You’ve probably heard the term “authority” thrown around a lot when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).
But what exactly does it mean? And if you already know what it is, you might be thinking, how can I add more authoritative content to my site?
Well, first of all, authority refers to the power or influence that a particular piece of content has over other information on the Internet.
In SEO, the higher the perceived authority a page has, the more likely it is to rank well in organic searches.
If you want your content to rank high on Google, you need to create authoritative content. By creating quality content, you’re building trust with both visitors and Google.
Quality content helps your reputation and increases your chances of being found on search engine results pages (SERPs).
This post goes into everything you need to know about topical authority. So let’s start by breaking down the SEO definition of Topical Authority.
What is the Topical Authority?
Authority is a measure of trust or credibility.
For search engines, it describes the level of importance given to a particular web page or site. For example, Google uses authority signals to determine the vitality of certain pages for user searches.
Topical Authority is a measure of the authority you get with quality content. More high-quality informative articles means more people will trust your website as an authoritative resource on a specific topic.
For example, an SEO blog post written by a known expert in their field would carry more weight than a post by a beginner or someone who has not established themselves as an authoritative expert on a topic.
On the other hand, a post from a brand new company wouldn’t carry as much weight because no one knows or trusts them yet.
Topical authority is important because it shows how well you understand your audience and what they are looking for on the Internet.
Topical authority is also a metric that ranks websites based on the quality of information they provide. You can gain topical authority through high-quality content, authoritative links pointing to your website, and social media shares.
When we talk about SEO and authority, it is essential to differentiate between two terms: topical authority and domain authority.
While topical authority comes from the quality and uniqueness of a piece of content and its on-page SEO superiority, domain authority supports more technical SEO such as link building.
Why should content creators care about this?
Well, as we mentioned, topical authority helps with SEO and ranking higher in major search engines.
Therefore, content creators need to add topical authority to their content creation and marketing strategy.
If you’re concerned about ranking in major search engines like Google, you need to be concerned about current authority.
Let’s say you focus on building more topical authority into your works. In this case, they will get more clicks and views from people searching for information on these topics.
And the great thing about topical authority is that you can control it as long as you know how.
So now let’s look at how Topical Authority works before offering some strategies you can use to maximize your Topical Authority on your site.
How does topical authority work?
Topical authority rose to prominence with Google’s Hummingbird algorithm in 2013, transforming the way Google analyzed content and creating a better strategy to help users find information from their mobile devices.
It changed the ranking of content, which was now rated based on relevance to a user’s query.
In addition, Google could now analyze user content based on more thought processes based on conversational searches, and it could achieve this much faster.
Before Hummingbird, Google’s algorithms focused on keywords. Keywords were vital because they helped Google understand what users wanted to see when they searched.
Google was unable to understand or process the context behind user queries. For example, if someone searched for [how to bake a pie]Google might assume you meant a recipe.
But if you ask, [what is the difference between baking and cooking?]you may expect a different answer.
Google relied heavily on inbound links and other factors to determine whether a page should rank higher. These factors included the popularity of the links, the number of pages the content linked to, and the age of the domain or website.
Also, authoritative domain links affected SEO ranking and it was crucial to focus on keyword research.
With subject authority, it is also essential to produce thorough and unique quality content with an authentic understanding of the topics covered in a piece of content.
Additionally, Topical Authority leans into on-page SEO to effectively and organically build a brand’s website authority, which can help improve click-through rates.
Topical authority comes down to keyword optimization and many other important on-page SEO factors.
If the piece has topical authority, the writer is likely to include more keywords related to that topic, both intentionally and unintentionally.
And it will have better readability, as content written by influential writers who have a deeper understanding of a topic should be able to improve readability.
The content will also be well targeted. A brand with authority in their domain or industry will be able to determine the types of content that will resonate with their customers and provide the answers to their questions.
Now that we know how Topical Authority works, let’s talk more about how to build Topical Authority in your content.
4 Strategies to build topical authority
When trying to understand and build topical authority, Julia McCoy of The Content Hacker said it best: “‘Authority’ is a buzzword in SEO and content marketing. Everyone wants it, but not everyone knows how to get it and keep it.”
So how do you create and maintain topical authority on a brand’s site?
Well, unfortunately, there are no overnight successes when it comes to topical authority. It takes a content strategist prepared to do diligent research and writing to create appropriate topical authority for a brand’s website.
But luckily, we’ve combined some strategies to help build topical authority.
1. Content strategy
Creating a solid and detailed content strategy is crucial to building topical authority. This strategy should include a plan for a consistent flow of authority-building content pieces that incorporate keywords and topics you know your reader wants to learn about.
Focus on helping to read and share your knowledge. Gauge what others in your industry are talking about and get involved by sharing your thoughts on topics you feel confident writing about for your site.
Use these initial topics as a jumping off point to create more or more discussion on top topics within your industry.
You can also research what questions users are asking about certain topics and use them as inspiration for content pieces.
Then plan the best time to release each piece of content so your followers and customers take a journey to more content or points of purchase on your brand’s site.
Finally, think about how you will share this content on your site, listings, and social media.
2. Thematic cluster
When choosing topics, you should focus intensely on a couple of topics, make them the mainstay of your site, and become the leading educator on those topics.
Compiling content for a topic helps create groups of topics that are necessary for SEO.
Topic clusters show search engines that there is valuable content for searchers on specific topics and that your content is more authoritative than the competition.
Remember that Google searches for synonyms, subtopics and answers to common industry questions, not just keywords.
Theme clusters are groups of content assets on a website that focus on the same broad theme. A topic group can help you answer all of your audience’s questions about a topic.
Each topic cluster consists of a pillar page and cluster content. A pillar page is a top-level page that focuses on a broader topic area and targets more generic keywords.
Cluster content explores common subtopics or questions within the topic cluster and targets less competitive keywords that connect to the main topic.
When it comes to topic clusters, focus on these three components:
Determine the focused topic. Create a pillar page. Take advantage of backlinks.
3. User intent
Many content marketers use a relevant topic authority strategy focused on user intent.
Google and other search engines have smart algorithms that focus on user intent.
When a user searches for information based on keywords or when they enter information about a topic, search engine algorithms try to figure out the user’s intent behind a particular query.
Algorithms can hone in on standard and minor interpretations of a user’s question. To explain it better, we can talk about the “Do, Know, Go” theory when it comes to how a user asks a question in a search engine:
An “ask” question means they want an answer to a specific question that would lead to an action. For example, the user wants to buy a product or book a service. A “know” question means they want to know something about a topic. The user wants to get information, whether it’s a simple or complex question. And finally, a “go” question would be a navigation question, where the user wants to find a specific website or location by doing an Internet search.
4. Structure of the site
Another topical authority strategy involves structuring a site’s metadata that helps a site rank better.
A site structure should incorporate SEO indicators, such as using keywords that describe your content. It’s important to research which keywords will work best for different topic groups and specific content.
Content marketers should include keywords in the titles and meta descriptions of each brand site content.
Adding relevant links to other pages on your site is another way for a brand to build authority.
Finally, for site structure, brands should create a sitemap so that landing pages and content make sense for the customer journey.
Contribution: Establish a topical authority
As you can see, topic authority is paramount to a site’s ranking. And, as we’ve discussed, building a truly effective topic authority strategy can take time.
Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. However, link building and unique, well-written content are great ways to help build organic site authority.
In conclusion, I hope you found this guide useful.
Topical authority is a powerful tool for ranking any page on Google; knowing when to use it will help you rank higher than your competitors.
For more information, check out our other resources on creating SEO strategies and building site authority.
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