We have just the guide for you.
Read on to find out:
What are topic clusters?
Why should you use them?
How to use it?
And how to create topic clusters for SEO purposes
Let's get started!
What is a topic cluster and how does it apply to SEO?
A topic cluster is a network of interconnected articles and web pages grouped around a central theme or umbrella topic.
With topic clusters, brands can dig deeper into the key topics their audience cares about, improve their site architecture, and improve their search engine rankings .
Having a solid site architecture is crucial to supporting topic clusters. It’s the only way search engine spiders (and your target audience) can discover you.
By organizing your blog and site into topic clusters qatar telephone number data you can maintain a clear and logical structure. This makes it easier for search engines to recognize the relevance and authority of your content within the broader topics you choose.
One striking example of this strategy in action is Young and the Invested, a site dedicated to demystifying finances for parents, caregivers, and children.
Young and the Invested skillfully utilizes topic clusters to create engaging content around finance-related topics that challenge their target audience, with a primary focus on promoting financial literacy.
For example, one of the main topics is "investment strategies" and there are supporting subtopics such as:
How to invest as a teenager
The 12 best types of investment vehicles
4 best ways to invest $1,000 for a child's future
Topic Cluster - Youngandtheinvested
Source: Youngandtheinvested
By strategically linking these articles and pages, Young and the Invested ensures that search engines recognize the depth and breadth of its financial literacy expertise, which increases its visibility and credibility with its target audience.
And speaking of reliability...
Why use topic clusters?
Creating content clusters not only looks organized and structured, but also helps meet Google's EEAT system :
Experience
Expertise
Authoritarianism
Reliability
Google Quality Raters use EEAT to determine the quality of your site's content.
Plain and simple: If your content doesn’t meet EEAT, you’ll have a hard time convincing Google that your site has “topical authority,” which means you won’t rank highly for keywords in your niche.
EEAT - Google Quality Raters uses it to determine your site's content quality
Source: linkedin
This is a big problem if you are in a competitive field.
Using topic clusters in highly competitive niches is a powerful SEO strategy that can significantly increase your brand’s online presence.
For example, take Breadcrumbs, a leading lead scoring software company.
Breadcrumbs has established itself as an authority on the subject by creating a comprehensive set of topics focused on data-driven lead scoring.
The website is filled with informative content about lead scoring, covering subtopics like high-performing scoring models, automating lead scoring, and best practices for lead evaluation.
This content hub not only improves the user experience, but also signals to search engines that Breadcrumbs is a trusted source for lead scoring information.
Breadcrumbs - a leading lead-scoring software company
Source: breadcrumbs
How to use topic clusters for SEO purposes?
Use topic clusters to determine the main topics and subtopics your blog will be known for.
You will start by choosing the main themes.
Next, you’ll determine the related topics that will fall under each major theme or “pillar.” Each column with related topics will be considered a content cluster.
Make sure to optimize your core topic pieces and companion articles with relevant keywords to encourage higher SEO rankings .
You can also create other content assets and lead generation campaigns around your topic clusters.
More on lead generation in a moment!
How to create topic clusters?
Here's how to create topic clusters for your blog, step by step.
1. Know your target customers and your core message
Who are you trying to reach with your content cluster model?
Product designers at unicorn SaaS startups ? Data science directors at EdTech companies? Vintage fashion sellers running Etsy shops?
Be specific about who you are creating content pillars for and how doing so will help you achieve your business goals.
For example, “We are looking to attract lead project managers from project management startups. We hope to gain their business as premium SaaS subscribers.”
Next, understand your core message and competitive advantage.
What does your brand stand for? If people could remember one thing about your business, what would it be?
For example, a leading project management solution might choose a core message like, “Our project management app helps project managers shave 10+ hours per week off their schedules.”
2. Study your target audience's pain points and how you can solve them better than your competitors
Dig deeper into your target customers’ problems and the unique solutions you have developed for them.
What are they struggling with? Why is your solution the best option for them? Put yourself in their shoes and think about how you can build trust with them.
Taking the time to complete this exercise is key to getting in the right mindset so you can create a topic cluster strategy that aligns with the goals of both your business and your audience.
3. Turn your audience's FAQs into key topics on your blog
What are the questions your target audience is most curious about regarding your brand and solutions?
Get inside their heads and examine past interactions you have had with them.
What do they need help with? What questions have they asked in the past? Explore questions in brand mentions, customer support tickets, and form inquiries. You can also check out Quora and Reddit for additional questions related to your brand.
Take a close look at your list of questions and circle any recurring questions or underlying patterns you notice.
These questions will be the key topics and long-tail keywords you will be targeting in your blog!
For example, let’s take a look at the content creation process Clean Origin used to finalize one of its core pillars: “What is a lab-grown diamond?”
When strategizing blog post topics, Clean Origin took into account the biggest problem their target audience has: choosing the perfect diamond that is conflict-free and environmentally friendly.
He also thought about the most important solution he offered to his target audience:
Lab-grown diamonds that are both conflict-free and environmentally friendly.
Finally, Clean Origin assessed the most common questions its audience asks about the solution it provides. One of the most frequently asked questions was: “What is a lab-grown diamond?”
This question helped Clean Origin realize that in order to build trust and prove the integrity of their jewelry, they needed to educate their audience about the diamond-making process.
