How to Dominate at Google’s Topic Authority Ranking System
There has recently been some discussion about Google’s Topic Authority program, which is used to help them rank websites that are the most accurate resources of information. This is not a new system, it just has not been discussed much by Google. It is particularly useful in certain niches such as health, finances, and any other topic where there is not just an evergreen discussion like container gardening, for example.
As a senior affiliate marketer, you want as much targeted organic traffic as you can get from Google. For most niches, there is a continual flow of information, trends, and news that is released about the topic. This is especially true with health and finances, but it’s also applicable in other niches such as making money online, anti-aging, etc.
You want to make sure that your site is in compliance with Google’s topic authority ranking system so that they begin to send you organic traffic and highlight your site content above your competitors.
All online entrepreneurs should be aiming to position their site content as a go-to resource for their target audience. There are specific things you can do to adhere to the guidelines Google wants in an effort to create “helpful, people-first content” that they determine to be topic authorities.
Google’s Topic Authority Defined for Niche Bloggers
So let’s define what Google’s Topic Authority is in regard to niche bloggers. This is a system Google is using to rank sites based on the expertise the content offers along with other factors.
While expertise is the most important element of a Topic Authority determination, other things come into play such as how much expert content your site has, how many other sites are linking back to you as an authority source, and whether or not your website enjoys a high volume of social media recognition.
Years ago, marketers could simply churn out a lot of content on their domain and rank high based on the volume. Then, Google began focusing on quality over quantity. With the Topic Authority system in place, both factors matter in terms of ranking.
A site that has published dozens of pieces of expert content on a topic is going to outperform a site that writes one really good piece. Google has search bots that will be sent out to crawl your site and evaluate it for quality and relevance to a topic.
In addition to good content, they’re also looking for original content and a unique angle. This can be done by offering a new solution or a unique point of view when analyzing the topic.
You might have a case study embedded into your content to show that you know the subject inside and out. They are also looking for cited resources whenever you link out to or mention a study or some other authority information.
Find Ideas That Align with Google’s Topic Authority Guidelines
How do you find ideas that would make good Topic Authority posts? For some niches, it’s going to be easier than for others. Using the example before, it’s going to be harder for you to come up with a good topic for this purpose if you are in the container gardening niche.
But if you are in a health niche, such as weight loss, you can easily pay attention to the news and find out what topic would be good for a post where you are aiming for better rankings using this strategy.
Follow the News
Currently, there is a lot of chatter in the news about various “semaglutide” shots that are helping people lose weight. Even more recently, chatter has increased about people using a natural source that mimics those pharmaceuticals.
If you are paying attention to the news and trends, you can quickly and easily create an authority blog post that other sources will be linking to. If you type in the word “semaglutides” into Google, you will see articles about how it is now being researched to curb other addictive behaviors.
You will also see content about how they are being used to help 45% of teenagers reverse their obesity. And a supplement called berberine is now being touted as “nature’s Ozempic.”
Watch Social Media
In addition to paying attention to the news, you can look on social media or use social media listening tools to alert you whenever there are new trends emerging. You want to be following hashtags and paying attention to a surge in content about certain topics on a variety of platforms.
Another thing you can do to find good topics for Topic Authority posts is to subscribe to industry blogs and magazines. These usually give you a head start in determining what kind of content you need to publish to your blog before consumers start to discuss a topic.
Tailoring Your Content for Better Rankings
Once you have an idea, you begin the process of creating the content so that it is tailored to be recognized by Google’s Topic Authority program as valuable content. To start with, you need to make sure that the quality of the content is high.
Think in terms of a pillar blog post, where you take one subject and drill down, making it as comprehensive as possible so that the reader doesn’t have to go anywhere else to find out the information they were looking for.
Each post should be well researched and the information verified for accuracy. If you are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help you brainstorm an outline for your content, you never want to take its word for anything as fact. Anything! AI still just makes stuff up if it can’t find what you are looking for.
Because Google is looking for cited sources, make sure you go out and curate information to go into your content as a way to back up your opinion or showcase the facts better.
Experience – Expertise – Authoritativeness – Trustworthiness
Use a strategy that Google introduced a while back known as E-E-A-T, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. You definitely want to prove to the reader in your content that you know what you’re talking about, so you can give your personal experience and share inside in a professional manner that reassures them that you are a good resource.
If you have any kind of credibility that should be mentioned within the post, you’ll want to include that. This can be some sort of degree or education, but it can also be an experience that you have had personally and can share with your audience.
