- The New York Times appeared in 509 more search results and gained 249 more first-place rankings compared to January 2023. They were also present in 370 more results versus July 2023.

- Wired showed up in 14.6% more search results than in July 2023 and 27% more than in January 2023. Their total search presence grew from 691 results in July to 792 in October.

- Forbes saw its highest-ever search presence with 2,381 total results in October, a 29% increase in first-place rankings over January. This was a small increase of 37 more results versus July.

- Amazon doubled its first-place rankings to 195 and was present in 16.6% more results than in January 2023. It saw a 12.5% increase over its March 2023 presence.

- 2,947 new domains ranked that had not been present in July 2023 results. However, less than 3% broke into the top 500 domains overall.

- The top 100 domains accounted for 73% of first-place rankings. The top 500 domains took 89% of all #1 positions.

Analysis of Independent Affiliate Sites

Of the top 500 domains, 190 were independent brands unaffiliated with larger networks. After filtering to only content-focused affiliate sites:

- 141 received over 100k monthly search visits according to Ahrefs data.

- 47 got more than 1 million monthly search visits.

- The average traffic was around 1.3 million visits per month. The median was 427,000 visits.

- Only two independent sites exceeded 10 million monthly visits.

Examples of Top Independent Sites:

Gear Patrol and MindBodyGreen were two of just five independent sites ranking in the top 100 domains overall. Both have given public interviews about their success.

Gear Patrol reviews products like bags and watches. MindBodyGreen covers health supplements and shoes. Detailed analysis of their SEO tactics has been excluded out of respect for their business interests.

One notable trend is that websites with high domain authority and trust ratings from search engines tend to rank very well.

For example, established news publications like The New York Times and Wired have built up strong domain authority over many years. This gives them an advantage when it comes to search engine results placement, especially for competitive keywords. Their content is seen as highly trustworthy.

Similarly, sites like Amazon and Forbes have cultivated high levels of domain authority and credibility in Google's eyes. Their overall domain strength allows them to rank well for a variety of relevant searches. Even new pages and content on these domains often get a boost in rankings thanks to the site's overall authority.

This highlights the importance of building domain authority and trust for newer websites trying to compete with authoritative, well-established sites. While strong on-page optimization and quality backlinks are still essential, new sites need to actively work on improving their overall domain rating to stand a chance at outranking legacy players with very strong domain reputations.

Building Domain Rating Through Backlinks

One effective way for newer websites to build up domain authority and trust ratings more quickly is through high-quality backlinks. Securing backlinks from reputable, authoritative sites in a relevant niche passes link equity and signals trust to search engines.

Buying quality backlinks can rapidly accelerate the growth of domain authority metrics. Focus on obtaining backlinks from sites with high authority scores themselves, such as prominent publications, educational sites (.edu domains), and industry-specific resources. Avoid low-quality links from unrelated sites or networks known for spammy link-building tactics.

It's advisable to build backlinks naturally through outreach and partnerships first. But for newer sites trying to fast-track their domain authority gains, buying credible backlinks from trusted platforms can provide a real boost. This is one approach to catapult domain ratings and compete with established players on key search terms.

However, search engines frown upon manipulative link-building schemes. So backlink purchases should be done judiciously, focusing on relevance and quality over quantity. With the right strategy, buying backlinks can help fast-track domain authority for newer websites seeking to improve search visibility and rankings.