How to Build Shopify Domain Authority

If you’re using SEO techniques to drive attention to your ecommerce store, learning how to build Shopify domain authority could be a good idea. 

Domain authority can be a little tricky to understand, but if you can master it, you can strengthen your chances of ranking higher on the search engine results pages. Higher rankings mean more opportunities to attract prospects to your store. 

While technically, domain authority is a metric created by software company Moz, many SEO software tools evaluate similar concepts, like “domain ranking”. Unfortunately, if you’re not an SEO expert, you might struggle with this concept.

Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here’s everything you need to know about domain authority, and how to build it. 

What is Domain Authority? The Basics

If you want to know to build Shopify domain authority, you need to know what it actually means. Domain authority is a metric created by Moz to quantify the “strength” and credibility of a website’s domain, and its potential to rank on search engines. 

Basically it looks at how likely the content linked to your domain is to grab attention on channels like Google. Domain authority scores range from 0 to 100. The tricky part is there’s no such thing as the “perfect” domain authority. If all of the competitors in your space have a score of 20 or so, you can excel with a score of 30 or above. If your competitors rank with scores of 80 and above, you’ll need a higher domain authority to stand out. 

In general, however, a higher domain authority score is usually a good thing. It indicates that you have the potential to rank well in the search engines, and adhere to Google’s EEAT guidelines. Those are the guidelines that look at a website’s demonstration of expertise, experience, authority, and trust.

Why Does Domain Authority Matter?

Google and other search engines haven’t actually confirmed that “domain authority” makes a difference to SEO rankings, though Moz thinks otherwise. Still, this doesn’t mean domain authority isn’t valuable. Moz’s studies, and other third-party research show that sites with higher domain authority do tend to earn more traffic and rank higher. 

Domain authority can be an excellent tool if you’re trying to differentiate yourself from the competition too. It can offer an insight into what competing sites are doing well, and what you need to do to rank for a specific keyword or phrase. 

Plus, if you’re investing in SEO anyway, monitoring your domain authority score can be a good way to track your progress. 

What Influences Shopify Domain Authority?

So, what makes a difference to your domain authority? The first, and biggest factor is your backlink profile. The more high-quality domains you have linking back to your website, thanks to your guest blogs and online mentions, the more your authority will grow. 

Of course, not just any links will work. You need high-quality links, from companies that are relevant to your business, and have a strong reputation with their audience. For instance, if you create some amazing content and promote it with a link to your site across various other well-known platforms, you should see a boost to your domain authority. 

Other factors can affect domain authority too, such as:

• The quality of your content, and how many backlinks it attracts.
• Technical SEO elements like meta tags, mobile responsiveness, and site maps.
• Social media engagement, and web visits stemming from social platforms.
• Domain age, or the amount of time your domain has spent online.
• Your site structure, menu, navigation, and overall user experience. 

Here’s an example of a website with an excellent navigation structure, great for building domain authority:

https://resources.storetasker.com/shopify-examples/decem-hero 

How to Check Your Shopify Domain Authority

If you want to build your Shopify domain authority, the first step is knowing where you currently stand. You can check your “DA” score on the Moz Domain authority site here. Just enter your domain name, and you’ll generate an instant result. 

You can actually check your domain authority for free, three times a day, or with three different sites. There are also some similar tools that offer the same kind of scores, such as SEMRush, Ahrefs, and the Majestic “Trust Flow” tool. 

Again, if your number looks pretty low, don’t panic. Many high-performing websites have a domain authority of 30 or less. You can still rank, and get plenty of traffic with a slightly lower score.

How to Build Shopify Domain Authority

Although your Domain Authority score might be more than enough to give you an edge in your chosen market, there are still ways you can “grow” it. Here are some of the best ways to get started. 

Step 1: Conduct an Audit

First, learn as much as you can about your domain authority, and what might be affecting your score. Compare your number to the domain authority scores of other companies in your industry, and examine your overall SEO strategy. Do you have fast-loading pages, and are you offering a great user experience? Do you use keywords effectively in your content?

What does your backlink profile look like? Have you earned plenty of links from other authority companies that can help boost your reputation?

Step 2: Create Great Content

If you don’t have a blog on your Shopify website yet, then you should. It’s not just a great way to boost your chances of ranking for specific keywords, it’s also a great chance to earn backlinks from other reputable websites. High-quality content like reviews, comparisons, and even studies will naturally earn backlinks from a range of different sites. 

To determine what kind of content you should create, look at your metrics. Find out which of your blogs are currently ranking or already earning lots of engagement. Use these insights to create a content calendar filled with valuable ideas for your target audience. 

Remember to make your blog easy to navigate and read on every device too. Here’s an example of a well-designed blog on a Shopify store:

https://resources.storetasker.com/shopify-examples/loftie-blog 

Step 3: Look for Opportunities to Build Backlinks

Creating great content should boost the chances of people wanting to link back to your store from their own websites. However, there are other ways you can boost your chances of earning backlinks too. For instance, you might use an influencer marketplace to find thought leaders and authority figures who will recommend your website to their followers. 

You can also consider reaching out to reputable companies and asking whether you can post a guest blog on their website. This is often a win-win situation for many brands, as they benefit from free content, while you get extra promotional opportunities. 

You can also use tools like Ahrefs and Screaming Frog to find non-functioning links on the blog posts of other websites, and offer the site owners your content as a replacement.

Step 4: Leverage Social Media

It’s difficult to know for certain how social media and SEO rankings are connected. However, Moz and other experts believe that a good social presence can improve your domain authority. Active social accounts can help drive traffic back to your website, and increase your chance of backlinks.

Plus, if you have a high-quality social feed on your website, you can improve your chances of customers interacting with your content for longer, and reduce your bounce rates:

https://resources.storetasker.com/shopify-examples/selfmade-ugc

Additionally, interacting with followers on social media is a great way to curate social proof in the form of testimonials and reviews you can showcase on your store. This could help you to increase your conversion rates, as well as your domain authority.

Design a social media calendar filled with different types of content, from videos and photos, to text-based posts, and consider experimenting with tactics like paid and influencer marketing. 

Step 5: Upgrade On-Page and Technical SEO

Though backlinks and “off-page” SEO are important when learning how to build Shopify domain authority, don’t underestimate on-page and technical SEO. On-page SEO methods, such as using well-crafted meta titles, descriptions, and headers are great for boosting visibility. 

On-page SEO efforts also help to strengthen your chances of ranking for keywords, by ensuring you use them regularly throughout your content. 

Technical SEO strategies, like working with a Shopify expert to create an attractive website structure, and menu, and ensure your site is mobile responsive, boosts user experiences. This strengthens trust with your target audience, and can help you engage and convert more customers. 

Remember: Building Domain Authority Takes Time

Although the tips above will teach you how to build Shopify domain authority, don’t expect instant results. None of the solutions above are instant fixes. However, they can help you to strengthen everything from your content marketing campaigns, to your brand awareness. 

You just need to make sure you stick with your strategy. Create a robust content creation and promotional strategy to ensure your site is filled with fresh and relevant content. Leverage social media and look for opportunities to earn new backlinks constantly. 

Additionally, make sure you’re giving customers the best store experience possible, with a multi-faceted strategy for SEO, content production, and user experience. If you need a little help with that last part, reach out to Storetasker to find out how our Shopify Expert can take the authority and performance of your store to the next level. 

‍