Topical Authority is not a new term it is thrown around a lot when it comes to SEO. So what does topical authority mean?
If you have any little bit of ideas about what it is, then you may be thinking about how to build a strong topical authority for my website.
Topical authority is similar to EAT and it is also confirmed by Google that they use topical authority to determine which experts are helpful to a searcher’s query.
Example of a website with good topical authority in SEO niche.
This guide will deep dive into topical authority. What it is, how to build it, and measure its success.
If you build topical authority for your website in a niche you can achieve rankings with no link-building. But realistically, you should expect to build links.
It refers to a website’s credibility and expertise on a particular niche. When you create consistent high quality content around a niche you build a trust.
What is Topical Authority?
It is an SEO concept where a website proves itself to become the go-to place for a particular subject. You cover every topic in depth and in return, Google will reward you with better rankings.
For example – If you want to rank the article around the topic of knife. If you want to compete in this niche it’s not enough to write one article about knives.
Why? Because a knife is a massive topic you can’t cover all the topics and ideas in a single article.
To build a topical authority in this niche you have to cover everything related to such as:
I have spent a lot of time looking into SERP for SEO opportunities and came across a lot of websites.
I have noticed websites with low DR rank well as compared to high DR websites- thanks to Topical Authority.
For Example – Check out SERP for “best CRM for Startups”.
You will see a website crm.org ranking in top 5 positions despite having less backlinks as compared to other pages. This website is ranking well in SERP because of Topical Authority and good internal linking.
How does topical authority work?
When Google introduced its hummingbird algorithm in 2013 Topical authority became very important.
The Hummingbird algorithm was really important for Google to understand the context behind user searches.
When you talk about topical authority you have to mention EAT.
EAT – Google has emphasized a lot on “reputable websites” and “expertise”
This tells us that building topical authority also contributes to the authority aspect of EAT. Google emphasizes on website that are “reputable” and have “expertise” on certain subjects.
EAT is not a direct ranking factor, but this helps algorithms rank websites higher that are expert resource on a topic.
How to measure topical authority -
There is no proper or definitive way to measure the topical authority of a website. A site having great traffic and rankings may be a great sign.
But a lot of times it may be a result of link-building and other SEO efforts.
Kevin Indig an organic growth specialist came up with a way of calculating topical authority using traffic share by domains.
Here is a way to calculate the topical authority of a site using Ahrefs –
– Take a head term like “E-Commerce” and enter it in Keyword Explorer.
– Click on the matching terms report and put a filter with a minimum volume of 10.
– Export all of those keywords and reupload them into Keywords Explorer.
– Go to Traffic Share by domains.
– Traffic Share = Topic Share “TA”
How to build a Topical Authority-
Topical Authority gives you credibility why should someone buy from you? Building topical authority gives Google the trust to see your site as an authority on a particular subject.
When ranking on Google you have to use keywords in your content. But you must be cautious of keyword cannibalization.
You have to build topical authority strategically, you need to build content architecture effectively. Let’s go step-by-step on how to build topical authority strategically.
1. Choose a niche – Focus on becoming the leading source of information on one subject. Creating content on a broad topic is more time-consuming and not cost-effective.
For example, instead of building authority around a vast topic of knitting, you should go for “knitting patterns.”
The best way to find relevant keywords in your niche is to set up an automated list in Semrush Keyword Manager.
Go to the Keyword Manager page and click on Create List.
Then, enter your seed term. I’ll continue using “beginners knitting patterns” to illustrate the process.
Then, choose your database and select “Create a list.”
You’ll get a list of keyword clusters around which to build your content. This is known as Topic clustering.
You’ll get a list of keyword clusters, and you’ll build your content around them, which is known as topic clustering. Pick a cluster that will cover your main topic, like “knitting designs”.
This will be your pillar page.
Click on this main topic to find more specific keywords. Now, start building your content on these keywords.
Here’s what the process will look like –
1. Create a pillar page.
2. Create topics and subtopics around them.
3. Interlink your pillar and subtopics. ( Internal links pass SEO juice within the website and help Google understand your content better).
2. Topic-Based Keyword Research – The more search-friendly, relevant, and high-quality content you create, the more authority you build.
Once you have decided on your niche and have pillar pages, the Semrush Keyword tool can help you find more search terms relevant to it.
For Example – Use the Keyword “knitting patterns” as a seed keyword to find out which related keywords generate more traffic. Here’s how to find keywords using Semrush Keyword Magic Tool –
Enter a broad term related to your business, choose your location, and click on search.
A list of all keyword suggestions based on seed terms will be shown.
The broader your seed term, the more keyword suggestions you will receive.
You can also explore your niche by clicking on topic groups and subgroups on the left side of the window.
3. Write Authority Content – After doing keyword research and creating topic clusters let’s create some content.
Create in-depth content if you want to establish topical authority.
Start writing first your pillar content pages. Create a pillar page for every service and product you have. After that, you have to write supporting content.
Be more specific when writing about certain topics. For every piece of content that you create to build Topical Authority you have to do the following things –
- Keep E-A-T in mind when writing.
- Matching search intent. ( e.g. – write a list of benefits for [benefits of x], how to guide for [how to x] keywords.
- Update your content every month.
- Try to cover topics and subtopics as much as you can.
- Know your audience, what they actually wants to read.
4. Build Links – Even if you are writing best content it needs backlinks. Whenever you are building links for Topical authority focus on getting backlinks from relevant website.
If you are running a blog about knife getting a backlink from authority website on knives will be a great.
Whereas getting a backlink from toy websites will not be relevant and less effective. Relevancy of a link is very important.
Following are the best backlink practices you can work on :
- Guest Blogging – Creating useful content for other websites.
- HARO – Helping reporter find expert opinions on a subject.
- Skyscraper – Creating a better , more go to resource on a topic.
- Tools – Build tools to attract backlinks slowly over time.
You should focus not only on external links but also internal links on your website.
Internal links are very important when it comes to Topical Authority. Building topical authority is a great way to get an edge over your competitors.
Hi, I’m Jatin, an SEO Specialist by profession and entrepreneur from heart.
I have been in the SEO industry since I was 16 years old and have helped small &
medium-sized businesses grow through Search Engine Optimization.
I help E-Commerce websites improve their online visibility and generate more sales through Technical SEO.
I’ve worked with E-commerce websites for almost 8 years, I know what you care about.
If you want to talk more about SEO just email me: at jatin@jatinthakur.com
