Looking for advice on increasing Semrush Authority Score for a YMYL site

R

RyanCrawls

Registered Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2026
Messages
62
Reaction score
12
Hi everyone,

Im working on a mental health website and Im trying to grow it the right way. My Semrush Authority Score is currently 13.

For those who have worked on YMYL sites what actually helped you build authority? Was it mostly digital PR, niche guest posts, editorial links, or something else?

Also if you were starting from an Authority Score of around 13, what would your next few months of link building look like?

Would appreciate advice from anyone with real experience in this niche.
 
Advertise on BHW
RyanCrawls said:
Hi everyone,

Im working on a mental health website and Im trying to grow it the right way. My Semrush Authority Score is currently 13.

For those who have worked on YMYL sites what actually helped you build authority? Was it mostly digital PR, niche guest posts, editorial links, or something else?

Also if you were starting from an Authority Score of around 13, what would your next few months of link building look like?

Would appreciate advice from anyone with real experience in this niche.
Click to expand...
For a mental health site, I'd focus more on earning relevant, trustworthy links than chasing numbers. A few quality guest posts, digital PR when possible, and useful content that naturally attracts links worked better for me than building lots of low-quality links. Consistency matters more than rushing it.
 
For mental health, trust rather than quantity should be the target. Some editorials from health organizations or nonprofits and quality articles on the topic will make more of an impact than dozens of generic guest blog posts. Semrush AS is only a score; build for Google.
 
For YMYL sites, third-party trust and real topical authority matter most. Focus on editorial links from established medical or health sites, along with digital PR campaigns to earn high-tier placements. Pure niche edits and low-quality guest posts often fail here. :cool:
 
I'd be careful not to chase the Authority Score itself. For a YMYL site, I'd spend more time building trust with relevant mentions and useful content than worrying about the number. In my opinion, if the site keeps improving and earns the right links, the score usually follows.
 
RyanCrawls said:
Hi everyone,

Im working on a mental health website and Im trying to grow it the right way. My Semrush Authority Score is currently 13.

For those who have worked on YMYL sites what actually helped you build authority? Was it mostly digital PR, niche guest posts, editorial links, or something else?

Also if you were starting from an Authority Score of around 13, what would your next few months of link building look like?

Would appreciate advice from anyone with real experience in this niche.
Click to expand...
For YMYL sites, what made the biggest difference for us wasn't chasing Authority Score, it was earning relevant editorial backlinks from trusted niche websites. A handful of quality editorial links, combined with strong topical authority and consistent brand mentions, had a much bigger impact than large-scale guest posting. Once trust and authority improved, the Semrush Authority Score increased naturally.
 
RyanCrawls said:
Hi everyone,

Im working on a mental health website and Im trying to grow it the right way. My Semrush Authority Score is currently 13.

For those who have worked on YMYL sites what actually helped you build authority? Was it mostly digital PR, niche guest posts, editorial links, or something else?

Also if you were starting from an Authority Score of around 13, what would your next few months of link building look like?

Would appreciate advice from anyone with real experience in this
Click to expand...
Quality and quantality is more important for mental health niche. One trusted backlink can out formed dozens of averages ones.
 
RyanCrawls said:
Hi everyone,

Im working on a mental health website and Im trying to grow it the right way. My Semrush Authority Score is currently 13.

For those who have worked on YMYL sites what actually helped you build authority? Was it mostly digital PR, niche guest posts, editorial links, or something else?

Also if you were starting from an Authority Score of around 13, what would your next few months of link building look like?

Would appreciate advice from anyone with real experience in this niche.
Click to expand...
if it were a YMYL website i would say that the constructiion of trust is more important than the increase in authoritty score. the strategy will include gaining links from trustworthy websites creation of the content with the expert opinion nd author credentials. growth will be slower but much more proffitable in this particular niche.
 
One thing nobody mentioned yet... author credentials on your content matter a lot in this niche. Google looks hard at who's actually writing health stuff. Get real named authors with a bio, ideally someone with actual qualifications or at least a legit LinkedIn you can link out to.

For your next few months from AS 13, I wouldnt stress the score much. Slow drip of a few good editorial links a month, mix in some digital PR if you can afford it, and keep the content genuinely useful. Rushing links on a YMYL site is a fast way to get flagged imo.

Also don't sleep on getting listed on relevant health directories and orgs, those add trust signals even if they dont move the number.
 
From my experience relevant links worked much better than chasing a high number of backlinks for a YMYL site trust matters more than quantity
 
For a YMYL site, I'd focus on earning high quality editorial links, relevant guest posts, digital PR, and creating genuinely useful content that attracts natural backlinks. I'd prioritize quality over quantity and build links consistently over the next few months rather than chasing a high volume.
 
Focus on highly relevant niche links & strong trust signals get a few quality editorial mentions build real EEAT & avoid chasing volume or generic backlinks
 
For YMYL sites, I'd focus on high quality niche guest posts, authoritative editorial links, and strong topical content.

Building relevance and trust gradually is much more effective than chasing high authority metrics alone.
 
I wouldn't build links just to increase the Semrush score. I'd focus on genuine mentions, quality backlinks, and improving the site overall the metrics usually follow.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top