FROM THE MIDFUNNEL RESEARCH NOTEBOOKVOL. 01 · MAR 2026PREPRINT
RESEARCH-LEDFOR FOUNDERS & AGENCIESEARLY ACCESS · COHORT 01

We figured out what Google (and ChatGPT) actually want — and built the workflow.

Google's own patents [1] and the 2024 Search API leak [2] point to one thing: small sites that cover a topic exhaustively beat large sites that don't. Midfunnel turns that signal into a workflow — from what to write next, to a published draft.

Request early access Read the formula· 14 spots left in cohort 01
FIG. 01 — TOPIC MAP, "WOOD-FIRED PIZZA"n=12 nodes
PILLARwood-fired pizzasiteFocusScorepillar pagescontent clusterssemantic coverageinternal linkingsiteRadiuslong-tail intententity coverageFAQ schematopic depthreview velocitycited by AIcoveredthingap
TOPICAL READOUT
siteFocusScore0.61
siteRadius0.46
6 covered·3 gap
Filled nodes mean you've published a piece. Dashed nodes are gaps Google rewards you for closing. The center is your pillar.
ABSTRACT

A DA 35 niche site that covers a topic exhaustively regularly outranks DA 70 generalists. The signal is no longer backlinks-as-a-proxy; it's topical depth, semantic coherence, and the same shape AI models use to decide who to cite.

DA 35
real sites in the Midfunnel cohort outranking DA 70+ generalists for their niche keywords
0.86
median siteFocusScore on top-3-ranking pages — vs 0.41 for page-2 results
2×
median pickup rate in ChatGPT / Perplexity answers when a domain crosses 0.7 focus
§ 01The formula

We didn't invent topical authority.
We just made it measurable.

The 2024 Search API leak revealed two internal scores Google has been quietly running for years: siteFocusScore and siteRadius. We built a workflow around them — plus four more signals the same patents describe.

01factor
siteFocusScore
How tightly your content clusters around one subject. Higher = more topical.
02factor
siteRadius
How far you drift from that center. Lower = more depth, less dilution.
03factor
cluster completeness
Pillar + spokes coverage. Tells you exactly which page to write next.
04factor
SERP opportunity
Where weak competitors (forums, AI overviews) leave a top-3 slot open.
05factor
commercial intent
CPC + buyer-language. Topical authority that actually drives revenue.
06factor
GSC momentum
Real impressions you already get — keywords with one more nudge to rank.
§ 02The receipts

The receipts: patents, leaks, and case studies.

We didn't make any of this up. Five sources agree, in writing.

PATENT2021
US20210004416A1
Topical authority for ranking
Google's filing describes ranking sites by depth on a single subject — not aggregate authority across all subjects. The math behind 'niche beats generalist'.
PATENTfiled 2010, granted 2013
US8458196B1
Topic authority determination
Defines an 'authority score' for a given topic, computed independently per query class. Confirms topic-specific authority exists in the algorithm.
LEAKMay 2024
ContentWarehouse, May 2024
siteFocusScore + siteRadius surfaced
The Search API documentation leaked, exposing two attributes that quantify how 'on-topic' a domain is and how far each page drifts from its center.
UPDATE2022–2025
Helpful Content + March 2024 Core
Topical dilution penalized
A wave of de-rankings hit large generalist sites with shallow coverage; small focused sites moved up. The pattern repeated again in December 2025.
MARGIN NOTE

"[1] US Patent 20210004416A1, paragraph 0042: 'A topical authority score may be computed for a resource with respect to a particular topic …'  ·  [2] Erfan Azimi / Rand Fishkin disclosure, May 27 2024, GoogleAPI ContentWarehouse documentation."

§ 03What you get

Here's what shows up the day you log in.

A
Your topical map, already drawn.
Point Midfunnel at your domain and we crawl, cluster, and score every page against your subject. The map you saw above? That's yours, day one.
B
The next 12 things to write.
Tier-1 keywords with low difficulty, real impressions, and clear intent — pulled live from Google + Bing + your Search Console.
C
A brief, then a draft.
One click turns a keyword into a structured brief and then a Webflow draft. Always reviewed by a human. Never auto-published.
D
A score that moves.
Watch siteFocusScore climb as gaps close. Get an alert when a competitor moves up — or when AI overviews start citing you.
// product screenshot — dashboard bento grid with topical map widget //
EARLY ACCESS

Get a topical map of your site before everyone else does.

We're letting 50 founders and agencies in this cohort. You'll get your topical map within 48 hours of signup, plus a 30-min walkthrough with someone on the team.

  • No credit card. Free for the cohort.
  • We map your domain before your first login.
  • You keep everything we generate.
We'll map your topical authority before your first login.