Domain Authority, Why Does It Matter?

by Buzz Factory Agency | Nov 29, 2019 | Enterprises, Nonprofits, Search Engine Optimization

Who doesn’t want to make the podium after participating in a contest? Do you hate feeling like a champion? For most of us, we love to come out on top, but the podium can’t accommodate all the participants… Can it?

Competing for a place on a podium is similar to competition between websites. In the digital world, having top Domain Authority means you’re on top of the food chain. You get a lion’s share of visitors – a mouthful of high-quality traffic, and above all, a rock-solid Domain Authority. Your site is respected, easy to find and lucrative.

But how do we know if a website is a winner?

Domain Authority predicts how a website will rank and perform on search engines for various keywords.

To begin with, Domain Authority (DA) is like a grade that every website gets. Primarily, it’s based on the quality of the content on the website. Other factors that influence your authority include:

Number of visits
Quality of visits
Relevancy of the content
User experience
Length of visit etc.

How and Why was Domain Authority Coined?

DA’s Launch

Domain Authority is a term first coined by Moz that has become the industry standard. It’s an assessment scale that gauges the quality and relevancy of a website against Google’s (seemingly complicated) ranking metrics, and gives it a numerical score. There’s a simple tool that evaluates every website, observing how these sites perform on search engines.

What it is

In simple words, Domain Authority is a grading scale with quality scores ranging from 1 to 100. Sites with the highest domain authorities have a numerical score close to 100. The higher the score, the better the website ranks on Google.

For perspective, those nearing 100 are the big giants, Fortune 100, heck even Top Ten. We’re talking Facebook (DA 96), Amazon (DA 96), and Wikipedia (DA 86).

New websites

One thing is clear; you can’t create a website from scratch thinking that it’ll get full marks as soon as you launch it. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily an uphill struggle though.

Yes, new websites will most likely start with the lowest grade. But raising their Domain Authority is achievable for every site, and if done smartly may not be as difficult as it seems. All it takes is some consistency, adaptability and time. These are key. Another thing to note is that aiming for 100 isn’t always necessary!

As Hubspot quite rightly point out, it’s comparative authority to your peers that counts, and not necessarily overall, especially as the highest ranking sites can lower the scores of those lower down the list – it’s all relative, and it’s always changing.

The Scoring Criteria

Hang on! Let’s break down exactly how those ‘biggies’ have managed to score so high. Can you spot what Facebook, Amazon, and Wikipedia’s websites have in common? (Apart from enviable Domain Authority!)

Unimaginable space for content – massive content creation opportunities

Millions of online users and visitors
Loads of backlinks

Actually, that’s not rocket science, is it?

So, scoring depends a lot on these factors; content (& capacity), users and backlinks. But primarily, it has to do with the number and the quality of every visitor backlink connected to your domain.

If you started your research into Domain Authority imagining a website that instantly scores 100 out of 100, the above points have dragged you back into the real world. That said, you can still get to a top position with consistent efforts.

Basics of Getting the Best Domain Authority in Your Niche?

Content and Backlinks

For now, let’s stick to your industry, because that’ll give you a niche start. And there’s no better way to start than to align with the score of your competitors. You’ll soon find out that you can quickly improve by following the best practices:

Come up with high-quality content
Create opportunities for the users to generate backlinks

You know backlinks, don’t you? These are the links that are connected to other websites and linked to yours. No-one likes working in a silo.

Now, let’s move on to more technical aspects.

SEO, Traffic, Page Authority

Moz uses 40 factors to calculate DA – this includes SEO and the traffic that your website receives. It does so by calculating the authority of your webpages. The page authority, in turn, depends upon the quality of backlinks to a specific page on your website.

Now, let’s remove one myth right now!

If you think Domain Authority is the fix-all formula to rank your website (or webpages) on the first page of Google, well, you’re certainly optimistic! Google is known to use 200 factors to measure rank, alongside other search engines with similar approaches. However, Domain Authority is widely accepted to be a notable one.

It’s a smart – and most importantly, measurable – way to make sure you’re giving Google another good reason to rank your website. To keep tabs on your site’s DA, you can get an extension in chrome called MozBar.

