--- title: "Topic authority system (2023): how Google ranks expert news sources" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/topic-authority-system-2023 section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Content strategy", "SERP features"] --- # Topic authority system (2023): how Google ranks expert news sources ## The short answer Google described its topic authority system on 23 May 2023 in a Search Central post. It helps decide which expert sources suit newsy queries in areas such as health, politics and finance, using how notable a source is, its original reporting and its reputation. Google gave no launch date and no impact figures. ## Key takeaways - Google explained topic authority on 23 May 2023 but did not say when the system first launched. - It applies to newsy queries in specialized areas such as health, politics and finance. - Its most prominent signals are notability for a topic or location, original reporting and source reputation. - Google said it helps local publications surface for news events in their area. - Google's advice is to keep providing great coverage about the areas and topics you know well. ## What Google changed Google did not announce a change on 23 May 2023. It explained an existing system. In a Search Central post, Jen Granito of Google wrote that Google "developed a system called topic authority that helps determine which expert sources are helpful to someone's newsy query in certain specialized topic areas, such as health, politics, or finance." Google named three of the most prominent signals. The first is how notable a source is for a topic or location. The second is influence and original reporting, meaning how other publishers cite a publication's reporting. The third is source reputation, such as a history of high-quality reporting, recommendations from professional societies, or journalistic awards. ## When it rolled out The date on this page is the date Google published its explanation. The post does not say when topic authority first went live, and Google made no rollout announcement for it, so there is no start or completion date to report. It covers "Top Stories and other news features" in Search, as well as Google News. ## What is known about its impact Google gave no figures. Its description of the effect is qualitative: "Local publishers are more likely to show up more often for news events they cover in their area." Its example is a flood, where the system helps surface publications that regularly cover that city or town, even when larger national outlets also cover the story. ## What site owners should do Google's advice to publishers was direct: they "should do exactly what their publications would normally do: provide great coverage about the areas and topics they know well." Google said that work should align with its general guidance on helpful, people-first content. - Build depth in the topics and places you already cover, rather than chasing every story. - Do original reporting that others cite. - Show the reputation you have earned, such as awards and editorial standards. Google's current ranking systems guide does not list topic authority by name. It does list related active systems for news, including local news systems and original content systems. ## How to check whether it affected you Topic authority has no rollout window, so there is no before and after to compare. For a news site, a more useful check is the Search Console Performance report filtered to the News search type and to Google News, broken down by topic section. Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so 2023 comparisons need archived exports. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists dated updates. ## Related updates - [MUM (2021)](/updates/mum-2021) was the previous Google system explained in a post rather than a rollout. - The [September 2023 helpful content update](/updates/september-2023-helpful-content-update) was the next content-focused change. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is Google's topic authority system? It is a system Google uses to decide which expert sources are helpful for newsy queries in specialized topic areas, such as health, politics or finance, in Google Search and Google News. ### When did the topic authority system launch? Google did not say. It explained the system on 23 May 2023 in a Search Central blog post, which is the date recorded here, but the post gives no launch date. ### Which signals does topic authority use? Google named three prominent signals: how notable a source is for a topic or location, influence and original reporting (how others cite a publisher's reporting), and source reputation, such as a history of original reporting or journalistic awards. ### Does topic authority apply to non-news sites? Google described it only for news queries, in Google Search and Google News. It said nothing about applying it to other kinds of sites. ## Sources 1. [Understanding news topic authority](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2023/05/understanding-news-topic-authority) - Google Search Central Blog (primary) 2. [A guide to Google Search ranking systems](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) - Google Search Central (primary) 3. [Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content) - Google Search Central (primary)