Topic Clusters—and How They Can Benefit Your SEO
A key goal for your website is to be visible on Google and other search engines if you want to attract new customers. For this reason, SEO is an important part of your online marketing strategy. However, SEO can be a complex task, and competition for the coveted top rankings on Google can be fierce. That’s why it’s important to have a good grasp of your SEO tools.
In this post, I’ll dive into my toolbox and take a closer look at a model that’s having an increasingly significant impact on SEO—and that you’d therefore be wise to incorporate into your current SEO strategy: topic clusters.
What Are Topic Clusters?
In general, topic clusters are an upgrade to your current SEO strategy that focuses on topics rather than keywords. In Danish, topic clusters are also referred to as “content clusters” or “topic clusters.” A topic cluster consists of one overarching topic and a group of landing pages with related subtopics that provide comprehensive coverage of the main topic.
This method allows you to organize your website's content, which, quite simply, makes it easier for search engines to navigate key topics and find related content.
This way, you create clarity, focus, and credibility for your brand—which, taken together, improves both the user-friendliness of your website and its visibility in search engines. In other words, it can be an important part of your SEO strategy.
Optimize Your SEO with Topic Clusters
Google's algorithm is constantly evolving, and the search engine is continually getting better at understanding what consumers are actually looking for when they use Google. We've touched on this before in our post about search intent.
This development also means that Google has become better at assessing when a given page will be able to answer a specific search query. SEO is therefore no longer just about keywords, but rather about relevant topics.
Let’s take an example:
. If you’re interested in exploring Copenhagen’s culinary specialties, a typical Google search would be: “Where should I eat tonight?” This type of search is based precisely on the assumption that search engines are smart enough to understand the intent behind your search—and your SEO strategy should reflect that.
This is where the topic cluster model comes into play. It serves as part of a strategy to achieve greater authority and legitimacy within your specific field. By organizing your content around topics, you show Google which areas you’re knowledgeable about and which questions you can answer.
It’s important to understand how your target audience searches when using search engines. In fact, very few people actually search for keywords. Most people are trying to solve a specific problem or answer a question, and it’s Google’s job to provide that answer. That’s why your content should be based on human needs and thought processes rather than keywords.
What do topic clusters consist of?
Topic clusters generally consist of three parts:
1) A pillar page
The pillar page is the very core of your content cluster. It consists of a landing page that covers the overall topic and is subsequently supported by a series of supporting pages.
Of course, the topic must be relevant to your company’s products or services, which are then detailed on your supporting pages. Overall, it should be the keyword for which you want to rank particularly well.
Let’s take an example from Amplify. Since SEO makes up a large part of our business, we want to rank for the keyword“SEO agency,”so naturally we have a landing page targeted at that search. That is our pillar page.
But we also know that our pillar page can’t do all the work on its own. We need a series of supporting pages that can explore SEO as a topic rather than just treating it as a standalone keyword. I’ve illustrated this visually below (note, by the way, that this post about topic clusters—in a very meta way—is also part of our topic cluster designed to cover SEO as a topic).
You can do the same yourself, drawing on your knowledge of your products or services. You know what you offer and are thoroughly familiar with your selection. Then it’s just a matter of getting started writing!
2) More supporting pages
Supporting pages are pages within your topic cluster that cover related subtopics. Your supporting pages should support your pillar page both in terms of content and through internal links. They often cover related subtopics and can take the form of blog posts, product pages , or other types of content. The most important thing for these subpages, however, is that they answer users’ questions by covering the topic in depth.
3) Internal links
Hyperlinks are the final component of the model—and, in fact, the most important part of your topic cluster. First and foremost, because internal links serve as the connection between your pillar page and your supporting pages—and are thus the absolutely essential element that helps the algorithm identify a topic cluster. At the same time, internal link building is an often-overlooked part of your link-building strategy.
Your supporting pages should always include a link back to the pillar page, as this makes it easy for users to navigate the website. Conversely, your pillar page does not necessarily need to link to all supporting pages.
One pillar page, several supporting pages… how big should your topic cluster be?
