ImagesMagUK_March_2022

www.images-magazine.com MARCH 2022 images 27 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT least somewhat relevant to your own site, and which fit naturally into the linking page. For example, if you sell T-shirts, a link from a fashion blog will probably have a greater impact on your site’s rankings than a link from a political opinion piece. And if that link occurs within an article that’s specifically about your business and/or the products you sell, this is more valuable than a link that’s been shoehorned into an otherwise unrelated page. What does DA tell us? A site’s DA score tells us two things: it shows us the ranking potential of pages on that website; and it helps us evaluate how beneficial a link from that website might be. Moz’s DA score – and similar metrics – makes it much easier to assess a website’s ranking power without having to trawl through each page and make a decision on face value alone. But remember: DA is just a guide, not one of Google’s own ranking factors. To improve your rankings, it’s vital that your website provides original, relevant, high-quality content that’s valuable to the user. Links alone are not enough! U nderstanding what domain authority (DA) is and why it’s important is fundamental for any business owner or manager who wants their website to rank highly in Google’s search results. What is DA? DA is a score developed by Moz, a company that provides SEO tools, which gives you a rough idea of much ‘clout’ your website is likely to have in the eyes of Google and other search engines. Many other SEO software suites have similar scores with slightly different names. A site’s DA score may be anywhere from 1 to 100, with a higher score indicating a more authoritative website. How is DA calculated? A website’s DA score is primarily based on links. When one site links to another, search engines view this as a signal that the linked website is useful, relevant and valuable to users. If the website that links to you has a high DA score, then this signal is more impactful. One of the ways you can gain more links to your website is through link building. This is where you reach out to other websites – ideally sites with a higher DA score than yours – and ask them to link to your website, often within a blog post or other piece of content that the recipient can publish on their own site. By growing your backlink profile, you can expect to see your website climb the Google rankings and gain a higher DA score. But not all links are created equal – you should primarily focus on collecting links from high-authority websites that are at What is domain authority and why is it important? F eeling motivated is fleeting. You might have a buzz of energy and clarity about something you want to achieve, only to let it get kicked down the road for a less busy time. The problem is, there will never be a less busy time. We have structured a four-day production work week for about six months now. The fifth day isn’t a total doss, but instead it allows for more creative things such as writing or trying out a new technique that we would never be able to cram in during normal production days. Being strict and consistent with our scheduling has meant we have started to build and create more. We have targets for content we are producing and the podcast has meant we have to be even more accountable to our output of videos and blog posts. I notice short, sharp flurries of videos from other studios and then – nothing. Would it be possible to factor in a schedule for making content for your audience of ideal customers? The first podcast I made was excruciating to set up: one day the lighting wasn’t right, then the software didn’t match up, ‘etcetera, etcetera’. Now I have a routine and system in place, it has become very natural and simple to maintain the steady stream. An added benefit is that I get to chat to The bonus of being heard all my social media printing buddies and ask them about their own experiences. The videos and audio files become free content for both of us and we link our websites together when we make new blog posts. The knock-on effect is great SEO, stronger relationships and a more engaged following for everyone involved. It’s not too late for a new habit and to float the idea of a four-day week. Chessie Rosier-Parker is director and studio manager of Squeegee & Ink, a screen printing and embroidery studio that also provides pre-exposed screens and film to garment printers along with social media workshops. www.squeegeeandink.co.uk/ learn-to-screen-print Lauren Debnam is from ETrader, one of the industry’s leading suppliers of websites to garment decorators across the UK. www.etraderwebsites.co.uk