To succeed on the SERPs, you need
to prove that you’re an SEO expert in your field. How? By showing Google that you
have the knowledge and expertise to go in-depth on topics related to your
industry. Not only that, but you also need to show that you have the ability to
expound on these topics through multiple types of content. This strategy is all
about building topical authority for SEO.
Even
if you have already established your brand and your image to consumers in the
real world, optimizing for search engines is a different game. Since Google
utilizes algorithms to understand what your website is about, it’s important
that you know what type of information you need to have to improve your
rankings. That’s where topical authority comes in.
What Is Topical Authority?
Topical authority is achieved
when Google or other search engines see your website as an authority on a
particular topic. Why is this important? It’s simple. The more you build your
authority with Google, the more it trusts you and the content you produce. The
more trust you have, the more keywords you can rank highly for.
Let me give you an example. For one of our new clients, we
created landing pages that talked about polo shirt uniforms, corporate
uniforms, and work uniforms. One day, to improve rankings, I thought of placing
the keyword “best SEO company in Islamabad” in the homepage’s metadata. After a
few days, I searched for the keyword again and found our client in the # 2
spot.
How did that happen? Well, we
were able to establish topical authority.
How To Establish Topical Authority Through SEO Blogs
If you want to establish topical authority, it’s important
that you understand what you’re optimizing for in the first place.
With the introduction of the Hummingbird update in
2013, Google advanced and improved search results using natural language
processing. Instead of relying on the number of keyword mentions or the number
of backlinks, Google’s algorithm started using semantic search and
synonyms to understand the content better.
Currently, if your content is able to target the right search
intent, your website can start gaining authority. To boost your chances of ranking for more keywords, you should start
looking into building your topical authority.
What Are The Benefits of Topical Authority For SEO?
Besides better rankings, there are some other perks that come
with having topical authority. First of all, it can lead to more clicks. The
higher you rank on the SERPs and the more keywords you rank in, the more
visible you become to users. If your content meets their search intent, they
will click on your site.
Another benefit that comes with having topical authority is
that it can lead to natural link building. Once people see that your content is
relevant and made by an expert, more sites are guaranteed to build links to
your pages. They may direct users interested in learning more about certain
niche topics to your website. And, once they do that, your authority will
increase even more.
As an SEO consultant, I would suggest, If you want to be the go-to website in your industry, take
note of the importance of topical authority for SEO. By creating content that
is interrelated, you can establish yourself as an authority to the search
engines and to the users. The more you do so, the higher your chances are to
rank for all types of keywords related to the topic.
