Entity SEO & Topical Authority: 90-Day Plan

Entity SEO is about making people, places, products, and concepts on your site machine-understandable and relationship-rich. Topical authority is the editorial proof that you cover a subject thoroughly and helpfully. This 90-day plan shows you how to define entities, build clusters, deploy schema, wire internal links, and ship at a steady content velocity—without thin pages.

What you’ll need (quick prep)

  • A CMS you can templatize (WordPress + ACF/Blocks, or Next.js).
  • A single style guide (titles, slugs, capitalization, date formats).
  • A fact source of truth (Airtable/Notion/DB): terms, synonyms, attributes, citations.
  • Image CDN + lazy-load.
  • GA4 + GSC + a rank tracker that surfaces SERP features.

1) The core concepts (keep these in view)

  • Entity: A thing with a stable identity (e.g., “Core Web Vitals,” “Microsoft 365,” your brand, your founder, your flagship service).
  • Attributes: Verifiable facts (release year, specs, pricing bands, locations, certifications).
  • Relations: “is-a,” “part-of,” “competes-with,” “works-with,” “is-authored-by.”
  • Entity Home: The most authoritative page on the web for that entity (often your About/Brand page for yourself; a pillar page for a concept).
  • Cluster: One pillar that explains the topic end-to-end + multiple supporting articles answering discrete questions.
  • Topical Authority: Users and algorithms can tell you’ve covered the topic completely, accurately, and usefully—with proofs, data, and references.

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2) Your 90-day roadmap (three sprints)

Days 1–30 — Define & Design

  1. Pick the topic domain (narrow but valuable).
    Example for an SEO/IT brand: Entity SEO, Programmatic SEO, Core Web Vitals, WordPress Security.
  2. Inventory the entities.
    • Primary: Your brand, your founder(s), your products/services, your topic pillars.
    • Secondary: Concepts, standards, tools, competitors, partner platforms.
    • For each entity, note: canonical name, aliases, 1-sentence definition, 5–10 attributes, 5–10 trusted external refs.
  3. Choose your clusters (3–5 to start).
    For each cluster:
    • Pillar (3,000–4,000 words): “Everything you need to know about [Entity].”
    • Supporting articles (8–20): Each answers a specific task/FAQ/comparison.
    • Asset(s): calculator, checklist, diagram, code sample, template.
  4. Design the templates.
    • Pillar template: intro verdict, layered ToC with jump links, definitions, diagrams, comparisons, FAQs, sources, last-updated.
    • Support template: 60-word direct answer, steps/procedure, pitfalls, link to pillar + relateds, sources.
    • Entity card (reusable): name, alias list, image/icon, short definition, metadata (first published/updated), “sameAs” links.
  5. Create the Entity Home(s).
    • /about (Organization + Person schema) as your brand/author entity home.
    • /glossary/ or /topics/ landing page listing your defined entities (ItemList schema).
    • For each major concept you want to own, publish a concise entity stub now (400–700 words) that will later expand into the pillar.
  6. Schema framework (plan, then paste).
    • Site-wide: Organization (or LocalBusiness), WebSite, BreadcrumbList.
    • Page-level: Article/BlogPosting (or TechArticle where relevant), FAQPage (when genuine), HowTo (only when procedural), ItemList (indexes), Service/Product (offers).
    • Every page: mainEntityOfPage and about/mentions links aligning to your entity URLs.
  7. Internal link rules (write them down).
    • Every support page links up to its pillar (once near top, once near end).
    • Every pillar links down to all support pages (ItemList section).
    • 2–4 lateral links between sibling support pages (closest semantic neighbors).
    • Anchor taxonomy: question-style for answers, noun-phrase for concepts, verb-phrase for actions.
  8. Velocity plan (Weeks 1–4).
    • Week 1: 2 entity stubs + About revamp + /topics/ index.
    • Week 2: Pillar #1 draft + 3 supports.
    • Week 3: Pillar #1 final + 3 supports + schema deployed.
    • Week 4: Pillar #2 draft + 2 supports + first diagram/tool.

Days 31–60 — Publish & Connect

  1. Ship Pillar #2 + 8–10 supports.
    • Each support opens with a 60-word direct answer, then depth.
    • Add FAQ sections only when they solve real ambiguities.
  2. Wire the graph.
    • Implement breadcrumbs.
    • Add “Related reading” blocks (semantic, not just latest).
    • On the pillar, create an ItemList of its children with brief one-liners.
  3. Disambiguate your brand/author.
    • Match names across social/YouTube/LinkedIn.
    • Add sameAs to brand and author pages (your official profiles).
    • Use consistent headshots/logos and a short, factual bio with verifiable roles.
  4. Add proofs.
    • Cite standards, docs, whitepapers.
    • Publish one original dataset (survey/benchmark) with a reproducible method.
  5. Velocity plan (Weeks 5–8).
    • Week 5: Finish Pillar #2; 3 supports live; add diagram(s).
    • Week 6: 3 supports + 1 glossary entity expanded.
    • Week 7: 2 supports + 1 comparison page + internal link pass.
    • Week 8: Pillar #3 draft + 2 supports + schema QA.

