Increase Website Authority: The Complete Link Building Guide

Website authority is one of the most important factors for higher rankings in Google. The more authoritative websites link to your site, the more trustworthy Google considers you. In this guide, you'll learn everything about website authority and how to increase it through link building.

What is Website Authority?

Website authority is a score that indicates how strong a website's backlink profile is. Different SEO tools use their own metrics:

• Ahrefs → Domain Rating (DR) on a 0-100 scale
• Moz → Domain Authority (DA) on a 0-100 scale
• SEMrush → Authority Score on a 0-100 scale
• Ubersuggest → Domain Score on a 0-100 scale

Important: Google doesn't use these scores directly as a ranking factor. They're third-party indicators that reflect the strength of your backlink profile - which Google does consider important.

How is Authority Calculated?

Take Ahrefs Domain Rating as an example. It's determined by:

1. Number of referring domains - How many unique websites link to you?
2. Authority of linking sites - Links from stronger sites carry more weight
3. Link distribution - The fewer outgoing links a site has, the more "value" each link passes

The scale is logarithmic: going from DR 9 to 10 is much easier than going from DR 69 to 70.

Why Does Authority Matter?

• Higher rankings: Sites with strong backlink profiles rank better
• Faster indexing: Google crawls authoritative sites more frequently
• More trust: Visitors trust well-known, well-linked sites
• Competitive advantage: You won't beat a DR 60 competitor with DR 10

The Basics: How Link Building Works

What Makes a Link Valuable?

Not all links are equal. A valuable backlink has:

1. Relevance A link from a related website is more valuable than a random link.

✓ Web design agency linked by marketing blog
✓ Restaurant linked by food blogger
✗ Web design agency linked by fitness site

2. Authority Links from strong sites pass more "link juice."

3. Dofollow Attribute Only dofollow links pass authority. Links with nofollow, ugc, or sponsored attributes aren't counted in DR calculations.

<!-- Passes authority -->
<a href="https://yoursite.com">Link text</a>

<!-- Does NOT pass authority -->
<a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="nofollow">Link text</a>

4. Placement

• In-content links (within text) are more valuable
• Footer/sidebar links are less valuable
• Links higher on the page may carry more weight

5. Anchor Text The clickable text of the link provides context:

✓ "professional web design" (descriptive)
✓ "Robuust Marketing" (brand mention)
○ "click here" (neutral)
✗ "buy cheap SEO services" (over-optimized)

Links to Avoid

Some links can harm your site:

• Purchased links - Against Google's guidelines
• Link farms - Networks purely for link building
• PBNs - Private Blog Networks
• Spam comments - Links in blog comments
• Irrelevant directories - Low-quality business listings

Strategy 1: Create Linkable Assets

The best way to earn links is to create content that people want to link to.

Statistics and Research

Original data attracts links. Journalists and bloggers look for reliable sources.

Examples:

• "Website statistics Netherlands 2025"
• "E-commerce benchmark report SMB"
• "Average conversion rates by industry"

Why this works: According to Backlinko, 32% of their backlinks come from statistics pages, while these make up only 16% of their content.

Comprehensive Guides

In-depth, complete guides are often used as references.

Characteristics of linkable guides:

• Complete (everything about one topic)
• Well-structured
• Visual elements (infographics, diagrams)
• Regularly updated

Free Tools and Calculators

Interactive tools attract many links:

• Price calculators
• ROI calculations
• Checklists and templates
• Free audits

Infographics

Visual content is gladly shared and linked:

• Create unique, valuable infographics
• Provide an embed code
• Actively promote on social media

Strategy 2: Outreach and PR

HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

HARO connects journalists with experts. You answer questions and receive a mention with a link in return.

