Topical Authority Builder

What this helps you do¶

Analyze and improve your website's topical authority—how comprehensively and credibly your site covers a specific topic. Hi, Moose's Topic Authority Builder:

Scans your entire domain to discover up to 100 pages related to a specific topic
Scores your topical coverage from 0-100 based on depth, breadth, and relevance
Identifies topic clusters showing which subtopics you cover well (and which you don't)
Reveals content gaps where you're missing key subtopics competitors address
Recommends specific actions prioritized by impact (high, medium, low)
Analyzes individual pages to see how well each contributes to your topical authority
Compares your coverage to what search engines expect for comprehensive topic coverage

Why topical authority matters: Search engines (and AI systems) favor sites that demonstrate expertise across an entire topic, not just individual keywords. Building topical authority means creating interconnected content that covers a subject comprehensively, signaling to search engines that you're an authoritative source.

When to use this¶

Planning content strategies for a core topic you want to lead
Identifying content gaps before competitors fill them
Auditing existing content to see how well you cover a topic
Improving search rankings by demonstrating comprehensive topical coverage
Before launching new content hubs to understand current baseline
Diagnosing why you rank for some keywords but not others in a topic area
Prioritizing content creation by discovering high-impact gaps
Competitive analysis to understand how thoroughly competitors cover topics

Before you start¶

Requirements¶

A Hi, Moose project (Paid and BYOK plans only)
Your domain (e.g., "example.com")
A main topic to analyze (e.g., "email marketing," "organic gardening," "project management software")

How Analysis Works¶

Hi, Moose: 1. Scans to see how well your domain ranks for the topic on Google Search currently 2. Analyzes a summary of each page's content to determine if it relates to your main topic 3. Groups related pages into topic clusters (subtopic categories) 4. Compares your coverage to comprehensive topic models 5. Identifies content gaps where key subtopics are missing or underdeveloped 6. Generates an overall authority score and prioritized recommendations

Scan Depth Options¶

Light: Analyzes top-level pages (faster, good for initial audits or when you know your coverage is currently light)
Standard: Balanced scan depth (recommended for most sites)
Deep: Comprehensive scan including deeper site sections (slower, most thorough)

What Gets Analyzed¶

All indexed pages (up to 100) that are currently indexed for the topic: - Blog posts, articles, guides - Product/service pages - Landing pages - Resource pages - Any publicly accessible content on your domain

Not analyzed: Pages with noindex directive, login-protected pages, dynamic content requiring authentication, non-text content (videos, audio) unless text is rendered on the page.

Step-by-step (in Hi, Moose)¶

Part 1: Domain-Wide Topical Analysis¶

1. Navigate to Topic Authority Builder¶

From your project dashboard, select Topic Authority Builder (SEO Mode) or Find Topic Gaps (Marketer Mode) from the sidebar
You'll see the Topic Authority Analyzer form

2. Enter Your Domain¶

In the Domain field, enter your website domain
Examples: example.com, blog.example.com, www.example.com
Hi, Moose normalizes domains automatically (removes protocols, trailing slashes)

Validation: - ✅ Green checkmark: Domain format is valid - ❌ Red exclamation: Invalid format—check for typos

Domain tips: - Include subdomains if analyzing a specific section (e.g., blog.example.com) - Don't include paths (e.g., use example.com not example.com/blog) - If you paste a full URL, Hi, Moose will prompt you to use just the domain

3. Enter Your Main Topic¶

In the Main Topic field, enter the primary topic you want to analyze
Be specific but not too narrow:
✅ "email marketing automation"
✅ "organic vegetable gardening"
❌ "marketing" (too broad)
❌ "Mailchimp automation workflows" (too narrow)

Why this matters: The main topic defines what content Hi, Moose looks for. Specific topics yield better insights than vague ones.

