What Is Topical Authority?

Topical authority is a subsection of SEO (search engine optimization) and content marketing. It refers to a website’s trustworthiness, expertise, and credibility in its given topic or content niche. 

Google uses a variety of ranking factors, such as topical authority to decide which websites should rank higher than others for targeted searches about that particular topic.

Rather than just focusing on keyword research, topical authority is built over time by covering the specific topic in a way that’s thorough and consistent. This tells search engines that these pages are a reliable source of information on the topic. 

Google values expertise, depth, relevance, and websites that establish themselves as experts within a given niche — that’s where building topical authority comes in. 

In This Article:

• Why does topical authority matter in SEO?
• How does topical authority work in SEO?
• How to build topical authority: a step-by-step guide.

Why Does Topical Authority Matter for SEO?

Historically, if you wanted to rank well in Google, you’d write a few articles, focusing heavily on keywords. While keywords are still important (see our short-tail and long-tail keyword guides), the depth and relevance of the content are far more important. Google itself has shifted from keyword-based ranking (which caused issues like keyword stuffing) to more contextually relevant search. 

Today, exact keyword matches aren’t as important, especially if you don’t have the expertise and depth on the topic to keep visitors engaged and involved. 

The good news is that topical authority has a ripple effect on your search engine ranking. As a website gains topical authority, it: 

• Ranks higher in Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
• Is more likely to appear in Google’s featured snippets and in the People Also Ask sections.
• Improves the site’s visibility and brand awareness which increases its organic traffic.
• Builds trust and credibility over time with users.

How Topical Authority Works in SEO

Now that you better understand what topical authority is, how exactly does it work when it comes to SEO?  

Here are signs that a website is approaching topical authority properly:

In-depth topic coverage

Google likes comprehensive content. That means going beyond publishing general topics based on broad seed keywords.

It’s worth noting that in-depth coverage on a given topic in and of itself won’t instantly grant you topical authority. So, it’s best practice to start by building topic clusters that you can use to interconnect your content. 

Using digital marketing as an example, your clusters might include things like: 

• SEO (On-page, off-page, technical, mobile)
• Content marketing (Blogging, video creation, infographic design)
• Social media marketing (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn)
• Paid ads (Google and Facebook ads) 
• Email marketing (Setting up automation, lead nurturing, increasing open and click-through rates)
  

Keep in mind that these are clusters, not the actual topics themselves. 

Topic Clusters and Pillar Content

To create a topic cluster, you’ll need to start with pillar content (also called cornerstone content). This is a broad, detailed guide that covers a given topic in great detail. From there, your cluster content is designed to act like supportive scaffolding, helping to link back to and bolster the pillar page. 

To illustrate, your pillar post could be “The Ultimate Guide to SEO in 2025”, with supporting cluster topics that include:

• On-Page SEO Best Practices
• The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Technical SEO
• How to Build High-Quality Backlinks in 2025

Your cluster pages could go on to cover things like video SEO, SEO for local businesses, and so on. This makes it easier for you to internally link your pages while increasing the likelihood that Google will find and crawl all of your pages. Writing clusters around each major pillar lets you leverage depth by going into detail on sub-topics.

Following Google’s E-E-A-T Framework

Google’s own E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), for creating people-first content is at the heart of topical authority. 

To build up your authority in your given topic area, you’ll want to: 

• Showcase your expertise: Do your research and publish high-quality content that’s based on demonstrable facts. 
• Become an authority: Authoritativeness doesn’t happen overnight. Over time, you should work to get backlinks from trusted websites to position yourself as a thought leader in your chosen topic. 
• Share your expertise: Offer case studies, testimonials, and author bios. 
• Build trust: Just like authority, trust isn’t built from one day to the next. Back up your statements with citations and studies. 

Publish Consistently and Frequently

Developing trust and authority means posting consistently and frequently. Expand on existing topics or cover new trends, data, or discoveries. Then, review older content to refresh it and keep it relevant. You want your website to be known as one that’s continually worth reading. 

Setting Up Internal Links

Create a detailed internal linking strategy for your pillar pages and the “spokes” of your wheel (your cluster topics). Don’t just say “click here,” with your links, be descriptive. For instance, an article about SEO for beginners might have a link to “What is Link Building?” or “How Does Google’s Algorithm Work?” 

Backlinks and External Signals

High-quality, relevant backlinks from authority sites in your niche can help your site rise in the rankings. There are several methods to getting quality backlinks, including guest blogging, being mentioned or cited through research or publications and getting involved in digital PR. All of these external signals and rich backlinks communicate to Google that your site is worth paying attention to. 

How to Build Topical Authority Step-by-Step

Now that you know what topical authority is, how do you actually go about building it? Follow these steps: 

1. Choose your core topic: Specialize in a topic first, rather than a more general approach. Over time, by following this strategy, you’ll become the name to know in your niche. 
2. Research relevant keywords: Discover relevant keywords and topics to write about using keyword research tools. 
3. Create pillar content and topic clusters: Use Originality.ai’s Content Optimizer to research your competition and improve content across pillar pages and topic clusters. 
4. Optimize your website for E-E-A-T: Share your experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness through high-quality content and research. 
5. Publish and update consistently: Take the time to update old articles and publish new content on a consistent and routine schedule.
6. Link your pages internally: Interlink your pillar pages with your topic clusters and continue to branch out.
7. Earn high-quality backlinks: Engage in guest posting, digital PR, and content collaborations with complementary sites in your space.
8. Monitor your site’s performance and make adjustments if needed: Stay informed and track your ranking over time using Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Make adjustments and shift your strategies as needed to improve search engine rankings. 

Final Thoughts on Topical Authority

Topical authority is all about writing consistently while going into detail on topics where your expertise and experience can shine. 

As you continue to publish relevant content regularly and spread the word, other sites will notice and pick up on your research, establishing your website as a thought leader in its space.

Discover a best-in-class suite of tools to complement your content marketing strategy with the Originality.ai AI Checker, Content Optimizer, Plagiarism Checker, and Grammar Checker.

Then, learn more about content marketing in our top resources:

• 12 Benefits of an SEO Marketing Agency
• What Is Inbound Marketing?
• How to Increase Brand Awareness With Content Marketing
• What Is a Customer Journey?