Hello, I'm Maneshwar. I'm working on FreeDevTools online currently building **one place for all dev tools, cheat codes, and TLDRs* — a free, open-source hub where developers can quickly find and use tools without any hassle of searching all over the internet.

Website authority is a concept in SEO that reflects a website’s ability to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs).

It’s not an official Google metric, but SEO professionals often use it as a benchmark for measuring a domain’s ranking potential.

👉 Current DA: 19
👉 Target DA: 50

If you’re wondering what these numbers mean and how to improve them, let’s break it down.

What Is Website Authority?

Website authority is essentially an SEO score that predicts how competitive your website is in organic search compared to others.

Different SEO platforms calculate it differently:

• Moz: Domain Authority (DA)
• Semrush: Authority Score (AS)
• Ahrefs: Domain Rating (DR)

Comparing the Metrics

Moz: Domain Authority (DA)

• Developed by Moz
• Score range: 1–100
• Factors considered:
  • Number of linking root domains
  • Total number of backlinks
  • Authority of linking sites
• Use Case: Great for tracking your link-building progress.

Semrush: Authority Score (AS)

• Developed by Semrush
• Combines backlink quality, organic traffic, and spam indicators
• Factors considered:
  • Link quantity + quality
  • Monthly estimated organic traffic
  • Signs of link manipulation > Best when you want a broader authority view (links + traffic).

Ahrefs: Domain Rating (DR)

• Developed by Ahrefs
• Focuses heavily on backlinks
• Factors considered:
  • Number of unique referring domains
  • DR of linking domains
  • Number of outbound links from those domains > Perfect for competitive backlink research.

Why High DA Doesn’t Always Mean High Rankings

Example keyword: “how to choose a wetsuit for surfing.”

• Cleanlinesurf.com ranks #1 with a DA 28 and 462 referring domains.
• Quiksilver.com.au ranks #2 with a higher DA, but fewer referring domains.

Backlink quality and relevance often matter more than raw DA.

Strategies to Increase Website Authority

1. Create Linkable Assets

The best backlinks are earned with content worth linking to.

Examples of linkable assets:

• Industry statistics pages
• “Top Tools” lists (e.g., Top AI Tools 2025)
• GitHub Awesome Lists
• Free interactive tools or calculators

📚 Resources:

• Reverse Outreach
• Examples of Linkable Assets

2. Focus on Content Marketing

High-quality content not only ranks but also attracts backlinks naturally.

How to get started:

• Do Keyword Research (use Ahrefs, Moz, or Semrush).
• Publish listicles and comparisons (e.g., Swagger Alternatives).
• Optimize with tools like SurferSEO or Frase.

3. Build Backlinks with Outreach

Broken Link Building

Find dead links on other websites → suggest your content as a replacement.

• Tool: Ahrefs Broken Link Checker
• Guide: Broken Link Building (Backlinko)

Claim Unlinked Mentions

Sometimes your brand is mentioned without a link.

• Tool: Google Alerts
• Alternative: Mention.com

4. Keep Your Backlink Profile Healthy

Not all backlinks are good. Some can actually harm your site.

Bad backlinks include:

• Spammy or irrelevant sites
• Link farms / Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
• Paid link schemes (risk of Google penalties)

Use Google Search Console or Semrush Backlink Audit to monitor and disavow toxic links.

5. Improve User Experience (UX)

Google factors Core Web Vitals and user engagement into rankings.

Steps to improve UX:

• Test speed with PageSpeed Insights
• Ensure Lighthouse metrics ≥ 80 on mobile & desktop
• Use tools like GTMetrix and WebPageTest

Optimize your end URLs (deep pages) first since they’re the ones appearing in search results.

6. Publish Consistently

Consistency builds topical authority.

• Set a content calendar
• Refresh old posts with updated stats & links
• Use Google Trends to find timely topics

7. Build Authority via Partnerships

Ways to build credibility and backlinks together:

• Guest posting on niche blogs (Guestpost.com)
• Co-authoring industry studies
• Appearing on podcasts or webinars

Example Roadmap: DA 19 → DA 50

1. Month 1–2: Build 5–10 linkable assets
2. Month 2–3: Do 50+ outreach campaigns (broken links, mentions, guest posts)
3. Month 3–4: Publish 2–3 SEO-driven blogs per week
4. Month 5+: Audit backlink health + improve UX scores

Key Takeaways

• Website authority scores (DA, DR, AS) are indicators, not ranking guarantees.
• High-quality backlinks + strong content + great UX = sustainable growth.
• With consistent effort, you can realistically move from DA 19 → DA 50 in under a year.

I’ve been building for FreeDevTools.

A collection of UI/UX-focused tools crafted to simplify workflows, save time, and reduce friction in searching tools/materials.

Any feedback or contributors are welcome!

It’s online, open-source, and ready for anyone to use.

👉 Check it out: FreeDevTools
⭐ Star it on GitHub: freedevtools

Let’s make it even better together.