When it comes to link building for search engine optimization (SEO), a high domain rating (DR) is a top indicator of an authoritative website. This means your site has a greater chance of ranking high on the search engine results pages (SERP). That translates to a boost in online visibility and site traffic.
According to Monster Insights, a domain rating between 50 and 60 is relatively good, while a score above 60 is highly coveted. But as a white hat link builder, nothing is more frustrating than having a DR below 50.
So how do you get your DR above 50? Implement the white hat link-building strategies below to achieve this SEO goal.
What is Domain Rating/Authority?
Domain rating is a website authority metric developed by Ahrefs that measures the strength of your website’s backlink profile. It predicts how well your site will perform on SERP based on the quantity and quality of backlinks. The DR ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating a more robust website.
Establishing your website authority is best for increasing your web presence and traffic. That entails creating valuable content and earning quality backlinks from authoritative sites. As a result, your domain rating will naturally grow over time.

How to Increase Your Domain Rating above 50?
1. Create link-worthy content
Creating quality content is crucial for your SEO strategy. By producing and publishing useful, relevant, and valuable content pieces on your blog, you’ll increase the chances of others naturally linking to them. As a white hat link builder, consider the following four key factors:
- EEAT: This stands for Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust. Ensure your content gets written by experts with experience in the field. That will establish trust and authority with your audience.

- Utility: Your content should have practical value to your audience, which means it benefits them. Does it answer their questions? Does it offer solutions to their problems? Does it provide steps to guide them in their journey? If yes, they will more likely link to and share your content.
- Relevance: Your website, including your niche blog, exists to serve your target market. Your content should be relevant to your prospects and cover topics that resonate with their needs and wants. With these in mind, they will more likely link to and share your content.
- Value: Your content should be unique by offering real value people can’t find elsewhere. Doing so will increase the chances of it being linked to and shared.
2. Build internal linking
Building internal links is an effective way to strengthen your website’s URL profile. By linking relevant pages within your site, you will:
- Guarantee your website’s link equity. Internal linking directs users to your other web pages with informative content and keeps them engaged.
- Improve search engines’ understanding of your site’s structure and hierarchy. Internal linking makes it easier for them to crawl and index your pages.
- Pass link juice (or page value) from one page to another. It increases your website’s trustworthiness and authority.
Overall, robust internal linking will help increase your domain rating and SEO ranking.
3. Pitch content to highly authoritative sites
Establishing connections with reputable websites should be a part of your link-building campaign. The ultimate goal is to acquire high-quality backlinks from these sites. This technique is one of the most effective ways to improve your domain rating. Here are some white hat link-building strategies to consider:
- Guest Posting: Guest blogging is an effective way to boost your DR and organic traffic. Reach out to websites in your niche and propose writing a guest post for them. Not only will this introduce your name and content to a new audience, but it will also provide you with a valuable backlink.
- Journalist Outreach: Journalist outreach can help you gain backlinks from top publications and increase your visibility. Connect with journalists and offer your expertise by providing them with relevant information as a source for their stories. If they use your content, you will instantly receive a valuable backlink.
4. Boost your social signals
Social media should be a critical component of your off-page SEO strategy. By posting your content on these channels, you can help improve your domain rating. To enhance your social signals and boost your DR, consider the following actions:
- Share your content across multiple channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Doing so will help you reach a wider audience.
- Create business pages and strive to increase your followers. This step will help your business connect with more people.
- Stay active on your social media profiles to increase engagement. By doing so, your shared content will receive more likes, tweets, and shares.
- Include social media buttons on your pages. Doing so makes it easy for readers to share your content.
Leveraging social media can attract audiences to your website, potentially increasing your web prominence and domain authority.
5. Conduct a Website Audit and Optimization
Conducting a website audit and optimizing your website are crucial steps in improving your domain rating. As a white hat link builder, here are key points to consider:
- Website Audit: Conducting a site audit will help you identify harmful links pointing to your website. Remember, they can hurt your website’s DR and search engine ranking. Once you have identified such links, use the Google Disavow tool to remove them.
- Website Optimization: Optimizing your website helps improve its user experience (UX). Hire a professional web designer to create a visually appealing and highly functional website. Consider elements such as well-structured web pages, easy navigation, fast loading time, and mobile friendliness. All these will make your site more attractive, thus earning more backlinks.
Removing harmful links and improving UX can enhance your website’s domain authority and online visibility.
Final Words
White hat link-building strategy is a crucial part of SEO, but it is a tricky process. Consider the five white hat strategies discussed above to help you achieve a domain rating greater than 50. With a little bit of effort and a lot of patience, you’ll climb the top spot of SERP in no time!
A high DR guarantees your website authority, leading to a boost in web presence and site traffic. Jolly SEO has the knowledge, expertise, and resources to push your DR way above 50. We offer white hat link-building services to help meet your SEO goals. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help!