What is topical authority?
Topical authority describes a site that has become a dependable source on a subject because it covers that subject widely, accurately and consistently. It is a property of the site, not of a single page.
Google uses a related idea by name for news. Its topic authority system looks at signals such as how notable a source is for a topic or location, how often its original reporting is cited by others, and its history of high-quality reporting.
Is topical authority a Google ranking factor?
Not as a single score you can measure. Outside news, “topical authority” is an SEO term for an effect, not a named Google metric.
Google does point in the same direction. Its guidance on helpful content asks whether your site has a primary purpose or focus, and whether content shows first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge. A site that answers many questions on one subject well tends to meet those tests.
How do you build topical authority?
- Pick a narrow subject and cover it properly before branching out.
- Map the questions people ask and give each one a single, complete page.
- Organise the pages into topic clusters with a pillar page and clear internal links.
- Show who wrote each page and why they know the subject.
- Keep facts current, and update or merge pages that have gone stale.
- Earn mentions and links from other respected sites in the same field.
What does building topical authority look like?
Here is a gardening blog that focused on one subject for a year.
| Start of year | End of year | |
|---|---|---|
| Pages about growing tomatoes | 3 | 24 |
| Searches with a page in the top 10 | 12 | 140 |
| Average days for a new tomato page to reach page one | Did not reach | 35 |
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build topical authority?
Usually months rather than weeks. It depends on how competitive the subject is, how much you publish and how good each page is. Narrow subjects are quicker to cover well.
Can a small site have topical authority?
Yes. A small site that covers one narrow subject very well can be more useful on that subject than a large general site that covers it in passing.
Does publishing more pages always help?
No. Many thin or overlapping pages can hurt by splitting attention between them. Coverage means answering every important question once and well.
How is topical authority different from domain authority?
Domain authority is a third-party score mostly based on links to the whole site. Topical authority is about depth of coverage on one subject. A site can have strong links and still be thin on a particular subject.