What is an authority site?

[temi]

I saw a thread in at another forum yesterday trying to define what an authority site is, does anyone know what or how to define and authority site?

[lala]

Temi,

I think an authority site is a large website full of resources on a specific topic (many pages and lots of content per page). It usually has lots of incoming links from other authority sites. Search engines love those

lala

[OldWelshGuy]

Search engines use technology known as 'clustering' (Google refer to them as neighbourhoods). A neighbourhood is built up in just the same way as in the offline world, through connections.(links). They are also topical for search.

OK so lets say we have a neighbourhood for 'SEO', lets say there are 100,000 sites in the main neighbourhood. The Algorithm then looks at the linking architecture between all those sites, and the site that gains the most inbound links from its peers is the MAIN AUTHORITY in that neighbourhood. Also the site that links to the most sites within that neighbourhood will be the HUB site. Hubs and authorities.

It is not uncommon for a single site to be both a hub, AND authority site, (wiki for example). THIS is one of the reasons why I have always advocated quality outbound links. If your outbounds stick to your niche, then you are placing yourself in the neighbourhood of your choice. By linking to off topic sites, you are damaging your relevancy.

[lala]

Great info, OldWelchGuy!

lala

[Lovely]

The authority site is given to a site by measuring its quality, gauged by a combination of size, importance and relevance. These sites generally consist of one broad topic with many sub-topics.
Authority sites generally have more content and more pages than other sites. The search engines feed on content-rich websites and those with many pages and much content per page better when going head-to-head with a smaller site.

[OldWelshGuy]

Lovely, I hear what you are saying, but it is very general. you say :~

The authority site is given to a site by measuring its quality, gauged by a combination of size, importance and relevance.

So how do you say the algorithm actually places a vlue on each?


You also say:~
The search engines feed on content-rich websites and those with many pages and much content per page better when going head-to-head with a smaller site.

So how does my small company website outrank so many of the massive sites for its chosen phrases?

I am not disagreeing here, I am looking to take the debate farther along the road. To say that an authority site is an authority site because it is better quality, more relevant, and more important, is really not saying anything unless you can explain HOW this comes about ie How they actually ATTAIN the staus of 'importance' , 'relevance' & 'quality'.

[Bagi Zoltán]

OWG, your knowledge always fascinate me.

[OldWelshGuy]

To help move it along a little, I will use the black and white of Googles backrub patent.

Importance is purely mathematical, it is a NUMERIC VALUE gained through the values of interlinking websites. Relevance is an algorithmic element that draws more on textual values. So a site with lots of semantic inbound links to various deep pages linked by lots and lots (technical term ) of sites, 'should' result in a quality score.

Bagi, IMO you don't stop looking until there is nothing left to look for

I use the 'so what's that?' methodology. I ask " why is a site at the top of google?" someone tells me 'it is the best' I Ask So what's that? best?

They say ' the most relevant' I ask 'so whats that?

They say 'google has an algorithm and it decides what sites to show' I ask 'so whats that'?

They say an algorithm is a mathematical programme that uses variables to calculate a value.

I ask variables? so whats that?

and on we go into all the variables anchor text, link volume, topic sensitivity variable values, Semantic relevance and hundreds and hundreds of others, until eventually there is nothing more to ask, and it is broken down to a simple understandable elements.

At the end of the day it comes down to this simple statement, and it is a statement I use as a guide. I tell it to ALL my clients to help them underrstand what it is all about.

A search engine ONLY has two elements on which to base its opinion of your site.

1. What YOU say about your site.

2. What OTHERS say about your site.

It really is as simple as that. Now if you are running a web design website, but are linking out to a poker site, a holidays in the bahamas website, and lots of others, what does THAT say about your site?

If I were a search engine I would think that you did a bit of websit design in the bahamas, while playing poker?

Imagine your wife wanting plastic surgery, say she wanted bigger boobs. She calls up a plastic surgeon he says.

Good afternoon, welcome to the house of humber, PHigh quality Plastic surgery and drains unblocked at reduced rates! would you use him for either?

Same with the web. IMO

[OldWelshGuy]

So does anyone else have an opinion on this?

[temi]

mine is more a question than and openion, what are the indicators that a site is and authority site; does it have it stamped on it in google SERP or something?