The power of effective topical authority

Show Notes

• 02:37
  Topical authority in the age of AI

  AI's aggregation of content from across the web raises trust issues. While it can compete in some areas, brands with established authority in specific topic areas will likely remain the go-to sources for reliable information, especially regarding crucial subjects.
• 05:07
  Topical authority and competitive analysis

  While competitive analysis is important to understand the market and opportunities, topical authority comes from thoroughly covering a subject matter. It's about ensuring your content answers all potential user questions at every point of the educational journey.
• 07:41
  Building topical authority

  The key to building topical authority is to focus deeply on a specific topic, like kettlebells, before broadening to larger subjects like fitness. Establishing expertise in a niche area first, such as kettlebell exercises, lays the groundwork for credibility and authority in the broader field.
• 10:06
  Building a content strategy for topical authority

  Conduct competitor analysis to identify ranking keywords and leverage AI for seed keywords. Cluster keywords into different topics and organize them into a linear educational journey, developing an internal linking strategy that addresses follow-up questions.
• 13:11
  The value of expertise in building topical authority

  While it's possible to gain authority without being an expert, it's not a sustainable approach to topical authority. Collaborating with experts ensures that your content addresses key topics and questions in-depth and effectively, ultimately leading to better long-term results.
• 14:39
  Internal linking for topical authority

  Internal linking guides users through a choose-your-own educational journey within your content, helping them move forward or backward as needed. This interconnectivity keeps users onsite, signaling to search engines that your site is an authoritative resource on the topic.
• 16:24
  The future of topical authority

  While AI's impact on search behavior is uncertain, expert knowledge and brand connection remain crucial for user trust and engagement. Companies must consistently deliver high-quality content and experiences to maintain their competitive edge in the evolving search landscape.
• 19:26
  Signals of topical authority

  When you've built topical authority, Google will crawl and index your pages more frequently for that topic. Your content will start ranking high in search results, often within days of publication, in addition to rapid traffic growth and the ability to compete for competitive keywords.