How to Improve Your Domain Authority

This is for all those website developers and owners who’ve been facing a hard time in getting quality traffic or acquiring more backlinks. Consider the following:

Your Domain’s Expiration Date

Okay, so this first one isn’t a big one, but it is a cheap and easy fix! Apart from all the other great reasons to watch your domain expiration date, the proximity of your domain to its server expiration date can affect your DA. It could be well worth the handful of dollars to make it last for the next 4-5 years and it’s arguably the least work-intensive way to improve the ranking.

Strong Link Profile

Having a high number of relevant PR links to and from your website will help you score better – it’s literally one of those 40 assessment requirements discussed earlier.

Adding links on a website improves it’s Domain Authority quality
Make sure the website you’re linking to already has a high Domain Authority in its own right; otherwise, it won’t improve your score
More importantly, your website’s name should be mentioned and there must be a link at the back of it.

High-Quality Content

Content is king, and this applies within Domain Authority too. By consistently creating relevant, well-structured and thought out content on a website, the Domain Authority will rank in a higher place.

Finally

In the end, much like SEO, Domain Authority is an ongoing practice. To be able to maintain a good DA score, ensure that:

Your website remains active and its domain is not expiring
It garners engagement, longer view times and activity through high-quality content
Visitors coming from other sites have sufficient backlinking opportunities
Above all, there should be a foolproof SEO strategy to keep supplying you with quality traffic every moment.

If it sounds difficult, don’t panic. Buzz Factory can help you score better and keep performing well on SERP, making your site a high-ranking Domain Authority.

#SmartNGO with Digital Marketing. Digital fundraising for more effective campaigns

by Buzz Factory Agency | Nov 28, 2019 | Nonprofits

Did you know…? Switzerland’s nonprofits accumulated up to 1.85 billion Swiss Francs in 2017. That’s on top of the donations made by 80% of Swiss families in 2016. Safe to say… the Swiss are generous! With figures like that, it’s hard to deny.

Nonetheless, building a good fundraising campaign can be tough. Having a beautiful website with a lonely donation button is simply not enough. Perhaps you’re one of the many NGOs thinking that you’re not reaping the rewards of Swiss generosity? Then let us help.

Beyond the ‘Donate’ Button

The ‘Donate’ button is a Call-To-Action – but how do you get the donors to click through? Producing active and engaging content is crucial to appealing to youth. That’s because millennials expect clear transactions (what exactly is my donation going to be spent on?) and superfast solutions. So you have to think out of the box – well beyond old-school “AIDA funnels”.

It’s time to don proactive gear and think about ways to attract these future donors and win their ongoing loyalty. As a nonprofit, you have to build a community that shares the values and the mission of your NGO.

It’s absolutely essential for gaining donor loyalty and raising monthly, reliable funds for your cause.

The Digital Era

woman sitting on sofa while looking at phone

Have you seen how much the digital world has grown recently? Take advertising, for instance. Where it used to live in the realm of print, even the world’s biggest names in publishing are shifting the focus onto their offerings on the internet.

Today, online platforms have all but replaced print. Furthermore, readers are far more comfortable getting updates and notifications on mobile over desktop.

It comes as a no-brainer then, that nonprofits should be switching to digital mediums for better engagement too. Speaking of digital fundraising, let’s take a look at these statistics from the Blackbaud (www.blackbaud.com):

In 2017:

The United States saw 12.1% rise in online donations
Online donations accounted for 7.6% of the entire fundraising revenue
51% of Millenials donated to charities and 41% of them used social media.

How to Be A #SmartNGO

Every time a donor gives a dollar, s/he is investing in the values and interests of the organization. By receiving donations, you maintain an emotional connection with donors. What they like to see is where the money should be spent.

This can be a challenge for nonprofits – being as transparent as possible, while supporting the less ‘attractive’ but equally essential business needs like salaries, marketing and equipment. So? Keep it simple!

You don’t need to go into detailed explanations. Instead, show donors results. Often, small updates – such as the right people receiving funds or changes to the lives of those in need – can make a huge difference.

Emotions in nonprofit digital marketing

A smart NGO needs to create positive emotions and connect with potential donors. Each and every donor is vitally important – they are the lifeblood of your cause. Luckily, you have many ways of creating a smart connection with them.

By far the simplest way to show emotion is through your content. This can be an images of people smiling or a video showing the great benefits of donation. Both can raise empathy, which is our goal. That is how to truly engage and excite future donors.

