Google has been using a secret SEO system for several years?

Yes, yes it has! Google's Search Liaison Danny Sullivan revealed earlier this year, that Google has been using a secret search system for "several years". What is this search system? Well, I'm glad you asked, it's the "Topical Authority" system. Not all of Google's search engine systems are publicly revealed and until May 23rd of this year "Topic Authority" was one of them.

What is Google's "Topical Authority" system?

Google explains it as a system that aims to "help surface relevant, expert, and knowledgeable content in Google Search and Google News". Google goes on to explain that this system helps determine which expert sources are helpful to someone's query in certain specialized topic areas such as health, politics or finance.

How does Topical Authority work?

The system looks at a "variety of signals" to gather the expertise strength a publication has in a particular area. Some of the most important signals are

• How notable a source is for a topic or location:

The system can understand publications that seem "especially relevant". For example they know if someone is searching for a local football team, they can identify the local publications in that area.

• Influence and original reporting

The system looks at original story reporting and how it is cited by other publishers to understand influence and authority. Google notes that, in 2022, they added a "Highly Cited" label to alert readers of frequency of citation.

• Source Reputation

  The system also looks at a source's history of high quality reporting, or recommendations from expert sources, such as professional societies.

How topic authority helps

Topic Authority aims to help with localized stories to personalize results regionally (as well as globally). To put important local stories in your search feed by trusted members of the community. Google states that publishers looking for success should provide great coverage about areas and topics they know well, such work would align with the topic authority measurables as well as creating helpful, people-first content, and with that we await further revelations about Google's unannounced search systems in the future.