What is Domain Authority & Why Do We Use It? (66 Websites Ranked)
Every website on the Internet has a Domain Authority, yes yours does too.
Domain Authority is one of the most effective website measurements because you can benchmark against your competitors, see the impact of your SEO efforts, and set future goals based on a quantitative outcome. We use Domain Authority to measure the websites we manage. It’s an objective indicator for how your website will perform in the future. You want to see your Domain Authority increase over time.
If you start with all the qualitative malarky (focusing on design and feel and making it “pop”) sooner or later you’re going to be fired. That’s a certainty. If you really want to impress the boss start with some substantial quantitative metrics. Hook up Google Analytics and you’re off to the races. If you want to get more technical you’ll have to consider using a company like Raven or Moz (the company we use).
When dealing with website measurement, Moz is pretty much the bees knees. Out of Seattle Washington, they’re like a small vigilante group of online special forces who ensure your website is firing on all cylinders.
What is Domain Authority?
Domain Authority is Moz’s best prediction at how well your website will rank in search engines. This is a number calculated from many different data points from all over the internet. Every page on the internet has a page authority, also a number out of 100, this would be that specific pages’ ranking potential.
Every page on your website has a page authority and together those combine to make up your Domain Authority. It’s a relative metric in that your competition will have a similar number and whether it be higher or lower, generally you can explain why one website is ranking better than another based on Domain Authority. It doesn’t always mean a higher domain authority will always out-rank a lower domain authority, but higher domain authorities always have a better chance of ranking higher in search engines.
Why do we use it?
It’s a standard metric that can be compared to all of your competition. It’s the number you can use to test your hypothesis’s of what works and doesn’t work when it comes to your online strategy. If you increase Domain Authority, you increase your organic traffic.
The coolest part? You can look up your websites Domain Authority by using this tool called Open Site Explorer.
A Domain Authority of 10 (as of Feb 16, 2014)
Apex Plumbing and Heating – http://www.apexplumbingandheating.ca/
Litzenberger Plumbing and Heating – http://litzenbergerplumbingandheating.com/
Able Plumbing and Heating – http://www.ableplg.com/
Children’s Hospital Lottery – https://www.childrenshospitallottery.ca/
Kress Electric – http://www.kresselectricltd.com/
A Domain Authority of 20
Regina Ringette – http://www.reginaringette.sk.ca/
Regina Aquarium Society – http://www.reginaaquariumsociety.ca/
Regina Dragon Boat Festival – http://www.reginadragonboat.com/
Sofia House Regina – http://sofiahouse.ca/
Universal Collision Centre – http://www.uccregina.com/
A Domain Authority of 30
Regina & District Association For Community Living – http://rdacl.ca
Regina Humane Society – http://www.reginahumanesociety.ca/
Regina’s Farmers Market – http://reginafarmersmarket.ca/
Regina Thunder Football Club – http://reginathunder.ca/
Sask Made Marketplace – http://www.saskmade.ca/
Capital Ford Lincoln – http://www.capitalfordlincoln.com/
Ranch Ehrlo – http://www.ehrlo.com/
Planned Parenthood – http://www.plannedparenthoodregina.com/
A Domain Authority of 40
Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency – http://www.ontariosheep.org/
Tourism Saskatchewan – http://www.tourismsaskatchewan.com/
Regina Symphony Orchestra – http://reginasymphony.com/
Regina Food Bank – http://reginafoodbank.ca/
Regina Catholic School Division – https://www.rcsd.ca/
Regina Police Service – http://www.reginapolice.ca/
Brandt – http://www.brandt.ca/
Regina Folk Festival – http://www.reginafolkfestival.com/
Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan – http://mcos.ca/
A Domain Authority of 50
United Way Regina – http://unitedwayregina.ca
Globe Theatre Regina – http://globetheatrelive.com/
Tourism Regina – http://tourismregina.com/
Regina Pats – http://www.reginapats.com/
Casino Regina – http://www.casinoregina.com/
Molson Canadian – http://www.molsoncanadian.ca/
A Domain Authority of 60
Sask Jobs.ca – https://www.saskjobs.ca/
Sask Power – http://www.saskpower.com/
Farm Credit Canada – https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en.html
Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology – http://gosiast.com/
Steam Whistle Pilsner – http://www.steamwhistle.ca/
Skate Canada – http://www.skatecanada.ca/
Neuromarketing Blog – http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/
Settlers of Catan Official Website – http://www.catan.com/
A Domain Authority of 70
City of Regina – http://www.regina.ca/
Toothpaste For Dinner – http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/
Hockey Canada – http://www.hockeycanada.ca/
Twist Image – http://www.twistimage.com/
Sasktel – http://www.sasktel.com/
A Domain Authority of 80
University of Regina – http://www.uregina.ca/
The Leader Post http://www.leaderpost.com/
Metro News – http://metronews.ca/
Yelp – http://www.yelp.ca/
Ebay – http://www.ebay.ca/
A Domain Authority of 90
Government of Saskatchewan – http://www.gov.sk.ca/
The Onion – http://www.theonion.com/
Harvard Business Review – http://hbr.org/
The Oatmeal – http://theoatmeal.com/
The Globe and Mail – http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – http://web.mit.edu/
General Electric – http://www.ge.com/
Fast Company – http://www.fastcompany.com/
The Atlantic – http://www.theatlantic.com/
Mashable – http://mashable.com/
A Domain Authority of 100
Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com
YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/
Now it’s your turn, see who you our rank and who out ranks you by running your website through Open Site Explorer and let us know what it is in the comments below.
