Topic Focus signal · 20% of your score
Is your site unmistakably about one thing?
Any given AI answer names a handful of sources, not a long list. Go deep on one subject and you're a plausible candidate for that short shelf. Sprawl across everything and you read as nobody's first choice.
Why it matters
A site organized into recognizable clusters (a hub page plus supporting pages all covering one subject) reads as a genuine authority. A scatter of unrelated trending posts reads as a generalist. This is the one signal we still put a number on, because unlike the others it never finishes: there is always more depth to build. Whether that depth converts into more citations is something we're measuring across our own subscribers, and we'll tell you what we find rather than promise it in advance.
What the Tracker checks
- How many pages your site has on its core topic, and how they cluster
- Whether content is organized into hub-and-spoke clusters or scattered themes
- Author bios, named methods, original research, and first-party data
- Whether the site reads as written by a practitioner or a generalist
How it's scored
Every site gets a 0 to 10 on this signal. Here's what each band looks like.
Strong
8–10Clearly built around one topic, organized into real clusters, with author credentials and named methods that read as a domain practitioner.
Mixed
5–7Some focus, but content is scattered across loosely related themes and author identity is thin.
Weak
0–4No clear topical center, generalist 'what's trending' posts, and missing or generic author identity.
How to improve it
- 1Pick one core topic and build a cluster of pages around it
- 2Create a hub page that links out to every supporting page on the subject
- 3Add author bios that show real credentials and named methods
- 4Stop publishing off-topic posts that dilute what the site is about
The Tracker doesn't just score this, it drafts the exact pages to close the gap, built in the structure engines reward. Run your site through all six signals and get the one highest-impact fix to start with.
Questions, answered
How many pages do I need to look like an authority?
There's no fixed number, it's about depth relative to the topic. A tight cluster of pages that fully covers one subject beats a hundred scattered posts across unrelated themes.
Can a small site build topical authority?
Yes. A focused site that goes deep on one narrow topic often reads as more authoritative than a large, unfocused one. Depth and focus matter more than total page count.
The other five signals
See where you stand on all six.
One scan scores your site on every signal, shows the pages an engine reads and skips, and hands you the fix worth making first.
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