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What is an authority website and how to become one?
Are you struggling to get more organic traffic from Google?
One of the key factors that affects traffic is the authority of your website. The higher the authority the easier it will be to get traffic to your website.
Even though Google ranks pages not websites, it is still easier to rank pages for relevant keywords with a high authority website.
What is an authority website?
Being an online authority essentially means you're not only a thought leader on a specific topic, but that you've also taken the time to translate that knowledge in a meaningful way online. And if you're a business owner, you've gone about it in such a way that search engines see it, your prospects and customers recognize it, and as a result, it helps you generate customers and revenue.
It makes sense: People do business with the people they trust. And putting yourself out there, giving your brand a personality, and taking the time to present research, updates, and opinions that help your prospects and customers is how trust is earned.
People used to do it in person; they still do, but now their reach can be extended by thousands and even millions by doing it online, too.
What is a higher authority website?
In the SEO world, authority is what counts most. A higher authority means more respect from Google and other search engines.
If your site has a high enough authority, you’ll rank naturally for any queries that might be relevant to your brand and company, but authority isn’t easy to come by. It I’
It can't be purchased, stolen, or requested; it has to be earned.
To make matters even more complicated, authority is invisible, and difficult to precisely quantify.
Some companies have tried to produce a definitive “authority” score, like Moz’s MozRank, but since Google doesn’t explicitly publish its ranking algorithm, it’s tough to know exactly what goes into a calculation of authority.
That being said, there are some important signs that only indicate sites with high authority: which we will be discussing them over here.
How can I improve my own site’s authority?
It’s impossible to ascertain exactly which elements Google prioritises over others when it comes to ranking search results. The only thing that we can really be sure of is that the quality of a website’s content will always be the top priority.
Your content needs to engage visitors; keeping them enthralled by the page and then offering them clear, relevant navigation to other areas of your site.
Your content should be detailed, but not wordy. Easy to read, well formatted, full of high quality images and generally just a pleasure to consume.
It’s not an exact science, but a good rule of thumb is not to publish anything you wouldn’t be happy to read yourself.
It also helps if you’ve been around for a while and have amassed a body of still relevant evergreen content, but that doesn’t mean an established site can become complacent.
If this website started publishing nothing but single-paragraph-long, deeply repetitive posts on a former Knight Rider actor, then you can be sure that another, younger, more relevant search marketing site would take our place on the search engine results pages.
9 ways you can improve your site’s authority
1- Niching Down
Niche selection is something that really happens before you enter into any stage. It’s part of the research phase, and it should realistically be executed with the knowledge of all other stages of the authority site model to be done correctly.
The idea, then, is that when doing our niche research, we want to pick something that will work well in all other stages.
To that end, we do niche research, we usually look at nine key factors that will help us find niches that can perform at every stage. Of course, this is a pretty involved process, but just to get the advantage of seeing it from a bird’s eye view, here are the nine factors we look at (we like to frame them as questions):
Are there big sites doing well?
Are there small sites doing well?
Is it a passion, lifestyle or problem niche?
Are there physical products to sell or recommend?
Are there informational products to sell or recommend?
Do people seem to be making money with ad revenue?
Is it easy to find keywords?
Do keywords seem to be low competition?
Are there niche sites ranking well?
We typically use these questions to narrow down big lists of niches that we brainstorm and move into more in-depth research from there.
After we have our niche picked out, we transition into next stages.
2- Brand Values
Why authority matters? Brand authority is essentially defined as how your consumers see your brand in terms of its reputation, as well as the trust that it has earned overall.
For example, a brand that has good authority is generally well-known amongst consumers, is trusted (such as where new products are concerned), and is also seen as a specialist in its niche. However, because of the immense weight that brand authority holds, it can ultimately make or break your business when it comes to its credibility, customer base, and even reputation as a whole.
Here are some steps you can take to improve the Brand authority of your website.
