Topic cluster
A content model where one broad pillar page links to and from many specific supporting pages covering subtopics of the same subject.
ContentTopical depth
Topical authority
The degree to which a site demonstrates comprehensive, credible coverage of a subject area rather than isolated pages on scattered topics.
In full
Google does not publish a 'topical authority score', but its systems evaluate quality at site level as well as page level, and comprehensive coverage supported by internal links and genuine expertise tends to compound. In practice it means mapping the questions and subtopics a subject entails, covering them properly, and linking them so relationships are explicit. Breadth without depth produces thin content; depth without breadth leaves obvious gaps competitors fill.
Example
A payroll software site publishes coverage of every filing deadline, form and compliance rule its customers face, interlinked from one hub.
Related terms
Pillar page
A broad, comprehensive page that introduces a whole topic and links out to detailed supporting pages within the same cluster.
Internal linking
Links between pages on the same site, which control crawl paths, distribute link equity, and communicate topical relationships and page…
Entity
A distinct, uniquely identifiable thing — a person, place, organisation, product or concept — that a search engine can reason about…
Information gain
The amount of genuinely new information a document adds beyond what the user has already seen in other results for the same query.
Where to read more
- Authoritative Sources in a Hyperlinked Environment (HITS) · Landmark Post · cs.cornell.edu