As we know, Google is a search engine, and the hardest part about getting a business known is getting the website higher on the list. It’s no longer just a matter of adding keywords to your website to get hits. Nowadays, it’s all about topical authority – showing Google that a given website is an expert and trusted in its niche and has extensive knowledge about it.
Why Does Topical Authority Matter?
When Google perceives your site to be a reliable resource, they give you an ample amount of benefits for that.
- A secure position above other sites on the search engine result page.
- A wider audience for the published content.
- Rise of visitors from search engines.
💡 Proof: The authority websites have noted a 30% increase in their search ranking, outperforming other sites that solely depended on keywords.
Here’s how you can build topical authority step by step.
1. Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research
Making a strategy needs ample background research. Here’s how I suggest you kick off your research:
- “Long-tail keywords are gold” Strategy: Although these keywords tend to record lower search volumes, they are highly targeted. As an example, using “fitness” as a keyword can be further refined into “strength training exercises for beginners”.
- Search Intent: Try to analyze if the user is looking for information, a comparison, or a product. Customize your content considering their approach.
💡 Pro Tip: Consider using Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest. These keyword research tools have proven to be effective in finding relevant keywords with low competition.
2. Develop a Topic Cluster Strategy
Google appreciates straightforward content, which is exactly what a topic cluster is known for.
What is a Topic Cluster?
Think of a spider web. The sphere in the middle is your pillar page, which has a scope of content on a particular topic. The periphery is made of supporting pages that cover specific subtopics.
Why It Works:
With this approach, the search engines are better able to understand how broad or deep your content is, thus helping you rank higher for the specific key topics you are targeting.
For example:
If your website is on “Healthy Living”, your
- The pillar Page would be a complete guide to healthy living.
- Supporting Content would be – “Meal Prep for Weight Loss,” “Benefits of Yoga,” and “How to Build a Morning Routine” articles.
💡 Pro Tip: Make use of internal links to interconnect all supporting content to the pillar summary.
3. Create High-Quality, User-Centric Content
Content is still king; however, context is queen.
- Quality Over Quantity: Rather than publishing a high volume of articles, focus on creating fewer pieces that provide greater value.
- Ask the Right Questions: With tools such as AnswerThePublic and Google’s People Also Ask, you can answer questions that the audience is eager to learn about.
Content Creation Checklist:
- Does it contain original researched information?
- Does it cover multiple user intents such as informational or transactional?
- Is it enhanced with images, videos, or infographics?
💡 Pro-tip: Refresh your content proactively. Evergreen pieces that are continuously updated with new data or insights will always stay relevant.
4. Optimize Internal Linking
Internal links aren’t solely meant for navigation; they also serve as an important aspect of SEO.
Why It’s Important: Links grant pages their strength, or link equity which is invaluable when it comes to search engines analyzing the structure of your website and it’s contents children relations.
How To Optimize:
- Use descriptive anchor text
- Create links to the main pillar pages and the supporting content pages.
- Refrain from over-linking to one page because it does make the website look bad as it comes off as spam.
💡 Pro Tip: Auditing or auditing internal links and seeing where you have missed links can help improve your website’s SEO. Use tools such as Screaming Frog.
5. Build Relevant External Links
External links act as endorsements for your content.
>> Quality Over Quantity: One link from a high-authority, niche-relevant site is better than 50 generic backlinks.
>> Context Matters: Links from websites that are in your niche carry more weight.
Effective Strategies:
- Guest Blogging: Write valuable pieces for known authoritative websites in your industry.
- HARO: Provide answers to journalist questions to get a mention in well-known publications.
- Skyscraper Technique: Build better versions of popular content and reach out to websites linking to them.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep an eye on backlinks using Ahrefs Backlink Checker so you can tell if they are still useful and relevant.
6. Monitor and Adapt Your Strategy
SEO takes time. Consistent checking-up is very important.
Important Things to Keep an Eye On:
- Rankings of target keywords.
- Growth of organic traffic.
- Measurements of engagement (return rates, average time spent on the page).
Narrow Down and Build Up: The information on analytics shows gaps within your content. Do you have missing subheadings within your headings?
💡 Pro Tip: Use Google Analytics 4 or SEMRush to set and forget automated reports, so you don’t have to check back constantly for updates.
Mastering Topical Authority: The Competitive Edge
Google algorithms are changing rapidly. As I’ve said, EAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) features more heavily in their algorithms now and content that demonstrates exceptional knowledge within a particular niche is rewarded, and no longer is the game exclusively about keywords, it is about becoming the leader in your industry as well. SEO is “search engine optimization” and is our focus here and is a subtle word on marketing’s evolution.
How Topical Authority Gives You an Edge
When you create topical authority, you:
- Improve Audience Retention – Your audience is also more active as they prefer returning to an authority.
- Outrank Competition – Others always try to achieve fast SEO results while you build a durable benefit over them.
- Gain Google Authority – With the aid of a great and clear content strategy, you signal deeper knowledge within a field.
Real-World Data Shows the Impact
- HubSpot: Websites using topic clusters saw a 20% increase in organic traffic within six months.
- Backlinko: Over a 30% increase in rank searches can stem from utilizing strong internal linking.
- Moz: Even Google acknowledges high-quality backlinks as a significant ranking factor alongside others.
Your SEO Success Starts Here
Making your website an allure requires planning, controlling, credibility, and endurance branding. These combined build topical authority, and with time, your website evolves into a favorite pathway for people to look for knowledge and information from search engines.
Ready to be an Authority in Your Industry?
Are you uncertain about where to begin? Don’t worry, we can help! At Team Digitally Atanu, we focus on:
- Establishing an authority with content clusters.
- Improving site structure for better visibility on search engines.
- Ranking of sites through the provision of quality backlinks.
Let’s Get Started!
✅ Looking for authoritative SEO techniques to conquer your niche?
✅ How about a complimentary SEO audit to find potential areas for growth?
📩 Contact us today! You can send us a message here on LinkedIn or email us at growth.digitallyatanu@gmail.com. Let’s formulate a strategy to make your SEO incredible from good, one rank at a time!
