If you want to increase local SEO and search engine ranking, you need to show Google that you are an industry authority or topical authority. Here are three ways you can do that!
One of the most effective ways to show your authority is by publishing quality content. Great content shows readers that you have knowledge in your field and can provide them with the information they need.
Create Topic Clusters
Topic clusters are a great way to create high-quality content and build trust with search engines. They also help keep visitors on your site longer by answering their most pressing queries.
The core of your topic cluster should be a pillar page that is an overview of your core subject. It should then lead to more detailed cluster pages that dive into various subtopics.
To build a topic cluster, start by reviewing your buyer personas and their problems. Look for five to ten core problems that they struggle with.
Answer Searcher’s Queries
Answering Google search queries can help you build a foundation of expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (EAT) that Google will value. And, it can also help your site rank higher for those queries.
As part of its mission to make information universally accessible, Google is always trying to provide searchers with the best answers to their questions. In order to do this, the search engine utilizes machine learning to adapt to queries and serve up accurate results.
Google’s answer boxes offer users immediate and easy-to-digest answers at the top of the search results with relevant information without the need to click and navigate to another website. The information is pulled from high-ranking sites that Google trusts to provide the most accurate response.
Links
A link is an HTML element that allows you to take people from one part of your website to another, or, from a different website to yours. You can create links in different ways, including using text or images.
Search engines place a lot of importance on links, both internal and external because they provide pathways to reach the content on your site. Internal links communicate to Google which pages are your pillar pages in your topic cluster. External links prove authority to Google through the trust others show in linking to your content.
Outbound links can also be helpful. Linking to other industry authorities as confirmation of what your content is trying to convey helps to prove the accuracy of the info.
If you want to boost your SEO and rankings, consider providing links to other high-quality articles on your site. This will help your website rank higher in search results, as Google will be able to discover your site and its content more easily. In addition, links will make your pages easier to navigate for screen readers and visual users.
Great content is always king in search engine optimization. An SEO strategy should start with content that is written for people and then optimized for your targeted keyword phrase or cluster. As the overall quantity of quality content on your site that is tangentially related rises, so will your industry authority.