topical-authority

Topical Authority

Frameworks for building topical authority and measuring coverage dominance.

Authority Score Formula

Authority Score = (Topic Coverage %) × (Content Age Factor) × (Depth Multiplier)

Topic Coverage %

Content Age Factor

Depth Multiplier

Topic Mapping Process

Step 1: Identify Core Topics

List all topics in your domain:

• Main categories (5-10)
• Subcategories per category (10-20 each)
• Long-tail variations (50-100 per subcategory)

Step 2: Audit Coverage

Step 3: Calculate Authority

Your Topics Covered: X
Total Topics in Domain: Y
Coverage %: X/Y × 100

Weighted Score = Σ(Coverage × Age × Depth) for each topic

Topic Cluster Structure

PILLAR PAGE (Exhaustive, 3000+ words)
├── Cluster 1: [Subtopic]
│   ├── Supporting Article A
│   ├── Supporting Article B
│   └── Supporting Article C
├── Cluster 2: [Subtopic]
│   ├── Supporting Article D
│   └── Supporting Article E
└── Cluster 3: [Subtopic]
    └── Supporting Article F

Internal Links: Spokes → Hub → Spokes

Competitor Comparison

Finding Competitor Topics

1. Crawl their sitemap for content inventory
2. Analyze top 50 pages by traffic
3. Map their topic clusters
4. Identify topics they rank for that you don't

Content Gap Analysis

Authority Building Roadmap

Month 1-3: Foundation

• Map complete topic landscape
• Audit existing content
• Create 2-3 pillar pages
• Fill critical gaps

Month 4-6: Expansion

• Add supporting content for pillars
• Build internal link structure
• Update stale content
• Cover 60% of topics

Month 7-12: Dominance

• Target remaining 40%
• Create original research
• Add multimedia formats
• Achieve 80%+ coverage