4. Select Scan Depth¶

Choose your scan depth based on site size and time available:

Light: - Quick scan considering up to 30 indexed URLs - Best for: Small sites (< 50 pages), initial quick audits - Time: 1-2 minutes

Standard: - Balanced scan considering up to 60 indexed URLs - Best for: Most sites, standard audits - Time: 2-4 minutes

Deep: - Comprehensive scan including up to 100 indexed URLs - Best for: Large sites, in-depth analysis, competitive research - Time: 4-5 minutes

5. Start the Scan¶

Click "Scan for Topic Authority"
You'll see progress:
"Scanning index of [your domain] for '[topic]' content..."
Progress percentage updates in real-time
Deep scans may take up to 5 minutes

6. Review Your Authority Score¶

Once complete, you'll see:

Overall Topical Authority Score (0-100): Broad example: - 80-100: Excellent Authority—comprehensive coverage, strong clustering - 60-79: Good Authority—solid foundation, some gaps to fill - 0-59: Needs Improvement—significant content gaps, weak topical depth

7. Review Key Metrics¶

You'll see three key metrics:

Pages Analyzed: - Total number of pages on your domain related to this topic - More pages ≠ better score—quality and coverage matter more than quantity

Topic Clusters: - Number of distinct subtopic categories your content covers - Each cluster represents a group of related pages addressing a specific subtopic - More clusters = broader topical coverage

Content Gaps: - Number of important subtopics you're NOT covering (or covering poorly) - These are opportunities to create new content and improve authority

8. Review Recommended Actions¶

Hi, Moose provides prioritized action items:

High Priority (red): - Most impactful gaps to fill - Critical subtopics competitors cover but you don't - Fix these first for maximum SEO impact

Medium Priority (yellow): - Important improvements for comprehensive coverage - Strengthen existing thin content

Low Priority (blue): - Nice-to-have additions - Advanced subtopics for completeness

Part 2: Topic Cluster Analysis¶

9. Navigate to the Topics Tab¶

Click the "Topic Coverage" tab to see detailed cluster analysis.

What you'll see: - List of all topic clusters your content covers - Coverage percentage for each cluster - Number of pages in each cluster - Related pages grouped by subtopic

Coverage scoring: - 80-100% (green): Excellent coverage—you have comprehensive content on this subtopic - 60-79% (yellow): Average coverage—you address this subtopic but could expand - 0-59% (red): Poor coverage—major opportunity to create content

10. Explore Each Topic Cluster¶

Click any cluster to expand and see: - Pages in this cluster: URLs and titles of pages covering this subtopic - Coverage assessment: What you're doing well and what's missing - Suggestions: Specific content ideas to improve coverage

11. Analyze Individual Pages¶

For any page in a cluster: - Click "Analyze This Page" to see how well that specific page contributes to topical authority - This opens the Page Optimizer (see Part 3 below)

Part 3: Content Gaps Analysis¶

12. Navigate to the Gaps Tab¶

Click the "Content Gaps" tab to see missing or underdeveloped subtopics.

What you'll see: - List of subtopics you should cover but don't (or barely do) - Why each gap matters (competitive context, search demand, topical completeness) - Priority level (high/medium/low)

13. Prioritize Gap-Filling Content¶

For each gap: - High-priority gaps: Create content immediately—competitors cover these, and they're central to the topic - Medium-priority gaps: Add to content calendar for next quarter - Low-priority gaps: Nice-to-haves for advanced/comprehensive guides

Part 4: Single Page Topical Analysis¶

14. Navigate to Page Optimizer Tab¶

Click the "Page Audit" tab to analyze how well a specific page contributes to your topical authority.

Note: a domain audit is required before you can run a page audit.

Look for Topic Audit: drop down select field, and choose the topic you previously ran for your domain.
Manually enter URL: Analyze any page on your domain for that chosen topic

15. Review Page-Level Analysis¶

You'll see:

Page Authority Score (0-100): - How well this individual page contributes to your overall topical authority - Based on: content depth, keyword relevance, internal linking, topic alignment

Page Assessment: - Strengths: What this page does well (e.g., "Covers email segmentation comprehensively") - Weaknesses: What's missing or thin (e.g., "Lacks discussion of behavioral triggers") - Opportunities: Specific ways to improve (e.g., "Add section on advanced segmentation techniques")

Recommended Improvements: - Prioritized list of content additions, updates, or restructuring - Each recommendation tied to improving topical authority

What you get¶

1. Overall Topical Authority Score (0-100)¶

A single metric showing how comprehensively your domain covers a topic. Higher scores correlate with better rankings and topic dominance.

