The internet is a place of fierce competition. Simply creating quality content isn’t enough to outrank your rivals. As your website grows, you need a strategic approach that showcases your expertise and helps search engines understand your content.
At WPBeginner, one of our major strategies is creating SEO topic clusters. These interconnected groups of articles on specific topics help us build authority, avoid keyword cannibalization, and let Google know which posts are most important.
This article will guide you through building a powerful content cluster strategy to help you climb the search engine ranks and establish your website as a go-to resource in your niche.
What Is an SEO Topic Cluster?
The whole world is looking for answers online. 6.3 million times per minute, they type their questions into Google and press Enter, hoping to find the information they need.
The trick to attracting search traffic is to create high-quality, detailed content that answers those questions. These ‘pillar articles’ are long-form posts that provide as much evergreen information on the topic as possible.
The problem is that as your website grows, you may want to cover more information on a topic that can realistically be put into a single post. At WPBeginner, we have found that the best way to handle this is to create clusters of articles around each topic.
An SEO topic cluster is centered around a comprehensive pillar or ‘parent’ post that links to ‘child’ articles that handle the details about specific subtopics. Each child post also links back to the pillar article. You may need to create many different topic clusters depending on your niche.
For example, this article you are now reading is part of our SEO cluster. It includes a link back to that cluster’s pillar post, which is the Ultimate WordPress SEO Guide for Beginners (Step by Step).
That pillar article gives a helpful and detailed overview of WordPress SEO and links to this article and other child articles that contain more specific information on various SEO subtopics.
This helps our readers to easily navigate complex topics. It also boosts our SEO.
How Do SEO Topic Clusters Improve SEO?
Content clusters are a powerful SEO strategy because they structure your content in a way that search engines understand and rank information. Here are some benefits of using clusters:
- They help search engines understand the meaning of a topic and its relationship with subtopics. This demonstrates your site’s depth and expertise on a subject, signaling relevance to search engines.
- They provide a better user experience, guiding visitors through related information and establishing you as a trusted source. Engaged users explore more pages and spend more time on each page, indirectly contributing to better SEO.
- A cluster framework gives you a better roadmap for content creation. By focusing on interlinked topics, you will naturally build a comprehensive resource center instead of randomly publishing unrelated content.
- The child articles let you cover longer, more specific long-tail keywords that address specific questions and problems. This increases your chance of ranking for those queries.
- By covering a range of topics within a cluster, you can attract a wider audience interested in different areas of your niche.
No matter where you are in your website journey, SEO topic clusters provide a clear roadmap to long-term SEO success, but planning and creating the clusters will take time and effort.
Now, let’s take a step-by-step look at how to build a content cluster strategy in WordPress:
Choose the Topics and Keywords Your Clusters Should Cover
Your first job is to do some research. You will need to think about the different topics and subtopics you wish to cover in your content clusters. And you should also identify specific questions in your niche that people are searching for on Google.
You may have done this already when you were looking for ideas to write about when you first started your blog. If so, that same research can be used when planning SEO topic clusters.
Otherwise, you need to start with a brainstorming session.
Brainstorm Potential Topics for Your Blog
Your research should start by brainstorming potential topics you can cover on your blog. This can include your products and services, and other important topics within your industry.
For example, if you have an online store that sells pet food, then you would list the different types of pet food and other products you sell, as well as other topics such as how to care for pets and keep them healthy.
Discover the Main Broad Keywords for Your Topics
Next, you need to perform keyword analysis on those topics. You can simply follow our step-by-step guide on how to do keyword research for your WordPress blog.
This guide will help you uncover the main related topics users search for. We show you how to use some of the best SEO tools, including Semrush, LowFruits, Ahrefs, and the free WPBeginner Keyword Generator.
To begin with, just try to come up with 3-5 broad, relevant topics that are related to your products, services, or expertise. These will become your topic clusters.
For example, at WPBeginner, some of our topic clusters include WordPress SEO, WordPress security, WordPress performance, WordPress forms, blogging, and lead generation.
By looking at search volume and trends, you can identify the keywords that can bring the most motivated visitors to your site.
Uncover Related Long-Tail Keywords
Next, you need to uncover related long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific questions and phrases that people are searching for. You will answer those questions in child articles.
For example, if one of your main keywords is pet food, then you may discover lots of related long-tail keywords you can write about, such as:
- What is the best organic puppy food for sensitive stomachs?
- Raw food diet recipes for small dogs.
- Gluten-free treats for dogs with sensitivities.
- The best puppy food for healthy teeth and gums.
- Is grain-free dog food really better?
- How much should I feed my puppy?
The quickest way to find long-tail keywords like these is to simply start typing a keyword into Google. As soon as you start typing, the search box will automatically suggest long-tail keywords.
You can find more long-tail keywords on the search results page under ‘People also ask’ and ‘People also search for’.
For example, the ‘People also ask’ section shows questions people are asking about the search term you entered.
You can also get excellent results using LowFruits because it is specifically designed to easily find low-competition keywords that you can rank for. These are often long-tail keywords.
You simply click on the Keyword Finder (‘KWFinder’) tool and then enter a seed keyword.
After you click the ‘Search’ button, LowFruits will display lots of keyword suggestions.
You can filter the list using tabs along the top. For example, clicking the ‘Questions’ tab will show you the questions people are asking about the topic.
You can analyze the search results for any of the long-tail keywords that you might be interested in writing about. This will show you which keywords to prioritize.
Simply select some keywords using the checkbox on the left, and then click the extract and analyze button labeled ‘SERP Extr.’
LowFruits will then show you the estimated search volume per month, as well as keywords that have weak points, which means they will be easy to rank for.
