Authority Sites

MacroChap · 08-03-2004, 02:55 AM

OK, Hi folks,
We'll skip the emotional introductions, but I really like this forum and read it daily as is my voyeuristic nature.

Can anyone explain how google defines an authority site? Is this a status inferred by Human appointment or can the (or the many) google algo define and apply this.

Many Thanks

I, Brian · 08-03-2004, 08:31 AM

Hilltop:

http://www.seo-lab.com/google-articl...rs/Hilltop.php

Here's the main part from the abstract:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Google Hilltop

In this paper, we propose a novel ranking scheme for broad queries that places the most authoritative pages on the query topic at the top of the ranking. Our algorithm operates on a special index of "expert documents." These are a subset of the pages on the WWW identified as directories of links to non-affiliated sources on specific topics. Results are ranked based on the match between the query and relevant descriptive text for hyperlinks on expert pages pointing to a given result page.

arius · 08-03-2004, 09:55 AM

An example of an authority site might be:
http://java.sun.com

when you google "java".

There are probably more pages talking about Java on that site than any other.

If you could somehow get an authority site to link to you it is a pretty good endorsement of your products and services.

loki · 08-03-2004, 11:49 AM

how do i identify an authority site?

awall19 · 08-03-2004, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loki

how do i identify an authority site?

everyone has their own opinion on this, but if they rank well for competitive queries then the site is an authority on that topic in the eyes of that particular search engine.

arius · 08-03-2004, 12:47 PM

Another simple definition of an authority site is whatever site comes up first in the SERPs. That site is considered an "Authority Site" by Google according to its relevance algorithm.

Consider though that a company web site could become an authority site in a very short time by marketing hype. For example, look at jibjab.com.
They got a lot of press, even tv & radio air time and email referrals. They had a marketing buzz.

Any product can become a household name to the point that every search engine brings up their company web page when a unique brand name is entered as keyword search criteria.

Back to you.

I, Brian · 08-03-2004, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loki

how do i identify an authority site?

I actually think that's the wrong way of looking at it - perhaps better to think in terms of:

"What are the best quality links that I can realistically get?"

If you want really big name sites to link to you, you often need very exceptional content to justify your being linked to. For example, having your site showcased by About.com.

Jim · 08-03-2004, 05:05 PM

If the site doesn't care about SEO and still rank well it's probably an authority site.
i.e. eBay is the first result for "auction" on Google and the word "auction" only appears once on the mainpage (keyword density?) and it doesn't even appear on the title.

MacroChap · 08-04-2004, 12:27 AM

Well, 1 more questions then:

What specifically do you think defines an authority site? is it:

1) a site that ranks well for a specific keyword, and is therefore only an authority in a specific instance (i.e. Bill Gate$ is not an authority on "freeform contemporary jazz dance interpretation") and could be down graded to regular non authoritive status as you move back down the serps.

2) a site as above but with authority for a theme (i.e. Larry Page may be an authority on "dance") giving you a job for life, or until G spots your blackhats or changes the rules again.

3) a site with high PR or Traffic (for example) that can infer credibility to another site for any keyword (i.e. I do not run a search engine, but still think a link from google's home page would at least mildly assist my serps for my chosen keywords)

4) could it all be a load of rubbish

5) none of the above, somebody has thought of something different

awall19 · 08-04-2004, 01:18 AM

#1, frequently with a touch of #4

brickred · 08-05-2004, 02:35 AM

when you beat the compititors on keywords(of your Business Sector) you become authority

MadHatter · 08-05-2004, 02:40 AM

example: http://phpnuke.org would be the authority for "php nuke", it has PR9, & tons of IBL.
Any 3rd party sites should rank below this site, and sites linked to from phpnuke.org, should feel the benefits of being linked to from a more powerful site.

MacroChap · 08-05-2004, 02:42 AM

So
1) Has "authority" site just become another euphamism for being ranked number 1/2
2) Does "authority" mean that there has been a perceived change (although not that recent I realise) in the Google algo to give even more credibility (i.e. ability to infer credibility) to these sites
or
3) Is it referring to the "fact?" that there are additional filters applied to sites at this level, and to survive the filters, you must be an authority?

MadHatter · 08-05-2004, 02:45 AM

Well, from a humon POV, the authority site should be the official site for the product or search term:
(like phpnuke.org), or search for wallmart, and the authority site should be the official wallmart site.
BUT, how google would recognise this with its algo is tough to call.
I think authority sites would only work for extremely competative search terms.

MacroChap · 08-05-2004, 02:52 AM

Yeah, thanks
That's kind of what I was getting at. If it is purely an algo based credibility, what are the criteria that makes a site an authority on a subject. I don't personally beleive it all comes back to who is number one, cos I have one or two less reputable sites sitting at number one for some quite bizzare (and uncompetitive) terms.
It is another grey area, that seems to have a lot of assumptions made about it.
I suppose another way to define the question is to say: What is the difference between a site that ranks well for a popular term, and an authority site? If they are the same thing, then it kind of supports the euphamism theory (coz we all know there aren't many of those in internet marketing!).

Who decides what a competitive keyword is anyway? Obviously it is solely dependant on the number of people searching it, but any ideas as to what the cut off point would be.

Yeah, I'm sure I keep asking the same questions, but I'm a bit like that...

coolguy27 · 02-20-2008, 12:11 PM

Authority sites are built to be highly informative for the visitor, in a format that is highly usable. They're dynamic, so the search engines and your users always have something new to read....

Quote:

A fairly comprehensible authority site definition was put forward by Jason Dowdell of Global Promoter. Jason defined it this way: "authority sites are sites that have been linked to and referenced on other web sites covering the same subject matter and they also will have hundreds if not thousands of pages covering that subject matter and nearly every facet of it."