Google: Domain Authority is not a ranking signal

[djbaxter]

John Mueller Rebuts Idea that Google Uses Domain Authority Signal
Search Engine Journal
March 31, 2018

There has long been a debate as to whether a site or domain can contain authority. Some people feel that Google has a metric that allows a site to rank pages more easily than other sites. While others feel a site authority metric creates a bias favoring older sites. Who is right? John Mueller provides an answer.

Search marketing expert Bill Hartzer asked a question on the recent Reddit AMA with John Mueller about a domain authority ranking signal. John Mueller’s response deflected a straight answer but also was consistent with all previous responses from Googlers that a domain authority ranking signal is not in use at Google....

To some SEOs the idea of domain authority seems almost eternal and unchangeable, like the right to free speech and guns. Out of their cold dead hands. But let’s tally up the facts:

• Googlers have consistently stated that Google does not use any Domain Authority metric
• Google have never researched or patented a domain authority metric
• The concept of site authority is nearly 20 years old and irrelevant. The algorithms based on that were discarded, depreciated or updated.

An honest and objective review of the concept of site authority has only one conclusion: Site/Domain authority does not exist as a metric that is in use at Google.

Read more...

 

[SEOExpertBrad]

Loaded question, domain authority is a dated moz metric. Domain “trust’ is a different story. But how that “trust” is calculated....

 

[MirageLimo]

Word Games. Love it.

 

[rclark]

Metric wise still seems quite useful for gauging client competition.