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Days 61–90 — Scale & Prove

  1. Ship Pillar #3 + 6–8 supports.
  2. Refresh early posts with updated examples and better cross-links.
  3. Add a “Source Box” component to pillars (persistent list of references; dates; method notes).
  4. Publish a tool/checklist (downloadable + on-page view).
  5. Outreach light: announce dataset/tool to newsletters/communities for natural links.
  6. Velocity plan (Weeks 9–12).
    • Week 9: Pillar #3 final + 2 supports + tool live.
    • Week 10: 3 supports + interlink audit.
    • Week 11: Glossary expansions (5–10) + redirects for duplicates.
    • Week 12: Quarterly review: prune weak pages; consolidate overlaps; plan next clusters.

Output by Day 90:

  • 3 pillars, ~24–30 support articles, a glossary index, consistent schema, strong internal links, one dataset/tool, and visible improvements in impressions for head + long-tail queries.

3) Cluster blueprints (copy these patterns)

Example Cluster: Entity SEO

  • Pillar: “Entity SEO: Complete Guide to Entities, Attributes, and Knowledge Graphs”
  • Supports:
    • “Entity Home: How to Claim and Structure It”
    • “mainEntityOfPage vs about vs mentions (with examples)”
    • “How to Build a Topics/Glossary Index That Scales”
    • “Creating SameAs Networks Without Spam”
    • “Author Entities: Bios, Byline, and Review Processes”
    • “Disambiguation: Handling Brand Name Collisions”
    • “Measuring Topical Authority (GSC + internal analytics)”

Example Cluster: Topical Authority

  • Pillar: “Topical Authority: From Keyword Lists to Editorial Proof”
  • Supports:
    • “Designing Pillar/Support Information Architecture”
    • “Content Velocity: Safe Cadence for New Sites”
    • “How to Use ItemList and BreadcrumbList for Clarity”
    • “Comparison Pages That Don’t Cannibalize Pillars”
    • “Pruning and Consolidation: When to Merge, Redirect, or Noindex”

4) On-page formats that win

  • Answer-first intros (40–60-word direct answer).
  • Definition box (entity, aliases, 1-line “why it matters”).
  • Attributes table (simple, factual, cite sources).
  • Comparison matrix (criteria columns; “what the matrix can’t show” notes).
  • Process steps (ordered lists; 5–8 steps).
  • FAQ (3–5 most asked, written crisply; avoid fluff).
  • Sources & methods (what you tested, when, limitations).

5) Schema: plug-and-play snippets

Organization (site-wide, put on /about)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your Brand Ltd",
  "url": "https://example.com",
  "logo": "https://example.com/logo.png",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourbrand",
    "https://twitter.com/yourbrand",
    "https://youtube.com/@yourbrand"
  ],
  "founder": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Your Founder",
    "url": "https://example.com/author/your-founder"
  }
}

Person (author page)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "name": "Your Founder",
  "url": "https://example.com/author/your-founder",
  "jobTitle": "Head of SEO",
  "worksFor": {"@type": "Organization", "name": "Your Brand Ltd"},
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/in/yourfounder",
    "https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XXXX",
    "https://github.com/yourfounder"
  ]
}

Article (pillar/support)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "headline": "Entity SEO: Complete Guide to Entities, Attributes, and Knowledge Graphs",
  "author": {"@type": "Person", "name": "Your Founder"},
  "datePublished": "2025-09-30",
  "dateModified": "2025-09-30",
  "image": "https://example.com/images/entity-seo-guide.jpg",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://example.com/entity-seo",
  "about": [
    {"@type":"Thing","name":"Entity SEO","url":"https://example.com/topics/entity-seo"},
    {"@type":"Thing","name":"Topical Authority","url":"https://example.com/topics/topical-authority"}
  ]
}

BreadcrumbList (every article)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://example.com/"},
    {"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Topics","item":"https://example.com/topics/"},
    {"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Entity SEO","item":"https://example.com/entity-seo/"}
  ]
}

ItemList (pillar lists its children)

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ItemList",
  "name": "Entity SEO Articles",
  "itemListElement": [
    {"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"url":"https://example.com/entity-home"},
    {"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"url":"https://example.com/mainentityofpage-about-mentions"},
    {"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"url":"https://example.com/sameas-networks"}
  ]
}

(Add FAQPage where applicable. Use HowTo only for real procedures.)