Now that we’ve explored the various components of a topic cluster in more detail, it’s also very important to consider the ideal size. In principle, the number of supporting pages depends primarily on the parent topic.
The smallest topic clusters typically consist of a pillar page and a handful of supporting pages, while a larger one can consist of several hundred pages. A rule of thumb, however, is that it’s always beneficial to organize your content into smaller, more defined cluster models. The most important thing is to maintain an overview and create a focus—it’s all about the depth of the topic.
How do you create your topic cluster?
By now, you’ve hopefully gotten a sense of how a topic cluster works and why it’s a tremendous upgrade to your current SEO strategy. With that said—let’s take a look at how to build your content clusters.
1) Get a clear overview of your ideas
The first step in building a topic cluster is to get an overview of all the topics relevant to your business—and, most importantly, your customers. Here, it can be a good idea to brainstorm the topics and questions your target audience would like to know more about.
Here, you can use tools such as AnswerThePublic, Ahrefs, or Search Console to find ideas for topics.
Once you have your relevant topics, you can categorize them into potential topic clusters. First, choose your main topic—your pillar page—and then decide which subtopics you can explore on your supporting pages.
2) Content is the most important thing
Once you've selected your pillar page and supporting pages, it's time to start writing. It's a good idea to begin by drafting your pillar page, since it serves as the foundation for all your supporting pages.
If your topic cluster includes existing pages, you should optimize those as well. Remember to promote your pages using hyperlinks!
Benefits of Topic Clusters
Now you know what topic clusters are—and, just as importantly, how to create them. But just to be clear, let’s take a moment to explain why you should invest time in creating them.
- You increase your visibility on Google when you supplement your pillar pages with supporting pages.
- You'll increase your chances of ranking for more specific keywords within your core areas.
- You'll improve the user experience, as it will be easier to navigate the content on your website.
- You build credibility and authority in your specific field.
Using the cluster model, it is therefore possible to cover every conceivable topic and keyword based on grouping. This method shifts the general focus of SEO strategies from keywords to topics, thereby organizing content into broader topics.
Topic clusters build authority—and thus visibility
When your business succeeds in creating valuable content, it establishes itself as an expert in that field, which builds authority—and consequently leads to higher rankings for your most important keywords.
3 Quick Tips Before You Get Started with Topic Clusters
I hope you feel ready to dive into optimizing your current SEO strategy. Before you dive into your new project, here are three tips to keep in mind:
1) Keep track of your links
Your hyperlinks are an absolutely essential part of your topic cluster, so it’s crucial that you keep your link structure organized. The most important links are those that lead from your supporting pages to your pillar page—these must always be present. Conversely, it might be a good idea to link from your pillar page to supporting pages, but only if it makes sense to do so.
2) Visual elements provide context
It’s a good idea to regularly include visual elements—such as videos, images, and infographics—on your pages. This is especially true for your pillar page, since it’s often longer than your supporting pages and can therefore be difficult to read. By using visual content, you’ll also engage readers who are more visually oriented and prefer watching videos.
3) Keep your content focused
It’s important that your pillar page covers the main topic thoroughly without exhausting it completely. Similarly, there should still be value for readers in clicking through to your supporting pages.
If you remember to follow these strict guidelines, topic clusters can become a valuable tool for improving your website’s search engine rankings.
Get help with your topic cluster!
Would you like to learn more about how to improve your current SEO strategy or the user experience on your website? Contact us 70 60 50 28 or info@amplify.dk —as an SEO agency, we’re ready to help you achieve greater visibility on Google.
FAQ – Topic Clusters
In a topic cluster, you create structure and organize the content on your website. It can be a group of landing pages, blog posts, and guides that all share the same main topic.
The short answer—YES.
If you're interested in ranking highly, it's essential that you have your topic clusters completely under control.
At Amplify, for example, we have a topic cluster called “SEO.” Our topic cluster consists of landing pages, guides, and blog posts that cover SEO advice, 10 tips for a good SEO strategy, and more.
Learn Even More
Whether you're a generalist or a specialist in marketing, our experts have put together a number of helpful tips for you on our blog.
