Improving search engine optimization can be complicated, time consuming and ultimately very frustrating for any web developer who is simply trying to gain a little bit more exposure. With so many terms out there for various actions designed to boost search engine performance, many webmasters simply throw their hands up in the air and give up on the concept entirely. Fortunately, a bit of clarification can go a long way – in this case, understanding the two main measurements of what constitutes solid SEO performance. In this article, we’ll discuss the concepts of domain authority and page authority so you can get a grasp on what each means and how they affect your visibility.

Domain Authority

This metric is used to make general assumptions about how well a given domain will do in search results when pinging for SEO. Usually, domain authority can be linked to a few key variables: the relation of the domain name’s validity to search results, the amount of time the domain name has been in existence, the amount of content that appears on the domain and the number of total links both on the site and linking to the site. These variables in aggregate give you a pretty good idea of how well a domain will perform against others in a head-to-head match-up for exposure on search engines.

Page Authority

While it is somewhat similar to domain authority, page authority measures the likelihood that a given page will do well in set search results as opposed to an entire domain. This often is irrespective of the content of the page, meaning that at least in small part, domain authority plays a role in page authority. Page authority, however, has more freedom and flexibility to be influenced in the short term than domain authority; by crafting quality content, for instance, you can increase the likelihood that a given page will perform better in search results.

Affecting Domain Authority

It is quite hard to directly impact the influence domain authority can have on your site. In many regards, domain authority is a long term measurement of success and validity of a particular domain and as such, a newly minted website cannot realistically expect to develop domain authority in a short period of time. The best individual way in which you can grow your domain authority is to increase the number of strong backlinks you have coming to your website, as well as making sure links on your website are abundant – rather than creating a large piece of content, for instance, break that down into several independent pieces and link them together to create more synergy.

Affecting Page Authority

Much like domain authority, affecting page authority can also be difficult. Fortunately, improving the prospects of a single page is much easier when pinging for SEO than it is when dealing with an entire website. While having quality content will not directly improve your page authority, it will help accomplish some of the same goals that come with improved page authority: namely, higher rankings in relevant search results. Over time, this strategy in combination with link building can build a page’s authority to the point where it becomes self-sustainable.