Develop a subscription baseline

To conduct a successful fundraising campaign, it’s crucial that you create a subscription baseline. Your subscribers will be the ones with a keen interest in your cause. They will most likely want to engage with your mission.

As a nonprofit, you can enjoy the benefits offered by Google. Leverage tools like paid social advertising, Google Ads and Google Grants – some Google services are even free for nonprofits! These tools let you connect with people and engage with potential donors.

Engage with a younger audience

To be time-efficient, don’t forget your younger audience. Capture their attention with engaging relevant content. Millennials are very active online, and can literally be lifelong investments if aligned to your cause.

The most effective donations are not necessarily the ones with high amounts. $1000 once, is not as good as $10 a month over 50 years! Regardless of the donation amount, small or big, keep your focus on building trust and winning the confidence of your donors. Keep reports transparent. Introduce ongoing campaigns. This way, small donations can become monthly funds, which can support the running costs of your cause for decades to come.

New trends in digital fundraising

Notoriously, digital advancements are quick, but digital fundraising is not. It takes time to convert a prospect donation. Sometimes it can take from 8 to 18 months!

Here in Switzerland, postal mail and bank transfer dominate the fundraising horizon. They have historically had a 90% share in annual donations. BUT, in recent years, the increasing impact of digital donations can’t be overlooked. The explosion of crowd-funding in the last decade, proves online users are using quicker donation types – website donations, and ‘round-up’ payment apps (Twint, Paypal, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) becoming increasingly popular.

A dynamic approach is needed to produce engaging content. Even donors still using post or bank transfers may be privy to supplementing their regular payment with one through an online channel, should the campaign be compelling enough. Videos and images, a “live connection” with the beneficiaries of their funds, can convert interested people into dedicated stakeholders.

Final Thoughts

Digital marketing has proven to be a game-changer for a wide range of industries. Charitable organisations are no different – online fundraising is set to overtake conventional fundraising very soon if you follow the trajectory of advertising. Through better utilization of social channels, your NGO can easily optimize donation targets, and get ahead of the curve.

Kick-start the process by adding a donation button to your social media profile, as well as your website. This simple action cuts out multiple middle-men, remember, with every extra click is a chance for a distraction and the loss of a prospective donation! A button directly on your socials allows online donors to transfer funds easily and quickly. Starting with small steps such as this, you can become one of the NGOs intertwined with supporters’ core values.

SEO, is it worth the cost?

by Buzz Factory Agency | Nov 6, 2019 | Enterprises, Nonprofits, Search Engine Optimization

SEO Basics – why does your site need it?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is used to improve a Website’s ranking on search engines like Google or Bing – and up to 93% of online experiences begin with searches on sites like these! (Search Engine Journal)

The better the SEO, the higher up the list of search results the site will come.

Why does this matter? Well, according to Hubspot 75% of users never even scroll past the first page of those results.

So yes, having a compelling SEO strategy is absolutely crucial for any business Website to improve visibility, leads and sales.

SEO acts like a map

When a company’s Webseite is more visible on the internet, it’ll obviously improve the number of site visitors. This quality traffic, in turn, should help the business in several ways:

With lots of visitors coming to the Webseite, there are more chances of getting leads.
This gives an opportunity to convert those leads into customers.
More customers means more sales!

Can you connect the dots now? SEO = Traffic = Leads = Customers = Sales!

SEO rings like a bell

At every stage of a customer’s journey, you’re going to need relevant content – this is a whole topic in and of itself, discussed in our other blogs.

But did you know, great content also can support your SEO? In fact, it’s one of the top 3 ranking factors used by Google!

Putting these together, SEO works like a bell that draws your customer’s attention to your domain. Then, it’s up to your content to entice them enough to engage with – and buy – your product or services.

SEO increases your brand awareness

Believe it or not, SEO often facilitates the first point of contact for a user with your site. If they become aware you have what they’re looking for, the purpose of SEO is achieved… even if they don’t necessarily engage there and then.

They will associate their search term, let’s say “Best Marketing Agency in Switzerland right now,” with your brand, and come back to you when a need for your offering arises.

If you understand the concept of SEO, let’s move on.

How much should SEO cost?

