What the term means
Google has described a topic authority system that helps it surface expert news sources, including local outlets, for news searches. It has not published a topical authority score for other kinds of sites. SEOs use the term for depth. A site covers a subject well enough that its pages support each other.
For a business, that means owning the questions around each service you sell, not writing about everything.
The parts of a strong topic
| Part | What it is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Main service page | The page that targets the service itself | Explain the service, process, pricing factors and next step |
| Supporting answers | Pages for related buyer questions | FAQs and guides that help people decide |
| Internal links | Links that connect the pages | Link every supporting page back to the main page |
| Trust signals | Proof that a real business does this work | Reviews, photos, credentials, bios and case examples |
More pages are not more authority
Twenty thin posts on the same subject do not add up. They compete with each other and waste crawl time. Mass-produced pages can also break Google's policy on scaled content abuse. Fewer, better pages that each answer a distinct question work better.
Good example. A pest control company has a termite treatment page, separate pages for inspections and prevention, cost and safety FAQs, and job photos. Every related post links back to the termite page.
Bad example. The same company publishes twenty near-identical termite articles with no proof, no call button and no link to book an inspection.
How to build it for one service
- Build or improve the main page for one profitable service.
- Write three to five answers to questions buyers ask about it.
- Add one proof piece, like a case story with photos.
- Link every supporting page to the main page and back.
- Check Search Console for related searches you still miss.
Our content marketing plans build this depth one service at a time.