One of the reasons B2B content underperforms is not quality it is structure. Or lack of it.
Content teams can product useful, sensible, very good content. But because it is scattered, disconnected, or constantly changing direction, topical authority never compounds i.e. there is a bigger picture that needs to be realised over time, reinforcing the same ideas repeatedly over time.
There are quite a few technical terms but I’ll do my best to break them down and explain them clearly as we go.
Start with buyer problems, not content formats
I’ve seen so many content strategies start with formats like blogs, guides, videos, or white papers. But that is backwards.
Authority compounds when content is organised around buyer problems, meaning the real challenges buyers are trying to solve, not the assets marketing wants to produce.
This matters because topical authority is built when search engines repeatedly see your site addressing the same problem space clearly and consistently.
Topical authority simply means how strongly your website is associated with a specific subject. In plain English, do search engines believe you genuinely know what you are talking about?
Reality check
I like to be really binary. If a piece of content does not clearly reinforce one of your core buyer problems, do not publish it.
Decide what you are building authority around
You cannot build authority around everything. It’s just too hard and none of us are blessed with the resources required. Unless you’re extremely lucky, you have to choose.
So, focus becomes a technical decision, not a creative one.
When teams publish across too many topics, they dilute entity association, which is how search engines connect your brand name with specific concepts over time.
Entity association means that when your brand appears online, it repeatedly shows up in connection with the same ideas. That repetition is how recognition forms.
Reality check
If a new topic does not strengthen an existing authority area, it weakens your overall signal.
Understand the role of a core page
For each problem you choose to focus on, there should be a core page, sometimes called a pillar page.
A core page is the main page that defines the problem, sets shared language, and anchors your point of view.
Its job is to:
• Explain the problem clearly in everyday language
• Define key terms and concepts
• Outline approaches, trade-offs, and options
• Reflect how buyers actually think
Search engines use this page as a reference point when it is reinforced correctly.
Reality check
If you cannot point to the core page a piece of content supports, your structure is already breaking.
Supporting pages exist to answer specific questions
Once a core page exists, you create supporting pages.
Supporting pages answer specific buyer questions, objections, comparisons, or implementation concerns related to the core problem.
This structure creates semantic overlap, which means multiple pages on your site cover closely related questions using similar language and concepts.
Semantic overlap helps search engines understand that your site understands a topic in depth rather than mentioning it once.
Each supporting page should clearly relate back to the core problem. If it does not strengthen the core page, it should not exist.
Internal linking reinforces meaning, not just rankings
Internal linking is often treated as a technical SEO task. It is actually a meaning signal.
Internal linking is the practice of linking from one page on your site to another. When done deliberately, it tells search engines
• Which pages matter most
• How concepts relate to each other
• Which topics you consider authoritative
A strong internal linking structure:
• Links supporting pages back to the core page
• Links laterally between closely related questions
• Uses consistent, buyer aligned language
This reinforces topical authority and entity association at the same time.
Avoid keyword cannibalisation by managing intent
Keyword cannibalisation happens when multiple pages on your site target the same search intent, meaning the same underlying goal of the searcher.
Search intent might be learning, comparing, validating, or deciding.
The fix is simple
• One page per intent
If two pages answer the same question for the same reader at the same stage, they compete.
Cannibalisation is usually a structural problem, not a keyword problem.
The fastest ways to kill compounding authority
If you want to undo progress quickly, these are the most reliable ways.
• Rebranding language every year
• Restarting content themes with each new CMO (and we know how short their tenures are)
• Publishing for internal politics rather than buyer problems (especially egotistic service line heads)
• Letting the content calendar dictate strategy
• Launching new topic areas before existing ones mature
One way to think about it is that these behaviours reset any authority you had building.
How to know when a topic is complete enough
Many teams abandon topics too early.
A topic is usually complete enough when:
• You rank for a wide range of related queries
• Search impressions grow without new optimisation
• Sales teams use multiple pieces in live deals
• New content adds marginal value rather than new ground
At this point, content maintenance matters more than expansion.
Content maintenance means updating language, consolidating overlap, and strengthening internal links.
How structure changes SERP behaviour
As topical authority increases, you will see changes in SERP (Search Engine Results Page) behaviour, meaning how your pages perform in search results.
These include:
• Faster ranking velocity, meaning new pages rank more quickly
• Greater ranking stability, meaning positions fluctuate less
• Query expansion, meaning you rank for terms you did not explicitly target
• Reduced reliance on heavy optimisation
This is how authority shows up before obvious wins.
The simple rule to remember
SEO rewards authority.
Authority compounds through structure.
Without structure, effort resets.
With structure, effort compounds.
If your content library does not make it obvious what you are known for, neither search engines nor prospective clients will work it out for you.
Tools that help observe authority building
As you’d expect, there’s tools out there to help you observe patterns.
Google Search Console shows query breadth, impressions, and early authority signals.
Ahrefs or Semrush help analyse topical coverage and competitor visibility.
Crawlers like Screaming Frog reveal whether internal linking reinforces structure.
Brand monitoring tools help track entity association beyond links.
Just be cautious and don’t rely on them too much. Tools cannot tell you what to be known for. They cannot judge prospect trust. They support judgement, not replace it.
Call to action
If you want your content to actually build authority, stop asking what to publish next and start asking what you are reinforcing.
Write down the buyer problems you want to be known for solving. Then map your existing content against them. If most of it does not clearly support those problems, authority will not compound.
Focus on fewer topics. Build depth. Structure deliberately.
If you want help turning your content into a system that compounds authority rather than scattering it, get in touch and we will introduce you to people who genuinely know what good looks like.
