Thematic authority is recognized expertise on a given subject. A company, publication, or person may own it.
In May, Google published an article on its Search Central blog titled “Understanding the authority of hot topics.” The article explains how Google evaluates expertise in answering news and search queries.
Here’s what we know about topic authority and its impact on rankings.
Subject Authority, by Google
The May article listed Google’s top signals regarding subject authority:
- How notable is a source for a subject or location.
- How original reporting is cited by other editors.
- A source’s history of high-quality reporting or recommendations from expert sources, such as professional societies.
In other words, the main signals are:
- The location of a source (for example, a local news site) or proof of expertise (a knowledge panel).
- Links to other reliable publications.
- Connection to other trusted entities: awards, professional associations, etc.
Google’s November 2023 edition of the Search Quality Rater Guidelines (PDF) repeatedly refers to the authority of the subject. For example, the guidelines explain why “Marriott” appears prominently in a “hotels” query:
Page quality. The Marriott website provides information on Marriott hotels, a popular chain. Marriott has a good reputation and is an expert in hospitality, making the information on this page authoritative. High+ to Highest is an appropriate rating.
The guidelines also suggest checking backlinks from higher ranking pages.
So, the Search Central blog post and the Quality Rater guidelines both suggest Google’s requirements for top rankings:
- Reputation as a trusted resource,
- Recognizable brand or entity in this niche,
- References (links) from reliable sources such as Wikipedia, professional media, etc.
In 2013, Google was granted a US patent (PDF) entitled “System and method for determining the authority of a subject”. It identifies key factors in any web page for attributing expertise on a subject, which the patent calls the “authority signature value.” The patent indicates that the authors’ expertise increases as they publish more articles on this topic.
Google search helps to understand the authority of the topic. For example, a query “ann smarty” produces my knowledge panel with associated entities (“People are also searching”) and my “Articles” in Google News.
![Screenshot of Google search results for "Ann Smarty" Screenshot of Google search results for "Ann Smarty"](https://www.practicalecommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/1-Ann-Smarty-knowledge-panel-570x588.jpg)
Searching for “Ann Smarty” produces the author’s Knowledge Panel with associated entities (“People Also Search”) and her “Articles” in Google News.
Google’s image search also reveals how it categorizes a source. An image search for “ann smarty” reveals several associations, including:
- “online marketing,”
- “SEO analyst”
- “interview,”
- “marketing ninjas”
- ” blogger “.
![Screenshot of image search results for "Ann Smarty." Screenshot of image search results for "Ann Smarty."](https://www.practicalecommerce.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2-Ann-Smarty-image-search-570x150.jpg)
An image search for “ann smarty” reveals the author’s associations, according to Google.
Topic authority is therefore a set of signals (on-site and off-site) that help Google identify expertise and trust for a query.
Authority establishing
To establish subject authority:
- Publish consistent content on your area of expertise. Cover all angles, problems and solutions. Use internal links to help Google find pages and associate them with your business or authorship.
- Get links to your content from trusted resources. Connecting with journalists and posting on social media can introduce your content to authoritative publications and staff.
- Deploy Schema.org markup to help Google understand your expertise. Use the “knowsAbout” and “sameAs” properties in the “Person” or “Organization” types to direct Google to relevant external channels, such as a Wikipedia page on your topic.
Overall, connecting with other known entities is a good way to gain Google’s trust. For example, search for the name of an event when you’re considering sponsoring or speaking at it. Does this trigger a knowledge panel? Do the same research for a potential brand collaboration.
If you’re aiming for high rankings, Google’s authority rating is important.