OK, so we’ve established having a Search Engine Optimization strategy is important – but how much does SEO actually cost? What are the industry standards for SEO pricing? Let’s break it down:

Factors Determining the Price of SEO

The price for SEO varies from one business to another, depending on their needs and objectives. There are, however, essential elements of a good SEO strategy that don’t require paying a fortune.

The main question here is: What exactly do you want to achieve through SEO? The answer is based on two factors:

Duration
Challenges

If you want to achieve challenging goals in a short time span, it will, unsurprisingly, cost more. Lower budgets = longer time to reach the targets- SEO is not a one-time effort. It needs to be sustained and nurtured over time. Any good SEO package worth it’s mettle will be a monthly – or at least an ongoing – package that updates with trends and the constant flow of new content.

Generally a minimum of four months is suggested, with an ideal package lasting 12. This gives time to test and tweak a strategy and establish lifetime value.

Freelance vs. Professional (or agency) SEO

Frankly, if you find a freelancer who offers to carry out SEO tasks for a low price point (anything under $100 a month is a big no-no according to SEJ) chances are, you won’t get the desired results. Even worse, bad SEO practices can cause Google penalties to be applied to your site, totally wiping out online visibility and ultimately having the opposite to your desired effect.

Hourly fees charged by some freelancers may also cause a simple package to quickly spiral into higher price points with no definitive outcome.

On the other hand, a professional SEO campaign is usually based on different services, trickier to translate in terms of hours. It may seem initially expensive… BUT results are often solid, and as close to guaranteed as you can get in the Digital Marketing sphere. Services offered vary according to elements like the size of the Website, keyword competitiveness, third party partners and so forth.

Does a Higher Price Mean Better SEO?

Good news – not necessarily! Especially with Moz finding most SEO packages range between $1100 all the way up to $7500. Instead, depth of research, skill and clear objectives are a much better indication of a good value SEO package. Look for specialists with experience, who can show you which keywords they are ranking and how your competitors fare in comparison. Make sure they’re up-to-date with the latest trends. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. The best service would estimate the cost of SEO after coming up with the right proposal.

An SEO proposal should provide the following:

Complete assessment of the strategy; it’s weaknesses as well as it’s strengths
How it can meet the company’s objectives

Factors Affecting the Price of SEO

What are you actually paying for with SEO? The price generally includes:

Planning
Strategy development
Management of the project
Monthly implementation
Performance tracking

Location can also influence the pricing for SEO. Depending on where the Digital Marketing Agency is located the company will have passive outgoing costs like taxes and salaries which will affect the price of their SEO services. However, the main influencers for SEO pricing are still the business objectives and the timeframe fixed for the strategy.

Is it Worth Paying For?

To see if an SEO service is worth the price, there is a little tool Small and Medium Enterprises can use.

Firstly, look for quotes that will estimate how many hours the agency will put in to implement an efficient SEO strategy.
Secondly, consider how the SEO agency will go about improving the strategy over time, not just as a one-time deal.

Limited-time Packages

To be consistently top-ranking, Website content needs to be updated regularly. This is a near sure-fire way to stay looking fresh to search engines! However, the best solution is to invest in ‘SEO packages’ that digital agencies have on offer.

For instance, Buzz Factory recommends considering packages of at least 10 hours/month for a period of at least six months. You can also select smaller packages, but the results will take significantly longer to be seen.

Conclusion

What we have learned about the value of SEO so far:

With a compelling SEO strategy, the company will improve its visibility and authority
SEO is an efficient way to generate more traffic to a Webseite and reach a relevant audience
By enhancing SEO, a business will rank higher on search engines, and it will be easier for customers to find your products or services and you have a better opportunity to convert to sales.

Thinking About SEO?

We established that SEO is not cheap. However, it’s value is proven again and again as it is often shown to be more effective than PPC in increasing the revenues of a company.

You can’t get a successful lead generation process in place for your Webseite without investing in digital SEO tools.
However, in isolation it’s not enough – other factors to consider in tandem with SEO are: building a brand, gaining customer loyalty, increasing engagement, growing customer base and more.

At Buzz Factory Agency, we don’t just offer effective SEO packages. Based on your objectives, we make customized SEO packages that align with your budget and needs whilst offering the assurance that you reap the benefits of your SEO investment in all aspects of your digital marketing.

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