Google is also looking for your readers to align with you based on the fact that they find you transparent and reliable with your content. If you have testimonials or can offer proof of what you are talking about, this will go a long way in establishing that.
Become a Highly Cited Resource That Google Takes Note of for Rankings
Not only should you be linking out to expert content, but Google wants to see other authority sites linking back to you, too. There are several ways you can go about achieving this goal.
First and foremost, you want to take the content that is on your blog and begin spreading it out on social media platforms so that it can be picked up in a viral manner and shared by others.
If you can align with influencers or other marketers in your niche to cross-promote your content, this will help you in terms of distribution and engagement. Also, embark on a strategy to engage with people in forums for your niche.
You can have a signature file and a full profile that points back to your site so that when you share good information and help others within the forum, they will be looking at where they can learn more from you, and clicking through on your link or sharing it with others.
Why not arrange some guest blog post activities. If you can write an informative blog post for another niche marketer’s website, and have a byline that is pointing back to your site for their readers to follow, this will go a long way in giving you more backlinks and authority.
Another strategy you may want to implement is known as reverse outreach. When you create these posts that have a lot of wonderful information and them, make sure you are optimizing them to rank well for long-tail keywords, the phrases that journalists and other bloggers will be looking for whenever they are publishing their own expert pieces and need information about statistics and other data on the topic.
Use AI Differently
Here is a really interesting way to use AI for something other than content creation. You can use artificial intelligence tools to pinpoint broken links on websites that are linking out to your competitors. Approach those site owners and inform them about the broken link, which is something that can damage their own SEO, and offered to let them link to your new content instead.
This one might be old school, but it still works: publish a public press release. There are many sites you can use to do this, and many publications will pick up your press release and use it in their own content.
You can even quote yourself as an expert within the article so that if it gets picked up, or if search bots crawl the press release and see your name as an expert being referred to, it will give you that boost in authority.
Make sure that you have an About Page filled out on your website that touts all of your achievements and expertise within that niche. Whether it’s the amount of time you have been involved in it, some sort of certification or degree, or just a sheer passion for the topic, have it published so that search bots and human visitors can see the leadership that you bring to the table.
Use a Byline
With each blog post that you publish, you may want to include a byline with a single sentence that summarizes your expertise. For example, using the “semaglutide” example, you might have a byline on your blog post that reads, “Jane Doe is a weight loss expert and publisher who has been writing about the topic for 17 years.”
Many marketers are hesitant to call themselves experts, but this is what you have to do if you’re going to be an online marketer. You have to toot your own horn and not be afraid to share your authority with others because there is no one else who is going to tell the world what you are capable of helping with and why.
Also, make sure you are embarking on a continuing education journey as a niche leader. You should be immersing yourself in as much learning as you can, and publicly sharing what you are doing to further grow your information and expertise.
Enforce Google’s Other SEO Measures
While Google’s Topic Authority concept is a wonderful way to showcase your leadership skills, you still need to make sure those posts are in line with other search engine optimization guidelines.
One of the most important things you have to include that relates directly to the Topic Authority rankings is to make sure you have a strong interlinking system. This is something that is also important with pillar blog posts.
When search bots come to your Topic Authority post and crawl it, if they are able to follow and navigate to other pages regarding the topic, it proves to them that you have a higher quantity of content to share with your audience.
You can create topic clusters where you have one pillar blog post to act as your Topic Authority content and several supporting posts that link back to it and that you can link out to from there.
As mentioned previously, linking out to other sources is also important. You also have to make sure you are utilizing a good semantic keyword approach, rather than stuffing the same single phrase over and over into your content.
On-Page SEO
You still have to adhere to all of the on-page SEO elements such as using alt tags, title tags, meta descriptions and meta tags, headings and subheadings, and schema markup for better navigation.
And if you want to take it even further, you will also integrate other important SEO elements that Google is now focused on. For example, voice search is becoming more popular with people who are speaking their commands to gadgets like Siri or Alexa.
You should also take note of Google’s emphasis on ranking mobile-friendly Websites at the top of the search engine results pages. Not only do you want to check to make sure that your site loads quickly and is able to be viewed on a variety of browsers, but you also have to make sure that it shows up accurately on many different gadgets.
Google mentioned its Topic Authority recently as a way to simply inform site owners about what they feel is important when pointing their users at the best content online. The reality is, you should be doing all of these things anyway to better serve your audience.
Your search engine ranking plans should never simply include the technical aspect of SEO, but instead focus on what you can do to provide the best information to readers who are seeking your guidance.
