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What is Topical Authority in SEO?



A pile of books that represents the extensive knowledge that topical authority provides.

I was sitting in the Cross Keys public house establishment on Wednesday night with a few friends doing the quiz (with free pie and peas!!) when the quiz master asked...


"Who won the Golden Boot in the 1986 FIFA World Cup Tournament?"


"Argentina won the cup, so probably Maradona!" Scott shouts with far more confidence than his answer merited.


"Nah, mate; I reckon it was Gary Lineker. I think he scored five or six goals before that cheating sod Maradona knocked England out in the quarters!" Richard chimed in with less certainty than Scott despite having the correct answer.


Danny put the argument to bed, "It was 100% Gary Lineker. He scored six goals. A hat-trick against Poland on 11th June in Monterrey before grabbing a brace in a 3-0 win over Paraguay and finally netting his often-forgotten sixth goal in the fateful match against Argentina. Butragueño, Careca, and Diego Maradona all scored five goals each in the competition."


"Lineker, who was 25 at the time, went on to become England's second most prolific goalscorer (behind Bobby Charlton), finding the net 48 times for his country until he was surpassed by Wayne Rooney and then Harry Kane."  


This astonishing (yet slightly sad) display of topical authority is precisely what Google looks for when choosing which pages and sites they should trust to answer their patron's questions.


Who is more trustworthy? 


The cocky chancer who thinks they know the answers because they know a singular piece of information or the walking encyclopedia who knows the exact answer and everything there is to know about the subject surrounding your question?


In this blog, I'll explain how you can use topical authority to skyrocket your website traffic by becoming the authority of your chosen niche.


Understanding Topical Relevance

To understand the fundamentals of topical authority, it's essential to appreciate the concept of topical relevance. 


Topical relevance refers to how well a website's content aligns with a specific topic or keyword. In other words, it's how closely related your content is to the topic or keyword a user searches for.


For example, if a visitor searches for "best hiking boots," a website that sells hiking boots and has content about the best hiking boots for women, the best budget hiking boots, what kind of hiking boots are best for different terrains, the best luxury hiking boots etc, would have high topical relevance and be the most suited to answer Google's question.


On the other hand, a website that sells running shoes and has no content about hiking boots would have low topical relevance.


High topical relevance is crucial for SEO because search engines want to provide punters with the most relevant and helpful results. 


If your website has high topical relevance, it will rank higher for relevant search queries on SERPs (search engine results pages).


What is Topical Authority?

Topical authority takes topical relevance a step further. It refers to how much expertise and authority a website has on a specific topic. It's more than just having relevant content; it's also about being a trusted and knowledgeable source.


Search engines use various signals, such as backlinks, social media shares, and user engagement metrics, to determine a website's topical authority. The more authoritative and trustworthy a website is seen to be on a specific topic, the higher its topical authority will be.


The Importance of Topical Authority for SEO

High topical authority is crucial for SEO because it can significantly impact your website's ranking on SERPs. Here are a few reasons why topical authority is vital:


  • Better rankings: Search engines want to provide users with the most relevant and authoritative results. High topical authority makes your website more likely to rank higher on SERPs for relevant search queries.

  • Increased visibility: When your website has high topical authority, it's more likely to appear in a search engine results page's "featured snippets" section. This highly coveted spot can greatly increase your website's visibility and drive massive amounts of traffic to your website.

  • More targeted traffic: By focusing on building topical authority, you can attract more targeted traffic to your website. People who visit your site are more likely to convert to customers, clients, and subscribers.

  • Long-term benefits: Unlike other SEO tactics that may boost short-term rankings, topical authority is a long-term strategy. By consistently producing high-quality, authoritative content on a specific topic, you can build a website that's the go-to source, leading to long-term high rankings.


How to Improve Your Topical Authority

Now that you understand the importance of topical authority, here's how to use it to your advantage and quickly overtake competitors who neglect this strategy.


Identify Your Niche and Focus on It

Start building topical authority by identifying and focusing on your niche. Choose a specific topic or industry your website will be an expert on and write about every subject within that industry. You can become a go-to source for that topic and build your topical authority by narrowing your focus.


For example, if you have a website that sells outdoor gear, you may focus on the topic of camping. This means creating content about camping gear, tips, and other related topics. By consistently producing high-quality content on this topic, you can establish yourself as an authority in the camping niche.


Create High-Quality, Authoritative Content

The key to building topical authority is to produce high-quality, authoritative content consistently. This means creating well-researched, informative content that is helpful to your target audience. By providing valuable information and insights on your chosen topic, you can establish your website as a trusted source of information.


It's also essential to keep your content up-to-date and relevant to show search engines that your website is actively producing fresh, valuable content and can help improve your topical authority.


You can improve topical authority by implementing a solid content marketing brand-building strategy.


Build Backlinks from Authoritative Sources

Backlinks, or links from other websites to your own, are an important signal of topical authority. When other authoritative businesses link to your content, it shows Google that your website is a dependable source of information on a specific topic.


To build backlinks, you can contact other websites in your niche and convince them to link to your pages and content. You can also write high-quality content that is shareable and link-worthy, making it more likely that other websites will link to it.


Engage with Your Audience

Engaging with your audience is another way to improve your topical authority. By responding to comments and questions on your website and social media platforms, you can show that you are knowledgeable and passionate about your chosen topic to help build trust and establish your organisation as an authority in your niche.


Utilise Social Media

Social media can be an indispensable tool for building topical authority. Sharing your content on X, Facebook, and Instagram and engaging with your followers can increase your website's visibility and attract more traffic. 


You can also use social media to connect with other authoritative sources in your niche and build professional relationships that can lead to backlinks and other opportunities.


Real-World Examples of Topical Authority

Many websites have successfully built topical authority and seen the benefits of their SEO. Here are a few examples:


Moz

Moz is a well-known SEO software company that has established itself as an authority in the SEO industry. Their website is filled with high-quality, informative content on all things SEO, making them a go-to source for anyone looking to learn more about SEO.


The Spruce

The Spruce website provides tips on home improvement, cooking, and other lifestyle topics. They have established themselves as an authority in the home and lifestyle niche by consistently producing high-quality, helpful content.


Healthline

Healthline provides health and wellness information. They have built their topical authority by producing well-researched, authoritative content on various health topics. They also have a team of medical experts who review and fact-check their content, further establishing their authority in health and wellness.


Key Takeaways

In conclusion, topical authority is an essential aspect of SEO that can significantly impact your ranking on Google. 


By building topical authority through high-quality, authoritative content and other tactics, you can improve your website's visibility, attract more targeted traffic, and establish your website as a trusted source of information in your niche.


If you don't have the time to create an intricate web of content to become the authority in your industry, hire me to write your blogs, social media content, and emails to increase your traffic and boost sales.


Ask for a FREE quote today.

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