Glossary
Topical Authority
The depth and breadth of credible content your brand has on a specific topic — a key signal for both Google ranking and AI inclusion.
Definition
Topical authority is built by publishing comprehensive, expert-level content across a tightly defined topic — and earning external recognition for that content. Both search engines and LLMs use topical authority signals to decide which sources to trust on which subjects. A brand with strong topical authority on "email deliverability" is far more likely to be cited and recommended in answers about email deliverability.
Example
A specialist blog with 200 in-depth articles on cold email, from a recognized author, with backlinks from industry publications, has topical authority on cold email — and shows up consistently in AI answers about it.
Related terms
Entity SEO
Optimization that helps search engines and LLMs recognize your brand as a distinct, well-defined entity rather than just a string of keywords.
Source Authority
How much weight an AI engine gives a particular source when generating answers — analogous to traditional domain authority but specific to LLM trust signals.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
The practice of optimizing your brand and content to be cited, recommended, and described favorably by generative AI engines.
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