Creating credible content
Thankfully, there are a number of ways that you can build your brand’s authority and reputation, and it doesn’t have to be stressful. One effective way to do so is by using social media as a tool to gain exposure and build trust by publishing unique content and interacting with your customers. For example, using Instagram to post pictures of your product alongside an informative caption can help get your brand out there.
Another way to establish authority is by creating your own unique and reliable content to back your brand, such as that found in a website’s blog. This can be extremely useful, particularly if it draws information from authoritative sources, as this builds trust in those who come across it.
When sourcing reliable information to boost your authority, look to credible news sources, academic articles and recognized publications.
Developing a strategy
When planning to establish authority in your brand, it’s very important to create a strategy ahead of time. Creating a content strategy can not only help to keep you consistent in your efforts (which is often key to establishing authority and reputation successfully), but it can allow you to plan ahead accordingly.
In addition to setting goals, planning content based on your target audience, and creating a content distribution plan, using a calendar can also be a major help.
For instance, planning ahead the content itself on a regular basis, and even scheduling posts ahead of time can also allow you to stay consistent in your posting. Additionally, planning the right keywords (among other SEO methods) to use can help to ensure that your content is ranked higher in web searches, which can further help you to gain exposure.
Establishing brand authority is a great way to boost your business, especially when it comes to building a trusted brand, good reputation, and loyal customer base.
Thankfully, doing so can be achieved with careful planning and creating the right strategy for your business.
3- Lifestyle photoshoot
lifestyle photography is a type of photography that captures images of people in various moments of everyday life in an artistic way. Lifestyle photography aims to capture moments of people's daily lives and showcase authentic feelings.
Simply put, lifestyle photography is a type of photography that captures people's stories in the moments of everyday life.
When I walk into a brick-and-mortar store, I expect to find a person there to greet me.
Likewise, when I visit a website, I assume there’s a person behind that website to help me if I need it.
You’ve heard the old axioms, “People do business with people, not companies,” or “people do business with people they like, know, and trust.”and while they’ve become clichéd, they’re no less true.
Yes, put a photo of yourself on your company website.
The internet is cold and impersonal. A simple photo goes a long way toward building trust. Show your prospects you are a real person.
Use your website to build trust.
The more your customer feels they know you, the more likely it is they will trust you. The more your customer trusts you, the more willing they are to take a risk with you.
Here, “risk” means establishing a business relationship, or buying from you or even just giving you their email address. If your website visitor likes and trusts you, they are much more willing to become your customer.
4- Social proof
Social proof is based on the idea of normative social influence, which states that people will conform in order to be liked by, similar to, or accepted by the influencer (or society).
When you’re browsing a landing page and see a testimonial from an industry expert you respect, that’s social proof. When you’re cruising a pricing page and you see that an industry giant is already using the tool, that’s social proof. When you sign up for a demo because you see the tool solved the exact problem you have for a similar company, that’s social proof.
Essentially, it’s borrowing third-party influence to sway potential customers.
6 basic types of social proof
There are six types of social proof that you’ll see, well, pretty much everywhere. Choose one type to use in your baseline variant. You’ll want to choose the type you use based on your specific industry and goal.
1. Case studies
Data-driven, in-depth analysis of the product or service you provided a current customer with. Use this if you’re marketing B2B software, agency services, etc.
In a very meta way, this short-form case study is one of the main ways that folks behind Case Study Buddy showcase the results of their work:
2. Testimonials
Simple, short-form recommendations from happy current customers. These are fairly universally applicable. They can be as effective on a landing page for a free eBook as they can be on a landing page for a $49/month SaaS package.
Picture, name, company, role! Don’t forget to legitimize your testimonials. Give them credibility before you use them to give your product or service credibility.
3. Reviews
Think of reviews as testimonials’ more objective cousin. Use these for products that are overly technical or in industries that are crowded and/or highly competitive.