2. Key Metrics Dashboard¶

Pages Analyzed: Total pages related to your topic
Topic Clusters: Number of distinct subtopics covered
Content Gaps: Missing or underdeveloped subtopics

3. Topic Cluster Breakdown¶

For each subtopic cluster: - Coverage percentage (how well you cover it) - List of pages in that cluster - Assessment of strengths and gaps

4. Content Gap Analysis¶

Prioritized list of subtopics you should cover: - High priority: Critical gaps competitors fill - Medium priority: Important for completeness - Low priority: Advanced or niche subtopics

5. Recommended Actions¶

Specific, prioritized tasks: - "Create content about [subtopic]" - "Expand existing page on [URL] to include [missing element]" - "Improve internal linking between cluster pages"

6. Page-Level Analysis¶

For individual pages: - Page authority score (contribution to overall topic authority) - Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities - Specific content improvements

7. Historical Tracking¶

Previous analyses saved to Analysis History
Track score changes over time
See how content creation impacts authority

Tips for best results¶

Be specific with your main topic: "Content marketing strategies for SaaS" > "marketing"
Run deep scans for large sites: More thorough analysis reveals hidden content
Focus on high-priority gaps first: These have the biggest SEO impact
Create comprehensive pillar content: One strong 3,000+ word guide per cluster > multiple thin posts
Interlink cluster pages: Connect related content to strengthen topical signals
Re-analyze quarterly: Track authority improvements after publishing new content
Use Page Optimizer on new content: Check if new pages strengthen your authority before publishing
Analyze subdomains separately: If you have blog.example.com, run a separate analysis for it

Troubleshooting¶

"Please enter a valid domain (e.g. example.com)"¶

Cause: Domain format is incorrect.
Common issues: - Including paths: example.com/blog ❌ → Use example.com ✅ - Typos or missing TLD: examplecom ❌ → Use example.com ✅ - Invalid characters

Solution: Enter just the domain (and subdomain if needed), no paths or protocols.

Scan stuck at "Scanning index..." for over 5 minutes¶

Cause: Large site, deep scan selected, or temporary network issues.
Solutions: - Wait up to 10 minutes for deep scans on large sites (500+ pages) - Refresh the page if stuck beyond 10 minutes—analysis may have completed but not updated - Try a Medium scan instead of Deep for faster results - Check domain is publicly accessible—Hi, Moose can't scan password-protected sites

Authority score is lower than expected even though you have lots of content¶

Common reasons: - Content isn't focused on the topic: Pages mention the topic tangentially but don't deeply address it - Thin content: Many short pages vs. fewer comprehensive guides - Missing key subtopics: Competitors cover important angles you don't - No topic clusters: Content doesn't group into coherent subtopic categories

Solution: Focus on depth over breadth. Create comprehensive content addressing specific subtopics fully rather than many shallow pages.

Cause: Hi, Moose couldn't find any content on your domain related to your main topic.
Common issues: - Topic too narrow: "Mailchimp automation workflows for e-commerce" → Try "email automation" - Topic mismatch: Analyzing wrong domain or topic not actually covered - New site: Very new domains may not have been crawled yet

Solutions: - Broaden your main topic slightly - Check you entered the correct domain - Verify your site has content on this topic (manual check) - Try a different topic you know you cover

Topic clusters show low coverage (under 60%) across the board¶

Cause: Your content touches many subtopics but doesn't comprehensively address any of them.
This means: You have "thin" topical coverage—lots of breadth, little depth.

Solution: - Pick 2-3 high-priority clusters from your results - Create comprehensive pillar content for each (2,000-4,000 words) - Interlink related pages within each cluster - Re-analyze in 2-4 weeks after publishing to see score improvements

Content gaps list is empty¶

Two scenarios:

Scenario 1: Your score is 90+
Meaning: You have excellent topical coverage—there are no significant gaps!
Action: Maintain and update existing content. Focus on other topics where you have lower authority.

Scenario 2: Your score is below 80 but no gaps listed
Cause: Your existing content is thin across the board rather than missing subtopics.
Solution: Expand existing pages rather than create new ones. Check "Recommended Actions" for specific content improvement suggestions.

