Topical Authority
How comprehensively your site covers a particular subject area. Google increasingly rewards sites that demonstrate deep expertise on a topic rather than surface-level coverage across many topics.
Why It Matters
Google wants to rank the most authoritative source for any given topic. Topical authority is how it determines whether your site is genuinely expert in an area or just skimming the surface. A site that has 50 in-depth articles about technical SEO will outrank a generalist marketing blog for technical SEO queries - even if the generalist blog has higher domain authority.
This is why niche sites often outperform larger competitors for their specific topics. Depth and focus beat breadth and volume.
In Practice
Choose your topics strategically and go deep. It's better to comprehensively cover 3-5 core topics than to publish thin content across 50 topics. Build content clusters around each core topic.
Cover every angle of your chosen topics. If you write about SEO, cover technical SEO, content strategy, link building, local SEO, e-commerce SEO, and everything in between. Each piece reinforces your authority on the broader topic.
Internal linking is critical for topical authority. Connect related pieces so Google (and users) can see the breadth and depth of your coverage. A well-linked content cluster sends stronger topical signals than isolated pages.
Related Terms
Glossary
Content Cluster
A group of related pages around a core topic, connected by internal links.
Glossary
E-E-A-T
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness - Google's quality framework.
Glossary
Keyword Research
Finding what your audience searches for - the foundation of every SEO strategy.
Glossary
Internal Link
Links between pages on your own site - the most underrated SEO lever available.
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