6) Internal linking: a simple algorithm

  • Each support page:
    • Link to pillar within first 150 words (exact topic anchor).
    • Link to 2–4 siblings (closest cosine similarity/semantic neighbors).
    • Link to one “next step” commercial page (service/tool/demo).
  • Each pillar:
    • Link to every child (ItemList).
    • Provide two paths onward: comparison page + tool/template.
  • Anchor taxonomy:
    • Concepts → noun phrases (“entity home”, “topical map”).
    • Tasks → verb phrases (“build an entity home”).
    • Questions → exact question form (“What is mainEntityOfPage?”).
  • Placement:
    • Early links for navigation, mid-body links for context, end-links for “what next.”
    • Avoid site-wide link dumps; keep links per page purposeful (8–20 internal links is a healthy working range for long guides).

7) Content velocity (cadence that compounds)

  • New/young site: 2 supports/week + 1 pillar/month.
  • Established site: 3–4 supports/week + 1 pillar every 4–6 weeks.
  • Refreshes: 20–30% of monthly publishing effort should be updates (date, data, diagrams, new relateds).
  • Add glossary stubs continuously (200–400 words), then expand top performers.

8) Quality bar (how to avoid thinness)

  • Every page states scope & limits (“This guide covers … not …”).
  • Citations and dates in the first 300–400 words.
  • Original elements: charts, measurements, code snippets, screenshots, or field notes.
  • Authorship clarity: who wrote, who reviewed, when updated.
  • UX: clear ToC, jump links, table formatting, accessible alt text.

9) Measuring topical authority

  • GSC:
    • Track impressions for head terms (“entity seo”, “topical authority”).
    • Group queries by cluster; watch breadth (distinct queries) and depth (avg position).
    • Monitor brand + topic co-occurrence (“your brand + entity seo”).
  • GA4:
    • Scroll depth, time on page for pillars; outbound clicks on sources/tools.
    • Assisted conversions from cluster pages.
  • Content ops:
    • Every 30 days: prune low-impression supports; merge overlaps; strengthen weak pages with new data/links.

10) Reusable briefs (paste into your docs)

Pillar brief

  • Working title, target entity, 1-line user outcome.
  • 10–14 H2/H3 questions (map to PAA/real FAQs).
  • 3 comparisons to include.
  • 1 diagram + 1 downloadable asset.
  • 5 trusted sources to cite.
  • Internal links to/include from: [list].
  • Schema types: Article, BreadcrumbList, ItemList, FAQPage (if used).
  • Success metric: Rank on 50+ queries; ≥ 60% scroll depth; ≥ 2 internal clicks per session.

Support brief

  • 1 primary question; 60-word direct answer.
  • Steps/pitfalls; one mini-example.
  • Link to pillar + 2 siblings + 1 “next step.”
  • Schema: Article (+ FAQ if needed).

11) Example outlines you can reuse

Pillar: Entity SEO (sample ToC)

  1. What is an entity (and why search cares)
  2. Entity homes (site, author, concept)
  3. Attributes & relations (with a small table)
  4. mainEntityOfPage, about, mentions (how they differ)
  5. Building a topics index (ItemList)
  6. SameAs networks (safe vs risky)
  7. From keyword lists to entity graphs (workflow)
  8. Internal links that reflect relationships
  9. Schema patterns (Organization, Person, Article, ItemList, Breadcrumb)
  10. Proof: sources, dates, methods
  11. Common mistakes & fixes
  12. Your 90-day checklist

Support: mainEntityOfPage vs about vs mentions

  • 60-word direct answer
  • When to use each (decision tree)
  • Examples (JSON-LD snippets)
  • Pitfalls (over-tagging; wrong URLs)
  • Link to pillar + related pages

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is an entity in SEO?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "An entity is a uniquely identifiable thing (brand, person, concept, product). Entities have attributes and relationships that machines can understand."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is an Entity Home?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "It’s the canonical page that defines an entity. Your About page is often the Entity Home for your brand/author; a pillar can be the home for a concept."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How many clusters should I start with?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Three to five. Each with one pillar and 8–20 supporting articles tied together with clear internal links."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Do I need schema for every page?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Yes—at least Article + BreadcrumbList. Add FAQ/HowTo/ItemList/Service as appropriate."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I measure topical authority?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Growth in distinct queries/impressions per cluster (GSC), deeper engagement on pillars (GA4), more internal clicks, and rising brand + topic searches."
      }
    }
  ]
}