{"id":15847,"date":"2026-06-08T23:45:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/how-to-build-topical-authority-in-the-ai-search-era-7-steps\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T23:45:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T23:45:59","slug":"how-to-build-topical-authority-in-the-ai-search-era-7-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/how-to-build-topical-authority-in-the-ai-search-era-7-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build Topical Authority in the AI Search Era (7 Steps)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You can be a strong brand, publish high-quality content, and still not have topical authority.<\/p>\n

Just look at Great Jones, a kitchenware company.<\/p>\n

Their Dutch oven (called The Dutchess) is beautiful, well-reviewed, and featured in industry-leading sites like Vogue, the New York Times, Bon App\u00e9tit, and The Kitchn.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/p><\/figure>\n

But search \u201cbest Dutch ovens\u201d on Google or ask an LLM for recommendations, and the brand rarely appears.<\/p>\n

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\"Google<\/p><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s not that Great Jones lacks content or press.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s missing is the pattern \u2014 a consistent, positive framing that ties the brand to Dutch ovens across its own site and third parties.<\/p>\n

Without this, search engines and large language models (LLMs) can\u2019t confidently connect the brand to the topic, so they default to the names with stronger signals.<\/p>\n

Many brands have some version of this gap. And AI search has only made it more visible.<\/p>\n

The good news: You can build this pattern.<\/p>\n

In this guide, I\u2019ll show you how using the Topical Authority Pyramid, a framework I created to turn your brand into the go-to name in your niche.<\/p>\n

This framework builds on conversations with Amanda Milligan<\/a>, Content and Growth Manager at Semrush, and my work in brand positioning across ecommerce, SaaS, and finance.<\/p>\n

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Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n