Willis Candle Shop | Q2 SEO & Domain Growth Tracking Update
Quarterly SEO Growth Update: From April to July 2025
Welcome back to the Willis Candle Shop SEO Growth Tracker, your inside look at how a Texas-based candle e-commerce site scales its presence on Google from scratch. If you're a small business, veteran, or anyone looking to build real search authority, here's how we're making it happen—metrics, strategies, and all.
Understanding Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA)
Both DR and DA are third-party SEO metrics scored from 0 to 100. Domain Rating (DR, from Ahrefs) measures the strength of your backlink profile, while Domain Authority (DA, from Ubersuggest/Moz) combines backlink strength, internal links, indexed pages, and user signals. Neither is used directly by Google, but both provide vital benchmarks for how much “trust” your site is building.
Domain Rating Growth (April vs July)
Domain Authority Growth (April vs July)
Key SEO Milestones and Metrics (2025–2027)
- Indexed Pages: 70 (Apr 2025) → 450 (Jul 2025) → Projected 1,000 (Dec 2025) → 2,300+ (Apr 2027)
- Domain Rating: 35 (Apr 2025) → 38 (Jul 2025) → 43 (Dec 2025) → 56 (Apr 2027)
- Domain Authority: 1 (Apr 2025) → 24 (Jul 2025) → 28 (Dec 2025) → 41 (Apr 2027)
- DoFollow Backlinks: 140 (Apr 2025) → 170 (Dec 2025) → 300 (Apr 2027)
- Internal Links: 13,000+ as of July 2025
- Referring Domains: 500+ as of July 2025
What Google Measures: The True SEO “Trust Tree”
High-quality backlinks, keyword-rich content, domain age, internal linking, user engagement, and page speed are the six pillars Google evaluates for search trust. Here’s the ranking chart from Ahrefs for a refresher:
| Factor | Importance |
|---|---|
| High-quality backlinks | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Keyword-targeted content | 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Domain age + publishing pace | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 |
| Internal link structure | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| User behavior | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Page speed + mobile friendly | 🔥🔥 |
Backlink Blueprint: Our Link-Building Evolution
Since April, we’ve shifted from a single provider (Rhino Rank) to a diversified roster: Rhino Rank, Quality Guest Post, GuestPostLinks.net, and Serpzilla. We now know it’s not just DR/DA that matter—but also the site’s organic traffic. We prioritize US-based links (~75%) with about 25% international, aiming for 50% niche/home/lifestyle links and 50% from high-DR/DA diverse domains.
Don’t overpay for one $1,000 “mega link” (like Forbes/MSN) when you could buy 10+ links at $60–$75 each from DR 40–70 sites, each with 300–1000+ organic visits/month. As your DR/DA climbs, sprinkle in a few higher-tier links per quarter.
All backlinks are logged, linked back internally, and re-submitted in Google Search Console. If a spammy, gambling, or explicit site links to you, use Google’s disavow tool to remove that association. Expect 4–6 weeks for removals to register.
How We Handle Keywords (Short, Medium & Long Tail)
Every blog uses a curated set of 30 keywords, handpicked from our Excel file of 5,000+ short-, medium-, and long-tail keyword strings (each with monthly search volume and SEO difficulty from Ubersuggest). For total transparency, here’s the actual set for this quarter’s blog—categorized by volume, and clearly separated by commas:
High Volume Keywords (5,000+ monthly):
luxury candle brands, eco friendly soy candles, natural coconut candles, aroma candles online, phthalate free candles, candles for relaxation
Mid Volume Keywords (1,000–4,999 monthly):
candle scent throw, soy wax candle store, long lasting candles, unique candle jars, best wood wick candles, handcrafted soy candles
Low Volume Keywords (400–999 monthly):
non toxic candle company, vegan candle wax, clean burning candles, paraben free candles, small batch candles, candle care tips, gift candles for women, artisanal candle makers, affordable luxury candles, coconut soy wax blend, wooden wick technology, candle subscription box, Texas candle company, hand poured candle shop, custom label candles, strong scented candles, fragrance oil candles, high quality candle shop
SEO Content Structure & Internal Linking Strategy
- All blog/product pages: 800+ words
- Title: <60 characters, includes one top keyword
- Meta description: 160 characters, two keywords + call to action
- Headers: Only
<h2>and<h3>tags - 2 internal links (product page & prior SEO blog)
- 2 external links (SEO tools: Ahrefs & Ubersuggest)
- Blog schema markup includes breadcrumbs, author, publish date, hero image, and FAQs
Traffic, Conversions, and What SERPs Really Mean
SERP = Search Engine Results Page. When someone Googles “coconut soy candles,” 4,000+ vendors might compete. Who shows up on page 1 or 2? The ones with the best blend of DR/DA, keywords, trust, internal links, speed, and user signals.
For every 100 visitors, only about 2.5 will convert. Our target: by April 2027, Willis Candle Shop should be getting 50,000+ monthly visits, which should translate to 1,250 transactions/month (2.5% conversion). With 2 candles per order, that’s 2,500 candles/month and over 30,000 candles/year sold.
FAQs: Willis Candle Shop SEO Journey
How long did it take Willis Candle Shop to reach DR 38?
It took about four months—from late March to July 30, 2025—by acquiring quality backlinks, optimizing site structure, and publishing SEO-rich content.
What are DR and DA, and which one matters more?
Domain Rating (DR) comes from Ahrefs and measures backlink strength. Domain Authority (DA) comes from Moz/Ubersuggest. For e-commerce and SEO tracking, DR is generally more reliable for backlink strategy.
What is the most important SEO strategy for new e-commerce sites?
Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks, targeting low-competition keywords, building internal links, and consistently publishing new, optimized content. Patience and consistency are key.
How often should you update SEO blogs and keyword targets?
Update your SEO blogs at least quarterly with new data and insights. Refresh keyword targets every 2–3 months as your site gains trust and rankings improve.
Useful Tools & External Resources
- Ahrefs – domain rating tracker and full-suite SEO tool
- Ubersuggest – affordable keyword and site optimization platform
- Disavow unwanted links in Google