"The URL must be from the same domain as your analysis: example.com"¶

Cause: Trying to analyze a page from a different domain than your topical analysis.
Why: Page Optimizer compares a page's authority to your domain's overall authority score—mixing domains would produce meaningless results.

Solution: - Check for typos in the URL - Use the correct domain: If analyzing blog.example.com, ensure the page is from that subdomain - Run a new domain-wide analysis if you want to analyze a page from a different domain

Page Optimizer says "Could not extract content from this URL"¶

Cause: Hi, Moose couldn't scrape the page content.
Common issues: - Page is password-protected or behind a login - Page uses heavy JavaScript rendering - Page returns an error (404, 500, etc.) - Firewall/bot detection blocking automated access

Solutions: - Verify the URL loads in your browser - Check for access restrictions (login walls, paywalls) - Use manual content input: Copy the page content and paste it into the "Manual Content Input" field - Try a different page from your domain

FAQs¶

How is topical authority different from keyword rankings?¶

Keyword rankings measure how well you rank for specific search terms (e.g., "email marketing automation").

Topical authority measures how comprehensively your entire site covers a broad topic (e.g., the full landscape of email marketing—automation, segmentation, analytics, deliverability, compliance, etc.).

Why authority matters: Search engines increasingly favor sites with topical authority. Even if you rank well for one keyword, you may struggle to rank for related keywords if your overall topical coverage is weak. Building authority helps you rank for hundreds of related keywords, not just a few.

What's a "topic cluster" and why does it matter?¶

A topic cluster is a group of pages on your site that all address the same subtopic within your main topic.

Example: For the main topic "email marketing," clusters might be: - Automation cluster (pages about workflows, drip campaigns, triggers) - Segmentation cluster (pages about list segmentation, targeting, personalization) - Analytics cluster (pages about open rates, A/B testing, reporting)

Why clusters matter: Search engines recognize when related content is grouped and interlinked. Strong clusters signal expertise in that subtopic, improving rankings for all keywords within that cluster.

Should I create new content or improve existing content?¶

Check your Content Gaps: - Many high-priority gaps: Create new content to fill missing subtopics - Few/no gaps but low coverage scores: Improve existing content—make it more comprehensive

General rule: Fill critical gaps first, then improve existing pages. Creating new content for already-covered subtopics dilutes authority and can cause duplicate content issues if you leave both live; filling gaps expands it.

How often should I re-analyze topical authority?¶

After major content additions: Re-analyze 2-4 weeks after publishing new content to see authority improvements.

Quarterly audits: Run analyses every 3 months to track long-term trends.

When rankings drop: If you notice ranking declines in a topic area, run an analysis to check if competitors improved their authority.

What authority score should I aim for?¶

80+: Excellent—you're competitive with top sites in this topic
70-79: Good—you have authority but can improve
60-69: Decent—building authority, more work needed
Below 60: Significant opportunity—prioritize content creation

Context matters: A score of 70 in a highly competitive niche (e.g., "SEO," "weight loss") may be strong. The same score in a narrow niche (e.g., "pottery glazing techniques") might be average.

Does topical authority affect AI search visibility?¶

Yes. AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) favor comprehensive, authoritative sources when generating responses. Sites with high topical authority are more likely to: - Be cited in AI-generated answers - Mentioned in AI search results - Be recommended as sources

Building topical authority helps with both traditional SEO and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO).

Why does my blog score lower than my main domain?¶

If you analyzed blog.example.com separately from example.com, they're scored independently. Subdomains are treated as separate sites by search engines.

Solution: If your blog is a subdomain, run separate analyses. If it's a subfolder (example.com/blog), analyze the main domain—the scan will include blog pages.

What if I disagree with the authority score?¶

Topical authority scoring is algorithmic and data-driven, but not perfect. If your score seems off: - Check if your main topic matches your content: A mismatch (e.g., analyzing "SEO" when you primarily cover "content marketing") produces inaccurate scores - Review content gaps: Even if you think you cover a topic well, gaps may reveal missing angles - Focus on recommendations, not just the score: Actionable insights matter more than the number

Need help? Contact support from your dashboard or email support@himoose.com. For content strategy questions or custom topical authority audits, we're here to help you lead your niche.