Note: Some LowFruits tasks, such as analyzing keywords, require credits. You are given a few new credits for free each week and can purchase more as necessary.
You should prioritize keywords with a high search volume (‘Vol’) and a low difficulty score (‘SD’):
- Keywords with high search volume are searched for more frequently than keywords with low search volume, so they can potentially bring you the most traffic.
- Keywords with low difficulty scores will make it easier to outrank your competitors.
For example, in the screenshot below, the keyword ‘what did dogs eat before dog food’ should be prioritized because it is searched hundreds of times a month and will be easy to rank for.
Group the Keywords Into Clusters
Now, you have a short list of main keywords and a longer list of long-tail keywords for each main keyword.
You will often find that each main keyword, along with its long-tail keywords, can form a cluster. However, you should use your expertise on the subject matter when deciding on the best way to group your topics.
Alternatively, you can use LowFruits’ Keyword Clustering feature. This will automatically create a list of clusters for you, placing all relevant long-tail keywords in each cluster.
You will probably find some clusters in the list that aren’t relevant to your blog or that you don’t want to write about right away. That’s OK. You can ignore them for now and just focus on the clusters that make the most sense.
You can view clusters in LowFruits by clicking on the ‘Clusters’ tab at the top of the page. You will see a list of clusters along with the total number of keywords included in each cluster.
To see the keywords in a cluster, simply click on the name of the cluster.
Clusters can be created by ‘SERP clustering’, which is grouping similar words by search intent. This will only work on keywords that have been analyzed. Alternatively, they can be created using ‘semantic clustering,’ which groups them based on their word structure.
You can switch between SERP clustering and semantic clustering at any time using the buttons at the top of the screen.
Write the Pillar and Child Articles for Your Clusters
Now that you have created your clusters, you will need to start writing the content, one post at a time. You will need to write a pillar article that gives an overview of each cluster, as well as individual articles dealing with each long-tail keyword in detail.
Ideally, you will also want an easy way to keep track of the articles you have written. At WPBeginner, we track our writing progress in Asana and tag each article with a cluster tag. You could also export your LowFruits clusters to an Excel spreadsheet and track your progress there.
Write One Quality Blog Post at a Time
You might be wondering whether it is best to write the pillar article or subtopic articles first. In our experience, it doesn’t matter. You simply need to make a start and write one article at a time.
The pillar articles should focus on your topic’s main keyword. Your articles covering subtopics should focus on a long-tail keyword. This will make sure that you avoid keyword cannibalization.
Make sure that your content is detailed, helpful, and well-structured. You should use subheadings and images to break up the text and add interest.
For more tips, see our complete guide on how to write a great blog post.
Create Internal Links Between the Posts in a Cluster
When all the subtopic articles have been completed, then you will need to update your pillar article. You will want to be sure that it mentions all of the subtopics you have written about and links to those articles so your readers can easily learn more.
Each of the subtopic posts should also link back to the pillar article. Your readers can follow this link to learn about the topic as a whole. This will also signal to Google that you see the pillar article as the most important post in the cluster.
Your subtopic posts should also include links to other subtopic posts in the cluster when relevant. In general, aim for at least 80% of the internal links in a post to point to other posts in the same cluster. This will reinforce the relationships between different posts in the cluster.
Don’t forget that internal linking is the key to good SEO, especially when you are using clusters. Make sure you use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text to help users understand what they will find on the linked page and to help search engines understand the importance of the links.
This is where All in One SEO’s Link Assistant can help because it provides a list of internal linking suggestions. You can add these links to relevant posts with a click of your mouse – without needing to open and edit each post.
Maintain and Expand Your Clusters
Once you have finished writing your cluster content, you need to keep it fresh. You should regularly update your pillar article and subtopic posts with new information, statistics, examples, and media to maintain its value and relevance for both users and search engines.
At WPBeginner, we aim to update every post within 6 months. For more details, you can check out our guide on how to prevent content decay.
In addition to maintaining content, you can also start to build new clusters. From time to time, you should research new keyword clusters so that you continue to create fresh content, constantly building your website’s topical authority and expanding your reach.
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions About Topic Clusters
Here are some questions about SEO topic clusters that come up regularly.
What is an SEO topic cluster?
You can think of an SEO topic cluster like a wheel of a bicycle. The central hub is your pillar article, which covers a broad topic. The spokes are individual blog posts or articles about specific keywords related to that main topic. Links are the rim, connecting it all.
What benefits do SEO topic clusters have?
When you organize and link your content in clusters, Google will understand your site better and notice that you are providing in-depth information on topics.
Those links help Google crawl your site and understand what pages are most important, and your content will rank higher on search results pages.
You will also rank for more keywords because each cluster targets multiple terms, not just one.
How many clusters should my site have?
There is no magic number. Start with a few based on your most important products or services. As your site grows, you can add more.
How do I choose my cluster topics?
You can find the broad terms your audience is searching for using keyword research. These will be your cluster topics. You can then get more specific by identifying long-tail keywords related to those topics. You can then write subtopic articles that cover them.
My website already has a ton of content. Can I still use clusters?
Yes! Using clusters will give you an opportunity to reorganize your content and think about how to link it together.
Will topic clusters magically make me rank #1?
Sadly, no. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Clusters are a powerful tool, but you still need great content, good website speed, and other SEO best practices. In general, you will need to be patient in order to see SEO results.
We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to build a content cluster strategy. You may also want to see our guide on how to climb the rankings by automating WordPress SEO or our expert pick of the best long-tail keyword generators.
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The post SEO Topic Clusters — How to Build a Content Cluster Strategy first appeared on WPBeginner.
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