Topical authority

What it is and is not

Topical authority is an SEO idea, not a score any search engine publishes. It describes something search engines do reward: a site that answers a subject thoroughly tends to rank for more of the searches around it than a site with one strong page and nothing else. Google has described a system it calls topic authority for news results, but for most sites the idea is a way to plan content rather than a metric to measure.

It is not the same as domain authority, which is about links to the whole site. A site with few links can still rank well on a narrow topic it covers in depth.

Building it with topic clusters

Pick one topic your ideal customers search for. Write a main page that covers it broadly, then supporting pages that each answer one narrower question in depth. Link each supporting page to the main page and to the other supporting pages where it helps the reader. This group of linked pages is often called a topic cluster.

Start with the questions you can answer better than anyone else, using your own data and experience. Finish one cluster before you start the next: twenty linked pages on one topic do more than twenty pages on twenty topics.

How a startup should use it

Choose topics close to the problem your product solves, so the readers who arrive are possible customers. Research the long tail of questions with a keyword tool, keep each page focused on one search intent and update pages when the facts change. Links from respected sites in your field add to the effect, because they confirm that others see you as a source.

Example

A startup that makes an invoicing tool for freelancers publishes one guide to invoicing, then 15 shorter pages: how to write an invoice in the UK, late payment fees, invoice numbering and so on, all linked to each other. Six months later the site ranks on the first page for 40 invoicing searches, against 3 when it had only the main guide.

Questions people ask

How many articles do I need for topical authority?

There is no fixed number. Cover the questions people actually ask about the topic, which for a narrow topic can be 10 to 30 pages. Usefulness matters more than count.

Is topical authority a Google ranking factor?

Not as a single named factor for most searches. It describes the result of several things Google does use: relevant content, clear internal links and links from other sites.