Reliability of domain authority scores calculated by Moz, Semrush, and Ahrefs

Reyes-Lillo, Danilo, Morales-Vargas, Alejandro and Rovira, Cristòfol Reliability of domain authority scores calculated by Moz, Semrush, and Ahrefs. El profesional de la información, 2023, vol. 32, n. 4. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

Search engine optimization (SEO), the practice of improving website visibility on search engines, faces the considerable challenges posed by the opacity of Google’s relevance ranking algorithm. Attempts at understanding how this algorithm operates have generated a sizeable number of studies in the worlds of both business and academia. Indeed, this research tradition has managed to present strong evidence regarding the participation of certain factors and their relative importance. For instance, there is a widespread consensus that domain authority is one of the key factors in optimizing positioning. This study seeks to determine the reliability of the domain authority scores provided by three leading platforms for SEO professionals: Moz’s Domain Authority, Semrush’s Authority Score, and Ahrefs’ Domain Rating, values obtained using different indices and applying different procedures. We hypothesize that the degree of coincidence is high, allowing us to deduce that the three tools are, therefore, highly reliable. The method of data triangulation is used to compare the values from these three sources. The degree of coincidence is determined using a statistical analysis based on Spearman’s correlation coefficient (rho). The sample of domains analyzed was selected from 61 neutral queries, which provided 16,937 results and a total of 3,151 domains. When examining the tools in pairs, the correlation coefficients obtained were above 0.9 in all cases. The rho coefficient of the global analysis was also 0.9. This confirms our hypothesis and demonstrates that the three platforms can be considered as providing reliable data. These results are clearly relevant given that SEO professionals depend heavily on domain authority values in their work, and the degree of reliability detected ensures that decision-making based on this indicator can be undertaken with confidence.

Spanish abstract

El SEO (Search Engine Optimization) es la práctica para mejorar la visibilidad de los sitios web en los buscadores. Su principal dificultad para cumplir con su objetivo es la opacidad de Google en el algoritmo de ordenación por relevancia. Por tanto, el intento por conocer su funcionamiento ha despertado un creciente interés tanto en el ámbito académico como en el empresarial. Hay una larga tradición de estudios que han conseguido obtener indicios sólidos sobre la influencia de algunos factores y su importancia relativa. Por ejemplo, existe un amplio consenso en que la autoridad de dominio es uno de los factores fundamentales para el posicionamiento. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo determinar la fia-bilidad de la autoridad de dominio que proporcionan tres de las principales plataformas para los profesionales del SEO: el Domain Authority de Moz, el Authority Score de Semrush y el Domain Rating de Ahrefs. Valores obtenidos a partir de índices y procedimientos distintos. La hipótesis planteada fue que el grado de coincidencia sería alto y que, por tanto, se podía deducir una alta fiabilidad de los tres sistemas. Se utilizó el método de la triangulación de datos comparando los valores de estas tres fuentes. El grado de coincidencia se determinó mediante un análisis estadístico basado en el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman (rho). La muestra de dominios analizados fue seleccionada a partir de 61 consultas neutras, que proporcionaron 16.937 resultados y un total de 3.151 dominios. Los coeficientes de correlación obtenidos, tomando las plataformas de dos en dos, fueron en todos los casos superiores al 0,9. También fue del 0,9 la rho del aná-lisis global. Por consiguiente, podemos confirmar la hipótesis y considerar que las tres plataformas proporcionan datos fiables. Estos resultados son relevantes porque la autoridad del dominio es ampliamente empleada por los profesionales del SEO y la fiabilidad detectada proporciona solidez en la toma de decisiones.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Domain authority, Websites, Web visibility, PageRank, Domain Authority, Moz, Authority Score, Semrush, Domain Rating, Ahrefs, Google
Subjects: L. Information technology and library technology > LS. Search engines.
Depositing user: Danilo Reyes
Date deposited: 28 Jul 2023 22:37
Last modified: 28 Jul 2023 22:44
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/44598

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