"Hello everyone! I am new to Local SEO, transitioning from a paid traffic background, and I have a quick question. I am aiming to rank for a specific keyword in my local area. When analyzing my competitors for this keyword, should I focus on their overall domain authority/backlinks or their page authority/backlinks? It appears that the websites outranking me have a high domain authority and domain backlinks, even though their page authority and page backlinks are low or non-existent.For instance, the top-ranking website for this keyword has a domain authority of 33 and 32,000 domain backlinks, but their page authority is not available and they have 0 page backlinks. I am considering if there might be a good opportunity to rank for this keyword due to their poor page metrics. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you!"
It is important to analyze both domain and page authority when conducting local SEO competitor analysis. While a high domain authority indicates a strong overall website presence, it is the page authority that directly influences ranking for specific keywords. In your case, the top-ranking website for your target keyword has a high domain authority but low page authority, suggesting that their overall website is strong, but their specific page for that keyword may not be optimized. This presents an opportunity for you to outrank them by focusing on optimizing your page for that specific keyword and building relevant backlinks.
Focusing solely on domain authority may lead to inaccurate conclusions as a high domain authority does not guarantee high page authority. Conversely, a low page authority might not indicate a weak website but rather a lack of targeted optimization for specific keywords. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of both domain and page authority is crucial to identify potential opportunities and weaknesses in your competitors.