Digital marketing is an ever-evolving landscape. Innovation and strategy collide, often demanding that we–as business owners–consistently rethink our approach to online visibility. One topic that has leaped to the top in online visibility and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is topical authority.
A study by Graphite found that content with high topical authority generates traffic significantly faster than low authority content. Specifically, articles with high topical authority gained traffic 57% faster. This demonstrates the powerful advantage of combining well-researched, authoritative content with strategies designed for speed and scalability.
The message is clear. Making sure you cover (at least) the basics of topical authority is an essential part of any SEO or content strategy. This guide will help you understand what topical authority is, why it matters, and how to begin establishing it effectively.
Table of contents
What is Topical Authority?
Topical authority refers to the depth and breadth of knowledge your website demonstrates on a specific subject. When search engines like Google evaluate your site, they’re not just looking for individual keywords. They’re assessing how well your content covers an entire topic.
Of course, you want your site to be seen as a reliable resource that meets the user’s search intent. In short, you do this by covering a subject thoroughly. Not just in one blog post, or in a single, 5,000 word eBook, but several posts, with in depth subtopics.
Imagine your website as a library dedicated to a single subject. If your library contains a rich collection of books, articles, case studies, and other resources—all interlinked and aligned with the topic—you’d be more likely to attract more visitors and keep them longer. That’s what topical authority works to achieve in the digital space.
Why Does Topical Authority Matter?
This is simple to answer, though I’ll answer it more in depth below. Going to see a doctor is a good analogy. If you’re sick, you want to know that the doctor seeing you knows what they’re talking about.
How do you find that out? You look at them, what they say, and what others say about them. This is how we judge their authority in that field.
We now know that topical authority plays a pivotal role in several areas:
- Improving SEO Rankings: Better, more in-depth coverage of a topic leads to your site being prioritized over another that may not cover the topic as much. Proper interlinking of blog posts, articles, web pages, etc. builds relevance, boosting the website’s ranking.
- Driving Organic Traffic: Content clusters that cover every angle of a topic attract more visitors. Interconnected resources help search engines understand the value of your content. This clarity boosts visibility and click-through rates, driving traffic and encouraging users to explore your site further.
- Building Trust and Credibility: A well-structured website with high-quality content builds trust with your audience. When visitors find accurate, well-researched, and consistently updated content, they are more likely to view your site as a reliable resource. This trust can lead to repeat visits, social sharing, and even natural backlinks from other authoritative websites.
- Enhancing User Experience: Visitors are more likely to stay and engage with content when it answers their questions thoroughly. An easy user experience means intuitive navigation, fast-loading pages, and content that is visually engaging and easy to consume. Better experiences encourage longer sessions, lower bounce rates, and higher user satisfaction.
Core Concepts of Topical Authority
Before diving into strategies, it’s essential to grasp the core concepts of topical authority. These concepts serve as a topical authority map for creating relevant content that ranks well in search engine queries. They include:
Pillar Page
A pillar page is the cornerstone of a content strategy built around content clustering. It is an in-depth page that covers a broad topic in detail and serves as the main hub for related subtopics. On top of authority, it enhances semantic SEO by creating relationships between related topics.
You could also call it a category page. However, category pages don’t typically provide more than an introduction to the blog posts of that section. The purpose of a pillar page is to provide a centralized resource for users while linking to more specific articles (subtopics) that dive deeper into particular aspects of the topic.
Content Clustering
Topical authority improves rankings partly because of the structured layering of subtopics (specific articles) under a main topic (pillar page). This is achieved through content clustering. Here’s how it works:
- Subtopics reinforce the main topic. Each subtopic provides detailed, relevant information, creating a comprehensive resource of multiple books (your library). This layered approach signals to search engines that your website covers the topic thoroughly.
- Internal linking strengthens topical relevance. Linking subtopics back to a pillar page (the main topic) and to each other (horizontal linking) establishes clear connections within your content. This boosts the overall authority of the pillar page in search rankings.
- Because you’ve organized your content into topical clusters, your users can easily navigate your site. They can also find answers to related questions, increasing engagement and time spent on your site—both of which positively affect rankings.
For example, a pillar page on digital marketing could link to subtopics like SEO, PPC advertising, content marketing, and email marketing.
