Why is note's SEO so amazing? The secret behind its strong "domain authority"

This time, I'm writing about note's SEO. Even before I started using note, I felt that note's SEO is strong based on Google search results, but after actually starting to use note, that impression has become even stronger.

The catalyst was the article below.

This article was the third one I wrote after starting note, created two days after I opened my account. I was aiming for a high search ranking for the relatively niche long-tail keyword "AI illustration what is fun" to target external traffic, and it actually reached 4th place in regular search rankings and 1st place in image search as well. Moreover, this happened the day after I posted it.

If you don't have experience running a blog with a custom domain, you might think, "If you targeted a keyword, isn't it normal to be able to rank high in searches?" but in the current 2024 SEO environment, it's not that easy to rank high in search results and that is the reality.

My experience with blogs is still less than a year, so it's short, but for a blog with a custom domain to rank high immediately after posting, it takes quite a bit of effort and time. For example, in a similar theme, you need at least 10 or more articles with a certain level of quality and quantity, and it also takes about 2 to 3 months from the time the blog is opened. I thought it was abnormal that it could rank high even though not much time or many articles had passed since posting like this time.

So, this time, I will compare why note's SEO is so strong with independent domain blogs, mainly from the perspective of "domain authority".

1. What is domain authority in the first place?

You might not be familiar with the term "domain authority", but "domain authority" (abbreviated as "domepa") is, simply put, the "trustworthiness from search engines" that a site's domain possesses.

In the case of note, the domain "note.com" is highly evaluated by search engines, and the evaluation of each article we write that hangs under it also receives the same high evaluation. I think this high "domain authority" is the greatest strength that note has.

Actually, how high is the domain authority?

There are multiple sites to check domain authority, but let's use the tool below this time.

When I actually measured the evaluation of note.com, it was 96.4 out of 100, which is an extremely high evaluation (image below). Considering that most personal blogs are around 10-20, you can see how strong it is.

What's good about having high domain authority?

So, what's good about having high domain authority? Specifically, these things can be mentioned.

1. It is easy to rank high in search results

2. New articles are indexed immediately (they appear in search results quickly)

3. You can compete even with trending keywords

This is because Google's search algorithm places importance on E-E-A-T (abbreviation for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Among these, I think it's easy to rank high in a short period of time because the evaluation of authoritativeness and trustworthiness is high when using note's domain.

2. Why note's SEO is strong

Next, let's touch upon why note has such high domain power and is strong in SEO. I will list the points I personally felt while using note.

(1) High volume and high quality of content

Many users (7.77 million members as of 2024) post on note. As a result, the number of articles is enormous, and in terms of content, there are many articles with specialized information and niche themes, which I believe leads Google to evaluate it as 'having expertise and a wealth of information'.

It would be impossible for an individual domain to achieve this level of quality and quantity of articles, no matter how hard one tries.

(2) Powerful backlinks

In the evaluation of domain power, 'backlinks' are also an important factor. Backlinks are links from other external sites. To use an analogy, backlinks are like a certificate that says, 'This site is recommended by others,' and because there are many people recommending it, the trust from Google also increases.

Popular articles and the top page of note are linked from numerous external sites. As a result, the domain power of note as a whole increases, and we, as contributors, can also benefit from it.

(3) New articles are indexed immediately

With a unique domain, it can take several days to several weeks for search engines to recognize an article. However, note articles are often indexed immediately after posting and are reflected in search results right away.

This is thought to be because the domain power is high and the number of articles is large, causing Google's search bots to crawl frequently. It is also thought that they follow posted articles from internal links such as the new article pages for each tag.

3. Comparison between note and a unique domain

As described, note is attractive for its strong domain power. From here, I will summarize the differences between note and a unique domain that I have actually felt.

(1) Speed until displayed in search results

• note: As mentioned above, it appears at the top of search results in a few days, or even on the same day at the earliest. Especially since I used a niche keyword this time, I think it was even faster.

• Unique domain: It becomes stronger by nurturing it over the long term, but it takes time to see results. I think it takes about 3 to 6 months.

(2) Degree of freedom

• note: Very simple. The degree of freedom for design and monetization is low, and there are almost no parts that can be tweaked.

• Unique domain: High degree of freedom, making it easy to express your own style. Using WordPress also makes it easy to customize.

(3) Possibility of monetization

• note: Allows for short-term monetization through paid articles and support features.

• Custom domain: Offers a variety of methods such as Google AdSense and affiliate marketing.

4. Benefits and risks of using note

Based on the above, I will summarize the benefits and risks of note.

Benefits

1. Easier for beginners to aim for top search rankings

2. Can gain traffic immediately after posting

3. Monetization features are easy to use

Risks

1. Platform dependency
   If note's operating policy changes, the current situation could change. While I don't think this will happen fundamentally, there is a non-zero concern that you might suddenly be unable to monetize, have your account frozen, or have the genres you can post in restricted.

2. Intense competition
   Since there are many contributors, I think there is a possibility of getting buried. Especially in Google search results, since in principle only two articles from the same domain are displayed, it is expected that you will be competing with other contributors.

5. Isn't a strategy that leverages the strengths of both better?

Based on this, I think there are the following ideas for a 'strategy of using both note and a custom domain'.

(1) Use note as an entry point for attracting traffic

• This is a method of placing a link to your custom domain blog in your note articles or profile section. By doing this, you can attract traffic to your own blog while leveraging note's powerful SEO. It is also effective from the perspective of increasing backlinks to your own blog.

(2) Use note for short-term strategy and a custom domain for long-term strategy

• Due to the nature of note, I think it is suitable for seeking relatively short-term results. Therefore, it seems good to generate short-term results with note while growing your custom domain over the long term.

6. Conclusion: Use note and a custom domain wisely

In summary. note is strong in SEO, so it is suitable for beginners to achieve results in a short period of time. On the other hand, having a custom domain is advantageous in terms of freedom and long-term brand building.

Therefore, rather than asking 'Which is better, note or a custom domain?', I thought the correct answer is to make good use of both.
I've only just started, but I want to use them both effectively!