Authority is one of the most important ranking factors that Google considers while ranking sites on the search engine. If you want your site to appear on the first page of Google, then you need to build your authority.

Google tries its best to provide answers to the questions asked by its users; so it chooses the authoritative and trustworthy sites first. It is authoritative sites that will appear on the first page of Google and on top of the search engine.

Here is the big question, how does Google determine the authority of sites?

This is a common question that marketers often ask, and there is a simple answer to that question – the number of backlinks a site has! Other factors like the number of shares a site has got on social media platforms and the amount of useful information it provides is also considered indirectly.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as it sounds; there are a lot of things Google considers when it comes to determining the authority of sites. In this tutorial, I will talk about the factors it uses for determining a site’s authority and also give you some tips on how to increase the authority of your site.

Why Does Authority Matter?

The authority of your site is significant in the eyes of Google, and it determines how it will rank you on SERPs. Google wants to ensure users get useful and reliable information; so it will be of benefit if you are authoritative.

The more authoritative you are, the more traffic Google will bring your way. Once your site is not rated as an authoritative one, it won’t rank high on the search engine. This means the authority of your site has a direct impact on the amount of traffic you will get. Improving your authority should be part of your SEO strategy.