Internal Link Building
One of the most beneficial actions you can take for your users is to internally link your articles and pages. If your pillar page is about ‘Content Marketing,’ and you have a blog post about ‘5 Proven Content Marketing Tips,’ you should link back to the pillar page. Additionally, if one of the tips is about ‘Creating Evergreen Content,’ and you have a dedicated article on that, it should also link to both the pillar page and other relevant subtopics. Treat your site as authoritative and link to supporting documents.
Keyword Mapping
Keyword mapping is an SEO process that also builds topical authority. Here, you organize and assign specific keywords to different pages on your website. This makes sure each page targets a unique and relevant search query.
The purpose of keyword mapping is to create a clear structure that search engines can follow. You do this by using broad keywords (e.g., “digital marketing”) and long-tail keywords (e.g., “how to create a content marketing plan”) that fit the goals of your content. You make sure to distribute them–strategically–across pillar pages, supporting articles, and other web pages.
Keyword mapping also prevents keyword cannibalization, ensures comprehensive coverage of your niche, and guides the content creation process to better meet user intent.
Okay, it can get kind of wild at this stage. If you’re someone who really likes to dig in, you could end up with literally hundreds of pieces of content. Yes, you want to cover a topic fully. However, make sure it makes sense to break the topic into a smaller subtopics.
How to Start Building Topical Authority
Building topical authority doesn’t happen overnight, so you want to start building topical authority as soon as you can. For that matter, you may already have topical authority, and you just not have the right tool to check!
Here’s your head start:
1. Define your niche.
Focus on a specific subject area where you or your business can provide deep expertise. Trying to cover too many unrelated topics can dilute your authority and confuse your audience. For instance, a digital marketing agency would stick to topics like SEO and social media rather than branching into unrelated areas like health or travel.
2. Research thoroughly.
While researching, you want to keep the following in mind:
- What questions your target audience is asking.
- The gaps in existing content from competitors.
- Emerging trends within your niche.
Tools like Google’s “People Also Ask” section, keyword research platforms, and forums can provide invaluable insights into search queries and help you create topics with relevant content.
3. Create a content plan.
Develop a roadmap for your content. This roadmap will help you establish topical authority through a clear content plan. It should include:
- Pillar Pages: Comprehensive guides that serve as the centerpiece of your content clusters.
- Supporting Articles: In-depth posts covering subtopics linked to the pillar pages.
- FAQs and How-Tos: Addressing common questions or offering actionable advice.
4. Remember your interlinking strategy.
Make sure your related content links back to it’s pillar page. Your content should also always link to relevant pieces. This not only aids SEO but also improves user navigation and engagement.
In every endeavor, there are pitfalls to watch out for, and building topical authority is no different. Here are nine pitfalls that many business owners have had to deal with:
- Keyword Stuffing: Overloading your content with keywords can harm your rankings and user experience.
- Failing to Align with User Intent: Over time, user intent evolves due to changing search trends. Ignoring these shifts can make your content less relevant, ultimately impacting your site’s authority.
- Neglecting Visual Content Optimization: High-quality visuals, such as images and videos, that are not optimized for SEO or user engagement can hurt your content’s performance.
- Lack of Structure: Without a clear content hierarchy, your site may appear disorganized to both users and search engines.
- Inconsistent Updates: Stale content can quickly lose relevance and credibility. Overloading your content with keywords can harm your rankings and user experience.
- Neglecting User Intent: Focus on what your audience wants to know, not just what you want to tell them.
- Lack of Structure: Without a clear content hierarchy, your site may appear disorganized to both users and search engines.
- Inconsistent Updates: Stale content can quickly lose relevance and credibility.
- Forgetting to Update Your Keywords: As industries evolve, so do the terms and phrases your audience uses. Failing to update your keywords with industry changes can leave your content outdated, making it harder to stay relevant and maintain your search engine rankings.
Conclusion
Building topical authority takes time, effort, and a strategic approach. By laying a strong foundation, you can position your website as a trusted resource in your industry. The journey starts here, and in the coming articles, we’ll dive deeper into this important topic to refine your strategy further.
Do you need help with your topical authority? Contact Level343. We have the experience to get you where you need to be.
