As a marketer, you probably know all about EEAT. It stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. The website should have all the elements for it to be ranked by Google. The search engine is fully committed to delivering reliable content for every query made by the user. Since high ranking is the ultimate goal, improving topical authority should be the first step. It’s one of those slow marketing processes that focus on showing users and search engines you’re the expert on a specific topic. If you want to find out more about it, continue reading.
Definition of Topical Authority
Topical authority is one of many influential SEO concepts. It refers to efforts focused on making the website an expert in one or more fields. The best way to achieve this goal is through quality content. Its relevance and value bring even the most complex topics closer to the target audience. Apart from them, the concept also enables search engines to grasp the topic better. As a result, they can rank the website easier and higher when it comes to keywords.
Some think mentioning relevant keywords once or twice throughout the content piece is enough for its ranking. That’s not true if you want to build a topic authority. To do this, it’s necessary to cover all the aspects related to the chosen topic. For this reason, the bloggers should share long-form content. Such form helps cover any topic in depth.
Benefits of Topical Authority
The greatest benefits of topical authority are related to SEO. However, its impact is also noticeable in other aspects of your marketing strategy.
Trust
Search engines and users are always looking for sources they can trust. If you position the brand as a field expert, their trust in you will increase. In return, the confidence boosts SERP rankings and site visits. Being at the top of the search results is a testament to your website’s authority. It makes attracting new visitors easier and enhances the brand’s reputation.
Backlinking
The more content you have around the same topic, the easier it becomes to interlink them. Interlinking helps search engines discover and crawl through the site resulting in organic backlinks. To add value to their content, other bloggers will use you as a reference. The backlinks will come easily. As a result, the authority will continue to increase and impact the website’s ranking. In other words — both are necessary for optimal results. Internal links simplify website navigation for users making it easier for them to continue exploring the content. Backlinks make the content discoverable and drive traffic back to the referenced website.
Cost
Building topical authority takes time, but it makes your marketing efforts cost-effective. When compared with expenses of backlink generation and paid ads, the topical authority is more economical. Large budgets aren’t necessary for authority improvements. This means that even small blogs can compete with larger competitors for same keywords and content and still achieve their goals.
Conclusion
Marketers are usually familiar with many marketing concepts. One of them related to SEO is topical authority. It mostly influences ranking but it can also improve relationships with users, backlinking efforts, and reduce overall marketing costs.
Also read: Search Intent and SEO
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