4. Social media
Praise from current customers and/or brand advocates in the form of tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram comments, etc. Save every positive thing people say about your product or service via social media. This type of social proof is most effective for B2C products and services, but that doesn’t mean it never works for B2B.
Social Media Examiner uses social proof on their conference landing page to show how many people are talking about the event year-round.
5. Trust icons
If I had to question one form of social proof in particular, this would be it. TechCrunch covered your Series A funding announcement 4 years ago, so you added their logo to your landing page? You belong to the Better Business Bureau, so you added their logo to your landing page?
Logos and icons might technically be social proof, but they are seriously lacking on the social. What did TechCrunch say about you? What are your BBB reviewers saying? Consider taking a cue from movie and book landing pages, which often include snippets of reviews instead of just publication names or logos.
6. Data / numbers
Customers served, number of invites remaining, etc. A single number can be worth a thousand words. Combine this type of social proof with another. By doing so, you’re saying, “Not only have X people bought our product or service, but here’s how much they are loving it.”
Buffer uses the “X customers served” style social proof to encourage conversions, alongside some other impressive numbers such as blog readers and social followers.
5- Create Clear CTA
One of the main reasons why most landing pages and sales pages are not converting leads into customers is a weak call to action with no sense of urgency.
Not all call to action messages are created equal. Most B2B digital marketers aren’t using effective CTAs to engage their ideal customers. And, even worse, some aren’t using them at all. According to Small Biz Trends, 70% of small business B2B sites lack a call-to-action.Stop giving flimsy excuses for your lack of an effective call-to-action. Now’s the time to focus visitors on simple and effective decisions that will boost conversions and establish you as an authority, says Joanna Wiebe.
Even though Google ranks pages not websites, it is still easier to rank pages for relevant keywords with a high authority website.h
Connecting to your target audience is a daunting task. But what if I told you it didn’t have to be?
Like any relationship, forging a genuine, meaningful connection with your buyers takes time and effort. But once you do, you will begin to reap the rewards: you’ll be able to promote yourself to an appreciative audience that is clamoring to do business.
So, how do you get there?
First, you must understand the type of pain points your audience aligns themselves with.
Pain points are the specific issues your audience faces that your products or services can solve. Identifying these pain points – and speaking to them in your marketing – is key to bringing new customers into the fold.
7- How your service solve the problem
A good way to become a systematic problem solver is to adopt the following five-step problem-solving process:
Identify the problem. This is critical: you must try to solve the right problem. Don’t try to solve a problem the customer sees as low priority or unimportant. Identify the right problem by asking the right questions and observing. You cannot identify the customer’s problems by presenting your products. What’s leading the customer to feel there is a problem? Is it something specific or is it an intuitive sense that things aren’t as they should be? Can the customer define the problem?
Analyze the problem. How often does the problem occur? How severe is it? Are there any special circumstances that are present when it occurs? What might be the causes of the problem? Can you rule out any causes? How long has it been going on? Has it gotten worse? How is the problem affecting other processes or people?
Identify decision criteria. How will you and the customer make decisions when it is time to decide? How will you weigh the criteria? Can you identify independent standards that can be used?
Develop multiple solutions. Don’t stop at the first solution that you or others identify. It may be good, but much better ones may exist. Evaluate alternative scenarios. As objectively as possible, assess the pros and cons of each.
Choose the optimal solution. Use the criteria you developed in the third step of this problem-solving process to choose the best solution. Develop a base of support that will ensure you can implement the solution. Prepare for contingencies.
When you solve problems systematically, you save time, achieve better solutions, and increase your credibility with the customer and the perceived value of what you’ve done. If you can solve problems the customer is facing more expeditiously than someone else, the customer will appreciate the time saved.
8- Testimonial
Testimonials are one of the most important pieces of copy you can put on your website, landing page, sales letter, or any other kind of marketing communication. The reason for this is they give your audience that one final push to buy your product or service. The testimonials are the most effective type of content you can put on your website to get more sales. They are 89% better at increasing conversion rates.
