Topical authority
The degree to which a site demonstrates comprehensive, credible coverage of a subject area rather than isolated pages on scattered topics.
Algorithms
Topic authority system
A Google system, described for news surfaces, that surfaces publications with demonstrated expertise in a subject or place more prominently for related queries.
In full
Google has described evaluating signals such as how much a publication covers a topic or region, its influence and original reporting, and its reputation with users and other publishers. It applies particularly to news and local coverage, favouring specialist and regional outlets over generalists for topics they own. The practical implication for publishers is depth and consistency of coverage in a defined beat.
Example
A specialist shipping-industry outlet outranks national newspapers for a niche regulatory change in its field.
Related terms
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Original content system
Google's system for surfacing original reporting and source content more prominently than the derivative coverage that follows it.