You may have probably heard writers or website owners talking about or mentioning an authoritative website. But what is it?
An authoritative website is one that’s recognized as highly reliable and trustworthy. These websites offer well-researched, accurate information that’s respected across their field. Readers, professionals, and even other websites look to them as dependable sources.
A strong example of an authoritative website is Healthline, a well-known name in the health and wellness space.
Image via Healthline
What Makes Healthline So Trusted?
It starts with their commitment to accuracy. Every article on Healthline is reviewed by healthcare professionals and medical experts to ensure readers receive credible, up-to-date information.
This kind of careful oversight is key to building trust and establishing authority in any field.
Healthline’s Authority in Numbers
To get a sense of Healthline’s authority, let’s look at some key metrics. Based on data from Ahrefs, Healthline has an impressive Domain Rating (DR) of 92.
Image via Ahrefs
This score indicates that Healthline is considered highly credible by search engines, largely because of the quality and quantity of websites that link back to it. When other trusted sites link to Healthline, it’s a strong endorsement of its reliability.
Healthline has 25 million backlinks, with 92% of these being “dofollow” links. Dofollow links are valuable because they pass authority from one site to another.
When a reputable site links to Healthline with a dofollow link, it’s as if they’re saying, “We vouch for this content.” This extensive network of high-quality backlinks is a clear marker of Healthline’s influence and reliability.
Additionally, Healthline has 328,000 unique websites linking to it.
The variety and volume of these linking sites add to Healthline’s credibility. A high number of unique sites linking to a website shows that its content is respected and referenced widely, which search engines view as a sign of authority.
Quality Content: The Core of Healthline’s Authority
Beyond metrics, Healthline consistently produces in-depth, accurate articles based on sound research. They frequently cite trusted sources like the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and peer-reviewed scientific journals. This attention to quality content is why Healthline stands as a leader in health and wellness information.
Now, for your website to be considered an authoritative website, below are some of the things you need to do:
1. Develop a Niche Authority
A good website is one that does not bore the audience with a lot of information on different things. The reader should leave your website informed about what they came for, not confused with a lot of other unrelated things.
It is important to find a specific niche and focus solely on it.
If you take one niche and run with it, you will be able to give your website undivided attention when it comes to researching about content to post. You will have control of your content since you will have a specific thing to focus on at a time.
Build up on this niche to a point where it is easily used by your audience and people looking for this information.
2. Prioritize Quality over Quality
Most people think that the success of a website lies in quantity. This is far from the truth. A reader would rather read a short article that solves their problem by answering their question rather than reading a very long article that takes ages to get to the point.
Most searches are made by people who are looking to solve their problems quickly. Have your content in very brief chunks, offering insights and information that the reader will appreciate.
You should also make sure that your content is original. Copying content from other sites might have your page flagged down. You will also not have any superiority over other sites that are competing with yours.
3. Optimize for SEO and User Intent
To get your website to authoritative status, you should make sure that keyword optimization matches the user search intent. You have to understand exactly what the user is looking for.
Then you should study the algorithm to find out what words are mostly used by users and which content ranks well on your platform. Carrying out research and implementing ways to optimize for SEO is the best way to raise the status of your website.
4. Improve Site User Experience
Have you ever needed information on something and hopped onto a search engine to learn about it, only to find that the site you click takes years to open? I bet it was frustrating. Such an experience would probably push the user to other websites that easily open up.
Your website should never turn people away as soon as they click on it.
Instead, it should pull them closer and closer. Make the experience a pleasant one for your readers. Make them comfortable to easily reach your website and use your information for their benefit.
For instance, the call to action should be clear so that the user does not have to follow rigorous steps to take action.
5. Earn Backlinks Through Outreach and Content Collaborations or Partnerships
Backlinks are like the pillars that hold your website and strengthen it, as our Healthline example above demonstrates. The backlinks should come from other reputable and authoritative sites. The way to get these links is through content partnerships and collaboration.
Get other websites to work with you and share their website and content to your site. Your website is likely to do well if your content is backed by other strong websites.
A reader is more likely to trust your content as true if they click on a backlink that sends them to a reputable site that helps answer their question.
6. Have a Website That People Can Trust
Most people are very skeptical about what they see and read on the internet. It is not easy to simply get people to believe what you are saying and buy something from you.
The best way to do this is to be as open and transparent as possible. Show your audience your credentials, your true identity, reviews and testimonials.
Let them know that they are safe on your site.
7. Encourage Social Shares and User Engagement
You could be producing the best content under the sun, but without user engagement, it is useless. Use every available chance to request your audience to share your content so that it gets a broader reach.
Also, ask and have them interact with your content.
This way, the search engine gets feedback that many people are enjoying your content and pushes it to an even bigger audience.
8. Update Your Content Regularly
We live in a fast-moving world where everything keeps changing. The information you put out today may be irrelevant and misleading next week!
Always carry out thorough research on topics you are writing on and change things as soon as you learn new information. Be prepared to update your website as often as need be, to cater better to the needs of your audience.
9. Compare Your Website to Other Well-Performing Ones
Do your research and find your competitors on your search engines. Look at what they are doing. Analyze their success and how they maintain it. Learn their favorable ways and apply them to your website.
The tips and tricks above are some of the things you need to do to your website to get it to an authoritative rank. It has to possess all the qualities of a good and resourceful website.
Most importantly, it has to attract and retain a new audience every now and then.
The best way to beat them at their own game is always being one step ahead. As mentioned earlier, be on their case. See how they maintain their websites. Execute the favorable lessons.
Remember also to study the things that pull them down so that you can avoid them or quickly rectify on your own website.
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Are you ready to boost your brand’s authority? Discover how Browrd can change your content strategy and help you stand out from the competition.