What’s a Testimonial? (It’s Not a Review)
Think of a testimonial like a tamed, well-behaved dog. It does what you want it to do. You cherry-pick a couple of your top customers, the ones who regularly buy what you sell, and ask them to endorse your product. This means, testimonials are specifically designed to show the good side of what you’re selling by saying positive things about your product or service.
A review, on the other hand, is like a wild, stray dog. It doesn’t always do what you want, and sometimes, it may even bite. Reviews are feedback which customers leave independently, to show what they truly think of your products or services. Sometimes they are positive, but at other times, they can be negative as well.
This is the main difference between a testimonial and a review.
How to Get Clients to Give You Elaborate Testimonials
If someone asked you to give them 1000+ word testimonials regarding the services they provided, you would probably find an excuse to get out of it.
The thing is that people are busy. You can’t just ask anyone to give you the kind of long testimonials you want. But there’s an alternative!
What you can do is ask your customer to get on a five-minute call with you. You record the call and ask them the following six questions, courtesy of psychotactics.com:
What was the obstacle or hesitation that would have prevented you from buying this product/service?
What did you find as a result of buying this product/service?
What specific feature did you like most about this product/service?
What would be the three other benefits about this product/service?
Would you recommend this product/service? If so, why?
Is there anything you’d like to add?
When you ask these six questions during the call with your customer, you will get a testimonial so long that you’ll be able to easily create any kind of copy you want.
Quote Testimonial, Longform Testimonial, Social Testimonial, Video Testimonial,etc.
If you really want to get the greatest testimonial possible, there’s one thing you need above all else: the best customer you possibly have.
Nothing will make your testimonials better than a person who has true appreciation for your products and services and is willing to offer genuine compliments.
What would be even better is if you can find a customer like that who is an influencer for your target audience. Their endorsement of your product or service can serve as an even better testimonial.
It might seem hard to find a perfect customer like that, but if you have a truly great product, then it should be no problem!
9- FAQ
What Is A FAQ Page?FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions, and an FAQ page on your website is an organized collection of valuable information that your customers ask about your products and services. This page is a useful way to organize information that your customers often ask.
FAQ pages can offer lots of benefits, including:
Improve your customer’s experience.
Provide quick information to help customers make a purchasing decision.
Reduce the time your employees need to answer simple questions.
Increase your online visibility on Google and other search engines.
Boost sales since people will have basic information to make a decision.
Why Is An FAQ Page Important For Your Website?
A great FAQ page is one of the most important elements of your business website. While your company needs to have great content and clean architecture to provide a great user experience. Your site FAQ section will draw most of your traffic and convert more customers.
FAQ pages are an integral part of good navigation and the customer journey for most websites. This section of your site is the go-to area for your audience who want to learn more about your business and find out why your products and services are what they want.
Whenever someone clicks on the FAQ page you know, they are in your business.For many people, the website FAQ page is the second page they go to after the Home or Services pages. Instead of guessing what topics you should cover, you can use several online marketing tools for small businesses to help you understand the needs of your customers. This is a great way to optimize your FAQ page before spending a lot of time or resources on the task.
For many people, the website FAQ page is the second page they go to after the Home or Services pages. Your FAQ section needs to include high-quality content that will help your customers understand your products and services quickly.
This means that your FAQ page can play a central role in driving your audience to paying customers. It is a good idea to invest in high-quality content for your FAQ page to ensure that your content converts and helps your business reach your goals.
Along with the technical questions and answers, your FAQ section will establish you as an authority in your industry. The FAQ page shows that you know so much about your products and services that you can answer questions before they are even asked!
You can also use your FAQ page as a form of social proof because your business can establish your website as a valuable asset to drive sales.
Finally, your website FAQ page will reduce a lot of stress from your customer service department. Instead of fielding a large volume of accessible answers to questions. Your business should promote your FAQ page to your clients as their go-to source of information about your business.
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