Want to increase your domain authority and rank higher on Google?
Based on data from 491 blogs analyzed on AwesomeBloggers, most sites are leaving massive SEO potential untapped. In this guide, we break down what actually works to improve domain authority, backed by real performance data — not theory.
Domain authority measures how likely your blog is to rank in search engine results based on the strength of your backlink profile. At AwesomeBloggers, domain authority accounts for up to 25 points of your Awesome Score — the single highest-weighted metric in our seven-part evaluation system. A strong DA score means other websites link to yours, which signals that real people find your content valuable enough to reference.
What the Data Shows
We have scored 491 approved blogs across nine categories. Here is how they break down on the domain authority metric (scored out of 25):
- 1.6% score 1-5: These are newer blogs or sites in very small niches with few external links.
- 51.7% score 6-10: The majority. Most established blogs with regular publishing and basic outreach land here.
- 46.6% score 11-15: The upper tier. These blogs have strong backlink profiles built over years of consistent, high-quality output.
- 0% score above 15: No blog in our directory has cracked 16 out of 25 on DA. Even the best independent blogs rarely reach the domain authority levels of major publications.
The average DA score across all approved blogs is 9.9 out of 25. That means most blogs are achieving less than 40% of their authority potential. The ceiling is currently 15, held by a single blog — which tells you how difficult (and how valuable) every additional point becomes at the top end.
What High-DA Blogs Do Differently
The top of our DA rankings is not random. Specific patterns emerge when you look at which blogs score highest.
Smashing Magazine leads the entire directory with a DA score of 15/25 and an overall Awesome Score of 84. Smashing built its authority by publishing deeply technical web development articles that developers cite in documentation, Stack Overflow answers, and university courses. Their content is referenced because it is genuinely useful, not because they asked for links.
Three Digital Marketing & SEO blogs cluster at 14/25: Backlinko (Awesome Score 78), Neil Patel (80), and Copyblogger (65). This is not a coincidence. SEO and marketing bloggers understand link building as a core skill and practice it deliberately. Backlinko, for example, built its DA almost entirely through original research and data studies that other marketers reference constantly.
Krebs on Security scores 14/25 DA with an Awesome Score of 81. Brian Krebs earns backlinks from news outlets because his investigative cybersecurity reporting breaks stories that mainstream media picks up. His authority comes from being a primary source, not from outreach.
The pattern is clear: high-DA blogs create content that other people need to cite. They are sources, not just commentators.
5 Proven Strategies to Increase Domain Authority
1. Publish Original Research
Original data is the single most linkable content type. Run a survey, analyze a dataset, or compile statistics that do not exist elsewhere. When Backlinko publishes a study on Google ranking factors, hundreds of marketing blogs link to it because the data cannot be found anywhere else.
2. Write Definitive Guides in Your Niche
Comprehensive, well-structured guides become reference material. If someone searching "how to start a food blog" finds your 3,000-word guide more useful than anything else on page one, other bloggers will link to it rather than writing their own from scratch. The top blogs in our Food & Recipes and Lifestyle categories consistently publish this type of cornerstone content.
3. Guest Post on Established Sites
One guest post on a respected site in your category is worth more than twenty posts on generic blogs. Target sites that already rank well in your niche, and make sure your guest content is as strong as what you publish on your own blog. Browse the top blogs in your category on AwesomeBloggers to identify potential guest posting targets — blogs with high DA scores are the ones worth pitching.
4. Become a Source for Journalists
Services like HARO, Qwoted, and Connectively connect bloggers with journalists looking for expert quotes. A single mention in a major publication can move your DA score more than months of other link-building activity. This is exactly how Krebs on Security built one of the strongest backlink profiles in our directory.
5. Fix What You Already Have
Broken internal links, 404 pages, and redirect chains erode your existing link equity. Run a crawl with Screaming Frog or Ahrefs and fix technical issues before chasing new links. Preserving the value of backlinks you already have is easier than earning new ones. Check your blog's full score breakdown on your AwesomeBloggers profile to see where technical issues might be costing you points.
What Does Not Work
Buying backlinks, joining link exchange networks, and submitting to hundreds of low-quality directories will not sustainably improve your DA. Search engines detect these patterns and discount or penalize them. PBNs (private blog networks) carry especially high risk — a single manual action from Google can undo years of work. Every high-DA blog in our directory earned its links through content quality and genuine relationships, not shortcuts.
How Long Does It Take to Increase Domain Authority?
Domain authority does not increase overnight. Based on what we see across our directory, here is a realistic timeline:
- 0-3 months: Minimal visible change. New backlinks take time to be crawled, indexed, and reflected in authority metrics. Use this time to publish your strongest content and fix technical issues.
- 3-6 months: Early growth becomes visible if you are consistently earning quality backlinks. Blogs that publish original research or definitive guides during this period tend to see the first meaningful DA increases.
- 6-12 months: Noticeable authority increase for blogs that stayed consistent. The blogs scoring 11-15 in our directory did not get there in a few months — most have been publishing and earning links for years.
The key insight from our data: the blogs at the top of our DA rankings are not the ones that grew fastest. They are the ones that stayed consistent the longest.
Top High-DA Blogs in Our Directory
Want to study what high-authority blogs look like in practice? Here are the highest-DA blogs across our directory:
- Smashing Magazine — DA 15/25, Awesome Score 84 (Tech & AI)
- Backlinko — DA 14/25, Awesome Score 78 (Digital Marketing & SEO)
- Neil Patel — DA 14/25, Awesome Score 80 (Digital Marketing & SEO)
- Copyblogger — DA 14/25, Awesome Score 65 (Digital Marketing & SEO)
- Krebs on Security — DA 14/25, Awesome Score 81 (Tech & AI)
Browse our Digital Marketing & SEO and Tech & AI categories to see how these and other high-DA blogs score across all seven metrics, and use them as benchmarks for your own progress.
Track Your DA on AwesomeBloggers
Submit your blog to get a free Awesome Score that includes your domain authority evaluation. Scores refresh weekly, so you can track the impact of your link-building efforts over time. The scoring is automated, transparent, and broken down across all seven metrics so you know exactly where to focus your improvement efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good domain authority score?
In our directory of 491 blogs, the average DA score is 9.9 out of 25. Blogs scoring 11 or above are in the top 46.6%, making them above average. The highest score in our dataset is 15/25, held by Smashing Magazine. For most independent bloggers, reaching a DA score of 10-12 on our scale represents strong, above-average authority.
Does domain authority directly affect Google rankings?
Domain authority itself is not a Google ranking factor — it is a third-party metric that estimates ranking potential based on your backlink profile. However, the underlying signals it measures (quality and quantity of backlinks) are among Google's strongest ranking factors. A higher DA reflects a stronger backlink profile, which does influence where you rank.
How long does it take to increase domain authority?
Most blogs see minimal change in the first 3 months of focused link-building work. Meaningful DA increases typically appear between 3-6 months of consistent effort, with significant gains taking 6-12 months or longer. The highest-DA blogs in our directory have been building authority for years through consistent publishing and quality content.
What is the fastest way to increase domain authority?
Publishing original research is consistently the highest-impact strategy. Data studies, surveys, and unique analyses attract backlinks because other sites need to cite your findings. Earning a mention in a major publication through journalist sourcing platforms (HARO, Qwoted) can also produce significant DA gains from a single link.
Can I increase domain authority without link building?
Not directly. Domain authority is fundamentally a measure of your backlink profile. However, creating exceptional content naturally attracts links over time without active outreach. Every blog scoring 11+ in our directory earned those links primarily through content quality rather than aggressive link-building campaigns.