Trying to grow a new website with a low domain rating (DR) and no authority can feel impossible when it comes to ranking organically on Google. I learned this first-hand when starting my marketing blog last year.
With a DR of just 5 and no backlinks, I struggled to get any search traffic at all in the beginning. But, over 6 months, I was able to grow my organic traffic from 0 to over 10,000 visitors per month.
In this post, I’ll share my story and the SEO services packages I used to rapidly grow a low DR site. Whether you’ve just started a new website or have an old site with little authority, you can use these tactics to get found in search and start driving targeted organic traffic.
My Experience Building a Site from Scratch
When I launched my blog Marketing Insider last January, I was excited to start sharing everything I knew about digital marketing. However, I quickly realized how hard it is to rank content when your domain has no authority.
My site’s DR was just 5 to start. I posted content consistently but even targeting long-tail keywords, I couldn’t get my posts to rank anywhere near the first page. It was frustrating knowing there was an audience for my content, but Google didn’t see my site as credible enough yet.
I knew I had to be patient and committed to an SEO strategy for the long term. Over 6 months, I focused on these key areas to build authority and trust for my domain:
9 Tactics I Used to Grow My Low DR Site’s Organic Traffic
Here are the main strategies I used that helped me go from 0 to over 10k organic visitors per month within 6 months:
1. Find Low Competition Long-Tail Keywords
I researched hundreds of long-tail keywords with low competition and high search volume. This allowed me to target very specific topics that were easier to rank for as a new site.
2. Create In-Depth, Useful Content
I made sure to write posts over 2,000 words providing detailed, well-researched info on each topic. This helped establish my site as an authority on these subjects.
3. Optimize Pages for SEO
I optimized on-page elements like title tags, headers, image alt text, and content structure. This helped Google understand my pages and rank them for the right searches.
4. Get Quality Backlinks
Outreach and guest posting for backlinks from authority sites helped improve my domain authority and rankings. I got high-quality links from sites with DRs between 30-60.
5. Promote Content on Social Media
Sharing my posts in relevant Facebook Groups and subreddits helped drive initial traffic and social shares. This helped build authority signals like engagement and backlinks.
6. Build Internal Links
Linking related posts together helped with search relevancy and allowed Google to better crawl and index my site.
7. Improve Site Speed and Mobile Experience
Having a fast, mobile-friendly site boosts user experience signals that help with SEO. I optimized images, enabled caching, and tested site speed.
8. Refresh Old Content
Updating existing popular posts with new info helped keep the content useful and drive back recurring organic traffic.
9. Track Rankings and Traffic
Using Google Search Console and analytics helped me measure results and double down on tactics working well. I optimized based on learnings.
The Results: 10k+ Organic Users Per Month
Using this focused organic growth strategy consistently over 6 months helped me grow from 0 to over 10,000 organic visitors per month.
My site’s DR is now 32 and continuing to build as I expand my content and backlink profile. Traffic and revenues are growing steadily.
The keys for me were staying persistent, tracking results, and leveraging the compounding benefits of search authority building over time.
You Can Grow a Low DR Site Too
If I could grow a brand new site from nothing to over 10k monthly visitors in under 6 months, you can do it too.
It does take significant effort and smart SEO tactics. But by focusing on long-tail keywords, creating high-quality content, and employing an organic growth strategy, you can get found in search — even with a low DR site.
What tactics have worked for you to grow search traffic as a new or low-authority site? I’d love to hear what strategies have been most effective in the comments below!
