Ziff Davis's Study Reveals That LLMs Favor High DA Websites

While Moz’s Domain Authority (DA) isn’t a ranking factor, the Ziff Davis study confirms it’s a strong directional indicator of site authority, which aligns with the high-quality sources favored in LLM training​.

In a Moz roundup on the Google Leaks, Rand Fishkin pointed out, “Google has been misleading marketers for years when saying they don’t use any form of website authority.” Supporting this statement, a study by Tom Pool on Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) found that websites with higher DA scores were more likely to be HCU winners.

While building authority is a combination of different elements, the central tenets remain the same: 

AI models face the same challenges with identifying authoritative sources as Google and may well solve them in the same way.

Building backlinks from authoritative sources strengthens site authority

If LLMs favor high-authority websites, then backlinks from these sites carry weight—not just in Google search rankings but potentially in generative AI visibility. 

But the reality is that link building is getting harder. Spammy outreach and low-value links don’t move the needle. Instead, focus on creating content that naturally attracts media attention and citations. 

High-value assets include:

• Industry reports with exclusive research and data
• Original surveys and case studies that provide unique insights
• Thought leadership content from recognized experts in your niche
• Interactive tools that offer a ton of value for users

While not mentioned, most of these publishers have a higher Brand Authority than most

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