Recent Google API leaks have given the SEO community a rare glimpse into how search might actually measure a site’s expertise. According to SEO researcher Shaun Anderson, the concept of Topical Authority may be driven by measurable, mathematical signals rather than abstract reputation.
If that’s true, the implications for content strategy are huge. Building authority is no longer just about writing well or earning links. It’s about being structurally and semantically consistent in your chosen topic.
What the Leaks Reveal About Topical Authority
1. siteFocusScore: Measuring Thematic Precision
This score evaluates how targeted a website is on a given subject. The higher your score, the more your content revolves around a clear topical theme.
Action: Build a content plan that reinforces your niche. Avoid publishing unrelated material that confuses your overall topic.
2. siteRadius: The Measure of Topical Drift
Anderson uses a “solar system” analogy to describe this. Your website’s main topic is the sun, while each page orbits around it. Pages that orbit too far weaken the system’s balance.
Action: Audit your content to find pages that don’t align closely with your main subject. Update, merge, or remove them.
3. EntityAnnotations: Helping Google Understand Context
Google identifies entities: people, places, and concepts, to interpret meaning. By connecting your content to relevant entities through schema and consistent terminology, you strengthen your site’s contextual signal.
Action: Use structured data and clear topic connections to guide Google’s understanding of your site.
4. site2vecEmbeddingEncoded: Turning Content Into Data
This signal may represent how Google transforms text into numerical “embeddings,” allowing it to compare sites based on topical patterns. In other words, Google maps your content in a semantic space.
Action: Keep your language, topics, and linking consistent so that your site’s semantic “fingerprint” is clear and recognizable.
5. Authority vs. Quality: Two Different Measures
Anderson notes that high-quality content does not automatically mean high topical authority. A publication like The New York Times can produce excellent journalism but may still lack authority in a niche like fitness or tech if it doesn’t specialize there.
Action: Focus on depth within your expertise before branching out. Build recognized leadership in one subject area at a time.
What This Means for Your SEO Strategy
If these leaked metrics reflect how Google evaluates websites, then topical clarity may now carry as much weight as backlinks or engagement.
To adapt:
- Choose a focused area of expertise.
- Build content clusters around your main topics.
- Strengthen internal linking between related pages.
- Remove or reframe content that doesn’t align with your focus.
- Use entity optimization and structured data to support Google’s understanding.
Google increasingly favors websites that demonstrate expertise through structure, not just style.
Shaun Anderson’s analysis of the Google API leaks highlights something many SEOs have long suspected: Topical Authority is measurable. The takeaway is simple. Stay focused, stay structured, and make sure every piece of content reinforces what you want to be known for.
Credit: This post draws on insights shared by Shaun Anderson, via Chris Long
