Since digital presence defines market position, thought leadership and topical authority can (and should) go hand-in-hand. Together, they create an impact that goes beyond just being seen.

This is a fundamental shift in how brands establish authority — and how they can benefit.

This article explores how entity-based search has transformed SEO strategy, the connection between thought leadership and Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines, practical strategies for building authority, and measuring your progress.

Key takeaways

• Thought leadership and topical authority create a synergistic effect, amplifying brand visibility across both traditional search and AI-driven platforms while establishing lasting credibility
• Entity-based search has transformed SEO strategy, requiring brands to build comprehensive knowledge networks rather than focusing solely on keywords
• Consistent, in-depth content creation focused on specific domains helps establish expertise signals that both search engines and AI systems recognize and prioritize
• Strategic digital PR and collaborative content efforts strengthen entity associations and authority signals through established knowledge graphs
• Success measurement now encompasses entity recognition metrics, including knowledge panel presence, citation patterns, and authoritative content

Understanding entities in modern search ecosystems

Search engines have evolved well beyond simple keyword matching. Now, people and brands gain authority through what we’ll call “relationship networks.”

Think of these networks as the number of times a brand or person is mentioned in the same context as a specific topic and concept.

A brand or person in this context is called an “entity.” An entity builds its own identity on the internet based on these associations.

Entities live in an architectural framework called knowledge graphs. There are intricate webs of relationships between entities, topics, and domains of expertise.

How knowledge graphs function

Knowledge graphs organize information to help search engines pull the most valuable and relevant content.

Basically, it’s a network of interconnected entities, topics, and domains. Each entity, whether a person, brand, or concept, is linked to others by:

• Publishing content on similar topics or contexts
• Directly linking or referencing each others content
• Being referenced by other entities in association with one another

Knowledge graphs organize these entities in a hierarchy based on how closely they’re yoked to a topic.

For example, let’s say we have two entities:

1. Tech Innovator Inc.: This entity is a company known for developing cutting-edge technology products. They write content on their blog about topics like “artificial intelligence,” “smart devices,” and “innovation in technology.”
2. Green Energy Solutions: This entity is a company focused on sustainable energy solutions. They’ll post videos to Youtube about topics on “renewable energy,” “solar power,” and “environmental sustainability.”

In this example, Tech innovator Inc. likely sits high on the hierarchy for terms focused on smart devices. Green Energy Solutions probably is high for terms focused on sustainability.

Your position in the hierarchy for any term is your “topical authority,” or “topic share.”

Now, these two entities could work together to strengthen each others authority through:

• Shared topics: Both entities are associated with the topic “innovation.” By linking from each other, they’re compounding topical authority.
• Collaborative projects: They might cross-promote on a project to develop AI-driven solar panels. This project leverages each entity’s area of expertise.
• Industry events: If both entities frequently participate in the same industry conferences or are mentioned in the same articles about technological advancements in energy, they have an even stronger association to one another.

The value in topical authority

In short: if you want potential customers to find you, you need topical authority.

To do that, your chosen entity must demonstrate a consistent, deep understanding of the topic you care about. This could be by publishing content to your own blog, sharing videos, or even by having an SME on your team post relevant content to their social media.

So, does this mean old-school SEO is out the window? Not really, but the move towards focusing on entities has definitely changed how we think about being visible online. Instead of just going after keywords, it’s now about creating strong digital identities that clearly link to what you’re an expert in.

How thought leadership signals E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T guidelines help entities content that readers actually care about. The acronym stands for “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.”

Original, in-depth content that really digs into industry problems and solutions shows you’re an expert. When you publish quality pieces, search engines start seeing you as a go-to source in your field.

Google’s recent E-E-A-T guideline updates now focus more on experience and expertise. This change benefits content creators who show real authority through original ideas, rather than just rehashing what’s already out there.

“Having worked in SEO since 2016, I have seen that thought leadership is not about gaming algorithms, but demonstrating genuine expertise that stands the test of time. When you consistently produce insightful, original content in your specific domain, you naturally build the authority signals that Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines are designed to reward,” explains Morgan Taylor (Digital Marketing).

You want to position your brand (or self) as the go-to resource by digging deep into the topic on and beyond your domain.

This kind of insight not only meets what users want right away but also what search engines look for in thorough content.

Here’s a key point: Personal brands and companies build stronger authority by sticking to their niche. Spreading content across unrelated topics can weaken your authority and mess with your established expertise.

