I sure did. My website’s DA (Domain Authority) just went from 1 to 5 and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Only took 8 months to get there too!
I know, a DA of 5 still basically stinks. But I’ve been getting some more clicks now from Google and I never really have before, so that’s exciting to see!
I created this domain 8 months ago. Around this same time, I started reading about SEO and how important it is. So I found the RankMath plugin and started following it’s guidance on most (not all) of my posts in order to improve my SEO. I still stink at it, but I’m trying.
Also around this time, I started checking my DA and found that it was ALWAYS 1. No matter how many SEO updates I made via RankMath, it never changed from 1. So I was really getting discouraged. I’ve been using this site to check my DA because it’s free and simple to use: https://websiteseochecker.com/domain-age-checker/
(That’s not an affiliate link above. I’m just providing it for your info and convenience.)
I also noticed that I was NEVER getting any clicks from Google. I was getting clicks from other search engines such as Bing and DuckDuckGo but never from Google, so I wondered if something was wrong.
I did some research via Google (oh the irony) and found that Google has a “Sandbox” that it puts new websites in for 6-8 months so they don’t affect any rankings. This is to weed-out spam sites and the people that aren’t serious.
Then last week, I noticing that I was suddenly getting some clicks from Google. I was like, WHAT!!? Lol, only 1 or 2 a day so nothing crazy but still a big change for me since I was accustomed to 0.
So I checked my DA out of curiosity and it had changed to a 5! I was so excited because I had practically given up on Google by this point, as it had taken so long.
I guess I’m now out of the “Sandbox” finally. Lol, now what do I do?
Do you all focus on this stuff like DA and SEO? Any tips on what I should try next? 🙂
Congrats! That’s great! I’m still trying to learn about all of this stuff, but honestly I try not to worry about it too much. I just want to write and encourage people. Maybe one day, if (when?) life is a bit less hectic, I’ll try to add SEO and DA (I think this is the first time I’ve heard of that one) and all of that to my ‘must-figure-out’ list. In the meantime, if google wants me to play in the sandbox for a few more months, well, I guess I have castles to build 😉 But good for you! I’m super happy for you and I’m sure you’ll rise *like the star you are* from here! Have a great day!
Aw thank you Mamalava! Yes, I still have alot on my “must-figure-out-list” as well! I just take one small thing at a time. And hopefully, one day in the future I’ll actually be good at some of it! 🙂
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Oh man no matter how many YouTube videos I watch on this stuff somehow I get lost lol I swear I’m not an un-clever person LOL but you reminded me, I should look into it more… I’ve only been checking WP stats!
Lol, I love my WP stats! Bc I actually understand them, and they make me happy! All the other stuff is way too complicated for me, so it’s discouraging for me. 🙁
Same! 🙌
I should care more about it, but I don’t really check it or even know what it all means. I did mine in the link you shared but have no idea if the numbers are good or not
The only number I know about in that link is DA. Lol, and 1 is the worst possible. I’m not sure how high it goes, but 1 and 2 does stink. 🙁
I looked mine up after this post and it is 16. That’s not great considering how long I’ve been doing this
Holy smokes! At the rate I’m going, it’ll take me 16 years to get to a 16! Good for you! 🙂
One of my co-workers took me through Google Analytics recently, following the huge upgrade they did a little while ago. I will admit to switching off half-way through the walk-through.
I have mixed feelings about SEO. I always tend to think that as long as the content is good, and the semantic HTML is good, the rest of it will take care of itself.
Yes, I’m not a fan of the Google Analytics site either. It’s just way too complicated for what I need – which is just the basics. I would totally switch-off during the walk-through too. 🙂
Did not know this. Thanks for sharing. My DA is 3.