How it works:

1. Sign up at HARO
2. Receive daily emails with journalist queries
3. Respond to relevant questions with expertise
4. Earn links from news sites

Tips for success:

• Respond quickly (within hours)
• Give concrete, actionable answers
• Include your credentials
• Be concise

Digital PR

Create newsworthy content:

• Publish research - Your own data with interesting insights
• Industry trends - Your perspective on developments
• Expert commentary - React to current news
• Local stories - News relevant to your region

Guest Posting

Write articles for relevant websites:

Good guest post characteristics:

• Relevant website in your niche
• Real readers (not just for links)
• Valuable content
• Natural link to your site

Where to start:

• Industry blogs
• Online magazines
• Partner websites
• Local news sites

Strategy 3: Competitor Analysis

Backlink Gap Analysis

Discover where competitors have links that you're missing:

With Ahrefs:

1. Go to Site Explorer
2. Enter your competitor
3. View Referring Domains
4. Filter by DR and relevance
5. Approach the same sites

With free tools:

• Ubersuggest (limited)
• Moz Link Explorer (10 queries/month)

Skyscraper Technique

1. Find popular content in your niche with many links
2. Create something better (more comprehensive, more current, better designed)
3. Reach out to sites linking to the original
4. Ask if they'd like to link to your improved version

Broken Link Building

1. Find broken links on relevant websites
2. Create similar content
3. Report the broken link
4. Suggest your content as a replacement

Strategy 4: Relationships and Partnerships

Suppliers and Partners

• Ask for listing on partner/client pages
• Give testimonials (often with a link back)
• Collaborate on content

Local Organizations

• Chamber of Commerce
• Business associations
• BNI and networking clubs
• Industry organizations

Sponsorships

• Local events
• Sports clubs
• Charities
• Trade shows and conferences

Strategy 5: Content Distribution

Content Syndication

Publish content on multiple platforms:

• LinkedIn Articles
• Medium
• Industry platforms
• News aggregators

Note: Use canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues.

Social Media Amplification

Social links are usually nofollow, but:

• Increase visibility
• Lead to natural links
• Build brand awareness

Email Outreach

Share valuable content with relevant contacts:

• Industry experts
• Bloggers in your niche
• Journalists
• Influencers

Common Mistakes

1. Focusing Only on DR

DR is a metric, not a goal. Focus on:

• Links from relevant sites
• Links to pages you want to rank
• Diversity in your backlink profile

2. Growing Too Fast

Unnaturally fast link growth is suspicious:

• Build links gradually
• Vary link types
• Avoid patterns

3. Only Homepage Links

Distribute links across your site:

• Service pages
• Blog content
• Landing pages

4. Anchor Text Over-Optimization

Too many exact-match anchors is a red flag:

✗ 90% of links have anchor "web design Rotterdam"
✓ Mix of brand, URL, generic, and descriptive anchors

5. Link Building Without Good Content

Links to bad content don't convert. First ensure you have:

• Valuable pages
• Good user experience
• Relevant content

Link Building Checklist

Foundation

• [ ] Content audit: do you have link-worthy pages?
• [ ] Competitor analysis completed
• [ ] Target pages defined
• [ ] Outreach templates created

Ongoing Activities

• [ ] Answer HARO queries (daily)
• [ ] Find guest post opportunities (weekly)
• [ ] Identify broken link opportunities (monthly)
• [ ] Promote content upon publication
• [ ] Maintain relationships

Monitoring

• [ ] Monitor backlink profile (Ahrefs/Moz)
• [ ] Track new links
• [ ] Identify lost links
• [ ] Follow DR/DA trends
• [ ] Disavow spam links if necessary

Tools for Link Building

Backlink Analysis

• Ahrefs - Most comprehensive backlink database
• Moz Link Explorer - Good free option
• SEMrush - Backlink audit and outreach

Outreach

• Hunter.io - Find email addresses
• Pitchbox - Outreach automation
• BuzzStream - Relationship management

Monitoring

• Google Search Console - Free link monitoring
• Ahrefs Alerts - Notifications for new links
• Mention - Brand mentions tracking

Conclusion

Increasing website authority is a long-term investment:

1. Create linkable content - Statistics, guides, tools
2. Do active outreach - HARO, guest posts, PR
3. Analyze competitors - Find and replicate their successes
4. Build relationships - Partners, local organizations
5. Monitor and optimize - Track results, adjust strategy

Remember: the goal isn't a higher DR score. The goal is earning quality links that help you rank for the keywords that matter.

Need help with your link building strategy? Contact us for a backlink analysis.

Related Articles

• On-Page SEO Optimization - Optimize your pages
• Technical SEO Checklist - Get your technical foundation right
• Content Marketing Strategy - Content that attracts links