For example, Hubspot, an heavy player in SEO, lost 40% of their traffic in a month span — likely by casting their net too wide.

Impact on AI-driven search and content discovery

In AI-powered search systems, these entity dynamics are even more important.

“LLMs tend to favor content from well-established voices in a space, especially when those voices are backed by consistent, high-quality, and data-driven publishing,” notes SEO Strategist Brandy Hastings from SmartSites, a marketing agency that has generated over $100M in sales for clients and earned a top spot as the number 3 SEO services ranked by G2.

Large language models tend to prefer sources that are known for their expertise when coming up with answers, which really pushes brands to focus on building their thought leadership. When other experts and well-known publications mention your work, it really boosts your credibility — which boosts your visibility.

To do well in AI-driven search, you need a mix of strategies. Smart companies blend traditional SEO with efforts to build authority, focusing on both technical tweaks and showing real expertise.

Practical strategies for building thought leadership authority

“We have officially entered the era where trust outranks traffic, and we have moved from ranking to resonating. Today, it is not enough to show up on page one. You have to show up with credibility. Buyers (and algorithms) are rewarding content that answers deeper questions, tells a clear story, and helps someone make a decision while teaching beyond simple definitions,” Sheri Otto, Digital Marketing Expert.

Content Clusters

A “content cluster” is when you publish several articles on different aspects on a single topic, and link them together to demonstrate your in-depth expertise.

Let’s use our earlier example. If Tech Innovator Inc. wants topical authority on the topic of “artificial intelligence,” they might publish:

• An article on the impact of AI across industries
• A listicle about the different AI tools available
• A how-to guide for implementing AI into your workflow

Building solid content clusters shows off your know-how in specific topics, both in depth and range. These linked pieces of content send out stronger signals of authority than standalone articles ever could.

Original research

Putting out original research and trend analysis makes your organization a go-to source worth citing. When others in the industry start referencing your data and insights, it creates a powerful ripple effect across knowledge networks.

In this example, Tech Innovator Inc. can develop and publish an extensive report on forward-looking AI trends.

Collaborating with other entities

Teaming up with well-known authorities builds valuable connections. These partnerships boost your authority through established networks — especially when the collaboration results in substantial, insight-driven content.

For example, Tech Innovator Inc. can partner with Green Energy Solutions to create videos about “AI-driven solar panels.”

Public relations

Don’t underestimate the PR game. These moments of virality can help you strengthen your brand’s link to key topics. Expert commentary, interviews, and guest posts all play big roles in making these connections.

Our friends at Tech Innovator Inc. could launch a PR push that showcases a new feature on their smart device, while consistently demonstrating their entities relationship with smart devices in general.

Structured data

Like with traditional SEO, structured data correctly helps search engines better recognize and categorize relationships. This technical groundwork strengthens the ties between brands, people, and their areas of expertise.

Tech Innovator Inc. might conduct a website audit where they update headings to incorporate highly relevant terms and cleanly link pages together.

Measuring authority growth and impact

When it comes to measuring success for authority-driven content, it’s not just about domain traffic. Figuring out authority means understanding how you show up in:

• Knowledge panels
• Page 1 of search engines
• Featured snippets
• Links from other sites with authority in topics you care about.

Use a tool like Ahrefs or Google Trends to see where your brand is mentioned in top industry content, check backlinks, and track references. This helps us see how well search engines recognize your brand and its expertise.

Should we ditch traffic metrics completely? Definitely not. But we should broaden our idea of success to include these authority signals, even if they don’t immediately boost visitor numbers.

Thought leadership: Positioning for long-term digital relevance

Thought leadership and topical authority can (and should) work together.

Companies that focus on entity authority aren’t just trying out another marketing trick— they’re building long-lasting digital assets that boost visibility across platforms while others try to keep up.

“Positioning is crucial in order to stand out online, not only from the competition and other creators or brands, but also from AI. And this goes way beyond saying, oh, I am a ghostwriter or I am a website designer. No, you want to be the go-to expert and the thought leader in a certain area with a certain skill,” says Stefan Puc (Digital Marketing), a Premium Ghostwriter helping founders grow on LinkedIn and X.

Bringing together thought leadership and topical authority isn’t just a short-term win. It’s the key to staying relevant in a digital world that’s more and more shaped by AI.