)
- Sharing (do they bookmark, share, or comment in the blog?)
- Images:
- Do you have original photos that help the reader understand
- Are the images optimized (small file size for faster loading)
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority (DA) is a third-party metric created by Moz (click here to check your domain authority). It tries to predict how well a domain might rank in search engines based on backlinks and other signals. It’s scored on a scale from 1 to 100, with higher numbers considered more powerful.
Your Domain Authority indicates trust that other sites will use to link to your website. This “backlinking” serves as a popularity contest that Google uses as one of 100s of reasons why your website, your website page should rank for a specific term.
- Google.com? DA 100.
- Your cousin’s food blog? Probably like 12.
🚫 Domain Authority is Just Part of Local Marketing
Agencies will say,
"Without Domain Authority, your site will never be on page 1.” It’s partially true, but also incomplete.
You’re not on page 1 because you didn’t launch full localized SEO marketing.
We specialize in getting clients to page for Maps and Websites like this….
Case Study: ADS Sheet Metal and Metal Roofing and Siding
ADS Sheet Metal never had a website, which means their domain authority was zero. Yet they are now ranking page 1 for 33 or 35 cities for metal roofing and metal siding, and they still only have a domain authority 8!
Here’s how…
Step 1: Get an SEO Optimized Website
We developed their website (adsheetmetal.com), which focuses on metal roofing and siding. Each page and blog feature unique content and personalized photos of the work sites and successes. We created city landing pages for every city they service, and each service they perform has its own page as well. If you want to dominate local maps, website leads, and visibility, that means your website likely needs to be 30-100 pages depending on how many cities you serve.
Step 2: Optimize Your Google Business Profile for Local Terms and Services
We set up their Google Business Profile and linked it to their website. Each Google service connected to the corresponding service page on the website, and each Google product was associated with the primary service page, where we described the products they use for repairs, replacements, or cleanings. With the top 20 cities selected in the Google Business Profile, each having its own page on the website, their rankings in Maps improved, their website's domain authority increased, and their traffic and leads followed within 30-45 days. By doing this, we leveraged “Google’s Domain Authority” of 100 to enhance the website domain in 30 days.
Step 3: Create 55-70 Local Links to Boost Visibility and Authority
People don’t just call or research you on Google. They visit sites like Yelp, Angi’s List, or stumble upon you on a site you never considered. This phenomenon, seen everywhere all the time, is known as Omnimarketing, and without it, you will never dominate a territory.
In five days or less, we create or fix all 55-75 local business online profiles. Every online profile should convey the same information and have consistent business details. This branding is Local SEO 101 down to a tee and known as “NAP” (name, address, phone number). We use NAP across platforms like Yelp, 8coupons, Amazon Alexa, American Express, and Siri by Apple. This enhances the credibility of the website and its niche services.
✅ Branded Traffic Increases Links and Authority
Generate Your Own Traffic and Buzz
Branded traffic holds greater authority in Google's eyes. It indicates that you've got off your ass and launched physical marketing flyers, business cards, walked neighborhoods, and asked people to check you out. Here’s what we always launch in the first 30-45 days with every new client:
- We create business cards with a QR code on them
- You ask your friends to come for over pizza and beer
- Ask each person to scan the QR code to your website home page
- Then each person searches Google for your business name and clicks
- Create a flyer with a QR code asking people to visit the website
Use Social Media to Drive Branded Traffic
It can also take the form of social media posts with links to your site, emails with direct links, and text message campaigns. When we launch a client, we implement all of these in the first 30 days to help establish brand authority in your local service area, thus increasing both traffic, authority, and leads.
✅ Get More Online Reviews to Improve Authority
Online reviews are difficult to obtain, but they are crucial for conversion. They help improve your ranking on local maps, serve as a badge of trust in search rankings, and enhance your website pages.
You need reviews on all the following platforms:
- Google Business Reviews - We create a QR code for business cards, and you can send text messages to all past customers, family, and friends. For more information on GBP reviews, read this article: http://www.talentsintoprofits.com/mastering-google-reviews
- Yelp Reviews - We know that Yelp is a small project site with a peculiar bidding system, but reviews here help your website and Yelp profile appear on page 1 of Google and Maps. For more information about Yelp reviews, read this article to learn how to get more Yelp reviews and not violate their policies: http://www.talentsintoprofits.com/why-did-my-yelp-page-get-banned.
- Facebook Reviews - You’ll be posting on Facebook and Instagram, so gather reviews just like on any other platform. Additionally, some people may not be able to submit a Google or Yelp review, so direct them to your Company Facebook page.
🎯 Final Word: Use DA as a Clue, Not a Compass
Think of Domain Authority like your car’s paint job. It might look good, but it doesn’t determine whether you will win the race (gain more leads). If you need help generating leads and visibility, we’d happily arrange a FREE marketing consultation with you and your team this week.
Click here for a FREE Marketing Consultation
