Topical Authority Analysis

I use this template to map a topic before planning content. You list your pillars and every subtopic under them, mark what your site already covers, and compare each one with the best competitor page.

The Coverage score tab then turns that map into a simple percentage for each pillar, so you can see where the gaps are and decide what to write next.

What’s included

• Topic map: pillars, subtopics, search intent, example keywords and monthly volume
• Coverage status: Yes, Partly or No for every subtopic, with your URL alongside
• Competitor benchmark: the best competing URL for each subtopic and notes on what it does better
• Priority column: High, Medium or Low, so the map becomes a content plan
• Coverage score: automatic counts and a Coverage % for each pillar and for the whole site
• Worked example: 15 subtopics for a fictional coffee roaster to show how a finished map looks

How to use it

1. Make your own copy of the sheet in Google Drive.
2. List the 3 to 6 pillars you want your site to be known for.
3. Add every subtopic under each pillar, with an example keyword and its volume.
4. Mark each subtopic as Yes, Partly or No, and add the best competitor URL and your gap notes.
5. Type your pillar names into the Coverage score tab and plan new content around the lowest scores and highest priorities.

Tips from my client work

• Close the gaps in your strongest pillar before starting a new one. Depth in one area is easier to build than a thin spread across many.
• Find subtopics in People Also Ask, related searches, competitor menus and the questions your customers ask you.
• Link each subtopic page to its pillar page and to closely related subtopics, so the cluster is easy to follow.
• Re-score every quarter. It is a simple way to show progress beyond rankings.

FAQs

What is topical authority?

Topical authority is how thoroughly and credibly your site covers a subject. A site that answers the main questions in a topic, links those pages together and shows real experience is more likely to rank across that topic than a site with one isolated article.

How is the coverage score calculated?

For each pillar, the sheet counts subtopics marked Yes, Partly and No. Coverage % is the number covered plus half the number partly covered, divided by the total number of subtopics. It is a planning aid rather than a ranking factor, but it shows clearly where the gaps are.

How many subtopics should each pillar have?

There is no fixed number. List every distinct question or need a searcher has within that pillar, then merge any that a single page would answer together. Some pillars need a handful of pages, others need dozens.