Authority for a website refers to the degree to which that site and the information it provides is trusted by search engines, as well as users, others in the industry, and other authority sites. When websites are able to successfully establish authority online, they can benefit from much better rankings, which, in turn, can result in better visibility with users and potential new clients.
Given that the notion of authority is somewhat ambiguous – and that it may be just as unclear how sites establish authority, below, we have answered some common questions about website authority.
Answers about Authority for Websites
Q: How is authority acquired?
A: In general, sites gain authority by publishing unique, well-written, insightful content and by building a growing audience for that content.
With a growing audience and more attention, the content on a site can gain links from other websites. The more quality links that content gets – and the more of these links that come from other prominent sites or, better yet, authority sites – the more authority a site will start to gain.
Here, it’s also critical to note that authority is often something that is acquired with time, as it takes time to build an audience and accumulate quality links to get the authority ball rolling.
Q: Who determines website authority?
A: Ultimately, search engines are the entities that evaluate and determine sites’ authority. However, given that the views and links a site gets are key to how sites are evaluated and ranked, users and others sites are also key players in the authority arena.
Q: What are examples of websites that are established authorities?
A: Authority websites are typically sites that are considered to be trusted leaders in their industry or field. Common examples of authorities include government websites (like the White House & OSHA’s website), prominent news sites (like CNN or the New York Times), etc.
Q: How can I start building authority for my website?
A: What will make your site more authoritative will depend on the current status of your site, as well as your industry.
In general, however, a good place to start building authority is in your content. Some of the things to do as you focus on developing quality content that will position your site as an authority include (but are by no means limited to):
- Creating inventory of your existing content, identifying the pages that are poorly written or simply outdated
- Developing and sticking to a content development plan moving forward so that you are regularly publishing new, quality, unique and interesting content on your website.
Contact Epic Web Results for Effective Internet Marketing Solutions
Are you ready to improve your site’s authority and rankings? Or do you simply want to improve your site’s conversion rates? If so, it’s time to contact Epic Web Results. Our skilled industry professionals are up to date with the latest advances in Internet marketing and SEO best practices, and we are to develop the best online solutions for you, your website and your business.
To learn more about our customized, innovative Internet marketing solutions, contact the professionals at Epic Web Results by calling (800) 501-9724 or by emailing us using the contact form on this page.