Topical Authority: What It Is And How to Increase It in 2023

Topical authority has become a buzzword among search engine optimization (SEO) circles, but what is topical authority and why should you care?

These days, topical authority is essential to having an effective online presence. It is the foundation of successful search engine optimization (SEO) and can help you gain visibility among your target audience, regardless of their geographic location or devices used.

In this blog post, we’ll explore what topical authority is, why having topical authority matters, and how you can use keyword research to gain topical authority.

Let’s dive in.

What is topical authority?

In simple terms, topical authority is a measure of how well your site covers a particular topic or niche. It’s an indicator of trustworthiness and topical relevance for search engines, and it can help you rank for related keywords in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Now, you may be wondering how topical authority is measured… which is a great question that we don’t exactly know the answer to. Since we don’t have access to these complex search algorithms, there’s no way to know for sure how topical authority is determined.

However, we do know that there are certain criteria that search engines use to assess topical authority. Factors such as the depth and breadth of your content, the quality of backlinks pointing to your website, and user behavior (i.e., clicks on search engine results pages) all play a role in determining topical authority. The important thing to remember is that your website should show a clear focus on a particular topic.

For example, if you were to create a blog about pet care products and share content about dog health, training tips, grooming advice, and more, search engines would recognize that you have topical authority in this area and will favor your site when someone searches for related topics.

To build topical authority you need to make sure to cover all aspects of the topic, use relevant keywords in your content, and keep your content up to date.

Why does topical authority matter?

If you want your website to rank for related keywords, topical authority is essential. Having a high topical authority score tells search engines that your site is an authoritative source of information and that it covers the topic in-depth.

Search engines use topical authority to help determine which sites should appear in search engine results pages (SERPs), so having topical authority can give you a competitive edge over your rivals and make it easier for potential customers to find you.

Having topical authority also signals trustworthiness, which can help increase conversions and build customer loyalty.

Topical Authority vs Domain Authority

You might be wondering how topical authority differs from domain authority.

Domain authority is a measure of your website’s overall trustworthiness, while topical authority measures how deeply you cover a specific topic.

For example, if you own a footwear store and want to rank for shoe-related keywords, having topical authority would be beneficial. But even if the search engines trust your domain (high domain authority), they still need to know that you’re an expert on shoes. That’s where topical authority comes in.

And even if a website has a low domain authority, it can still rank high on search engine results pages (SERPs) if it has topical relevance and topical authority. For example, a blog that focuses on niche topics related to running shoes could have lower domain authority than other websites in the same industry but still rank higher due to its topical expertise.

Another example of topical authority outperforming domain authority would be a website that focuses on local businesses in a certain city or region. Even if this website has lower domain authority than other sites, it can still rank higher due to its topical relevance and topical authority.

Keyword research and gaining topical authority

If you want to rank for related keywords with topical authority, keyword research is essential. It helps you understand the language of your target audience and identify search terms that have high topical relevance to your niche or industry.

By researching the most relevant keywords, you can create content that’s tailored to match user intent and optimized for topical authority. This will help you build topical relevance, increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), and attract more qualified leads to your website.

There’s a few different ways to complete keyword research. You can use keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify relevant keywords, or you can simply look at the search terms your target audience is using. Whichever method you choose, it’s important to focus on keywords with topical relevance and high search volume.

Once you’ve identified the most relevant keywords for your topic, you can create content that targets those terms and helps you gain topical authority.

Strategies to build topical authority

Topical authority strategy can seem daunting, but there are a few strategies you can employ to help you increase your topical authority score within your content strategy. Here are some tips:

Research relevant keywords

As mentioned above, keyword research is essential for gaining topical authority and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Identify the most relevant keywords that have topical relevance and high search volume, then create content that targets those terms.

You can do this by using a keyword research tool or simply looking at the search terms your target audience is using. This way, you’ll be able to create content that’s tailored to match user intent and optimized for topical authority.

Create quality, topical content

Quality content is key when it comes to gaining topical authority. Focus on creating content that’s in-depth, well-researched, and targeted at your target audience. This will help you demonstrate topical expertise and gain topical authority over time.

In order to create quality content, you should have a deep understanding of your topic and be able to create content that’s informative and helpful.

Optimize to establish topical authority

In addition to the content itself, it’s important to make sure your pages are optimized for topical relevance. This includes optimizing headlines, meta descriptions, and other on-page elements with relevant keywords.

If you’re targeting keywords, make sure they appear in the content itself and are used throughout with topical relevance. This will help search engines identify your topical authority and help them better understand what your pages are about.

Create topic clusters

Topic clusters are groups of related topics that have topical relevance to each other. For example, if you are creating blogs about running shoes, you could use topic clusters to group related topics. For instance, you could have one topic cluster on the benefits of running shoes, another on different types of running shoes, and a third on how to choose the right running shoe.

By creating topical clusters, you can demonstrate topical expertise in related areas and establish yourself as an authority in your niche or industry.

Link building

Link building is another strategy for gaining topical authority and for your SEO strategy as a whole. Link building involves getting other websites to link back to you, which signals to search engines that your website has topical relevance.

You can build links by guest posting on relevant sites, creating unique content that other sites will want to link to, and engaging with influencers in your niche who may be willing to link back to you. Just be careful to avoid low-quality links, as these could harm your topical authority score.

Factoring in user intent

When creating content, it’s important to factor in user intent. This means understanding what your target audience is looking for and creating content that meets their needs.

By understanding user search intent and creating content that matches, you’ll be able to demonstrate topical expertise and gain topical authority more easily. You can better understand what your audience is looking for by using tools like Answer the Public or by using other keyword research tools.

Benefits of achieving higher topical authority

Achieving a higher topical authority score can bring many benefits. It can help you rank in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords, attract more qualified leads to your website, and establish yourself as an authority in your niche or industry.

It can also help you build trust with potential customers by demonstrating topical expertise, which could lead to more conversions and sales. Ultimately, having a higher topical authority score can help you reach more people and grow your business.

Conclusion

Gaining topical authority is an important part of improving your website’s ranking in search engine results pages. By researching relevant keywords, creating topical content, using topic clusters, and building links, you will be able to demonstrate topical expertise and gain topical authority over time. The benefits of gaining a higher topical authority score are vast, from increased ranking to more qualified leads and conversions. Achieving topical authority is a key part of SEO, so take the time to focus on it and reap the rewards!

By implementing these strategies, you’ll be able to develop your topical authority score and improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages. Ultimately, this will help you reach more people and grow your business. Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions

Further Reading

What is Semantic SEO? 10 Ways to Optimize Content for Semantic Search