Finding ways to boost SEO rankings is an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. In this article, we discuss how brands are using the topic cluster strategy to effectively organise new and existing content, boost search rankings and enhance user experience.
What are topic clusters?
Topic clusters are essentially a way to organise related content by interlinking articles together around a central hub. This central hub is known as a ‘pillar page’ – a long form, in-depth piece of content around a specific topic. Related articles are then linked back to this page and each other to create a web-like structure that Google can easily crawl and relate together. Each subtopic relates to the central pillar page, with the in-depth content pieces strengthening the knowledge of your main page.
Here’s an example of how you might structure content around a central content theme of “upskilling”:
| Pillar page | Upskilling | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subtopic | Professional development | Technological skills | Career advancement | Employer Benefits |
A pillar page can talk about ‘upskilling’ from a high-level perspective and include subtopics such as professional development, technological skills, career advancement and employer benefits. Each section will then include a hyperlink that takes the reader to the cluster content discussing the specific subtopic such as professional development in even greater detail.
Topic cluster example:
Below we have an example of how to structure a topic cluster. Our pillar page topic is factory automation, and our related subtopics are Industry 4.0, remote monitoring, sustainability, cybersecurity and the future of factory jobs. These subtopic pages are linked to each other and the pillar page to create internal links.
How do pillar pages improve SEO strategy?
Pillar pages are the best way to capture high volume search terms on Google without paying for Google AdWords. High volume search terms such as “hydrogen fuel cells” are words or phrases that get a high monthly search on Google. They could also be questions or queries such as “how do hydrogen fuel cells work?” The goal of the pillar page would be to answer this question in detail.
It is important to keep the user’s attention once they land on your website. Topic clusters provide a clear navigational route for users who wish to read or learn about a specific topic. Having a pillar page creates a central hub that can be explored, meaning users are likely to spend a longer time on your website. Google notices that the content on the page is engaging to users, indicating that it is valuable. This can improve SEO when Google signals to search engines that the page is valuable and worth ranking higher in search results.
By creating content that addresses both the main topic and its subtopics, you can offer a better user experience, establish authority, and encourage longer visit durations. All of which can positively impact SEO rankings.
Measuring the impact of your topic clusters
It is important to measure the success of your topic clusters once published on your website, so how do we do this?
There are specific metrics that we monitor for our clients to determine if our topic clusters are working effectively, by using various tools and metrics. Tracking methods:
- Google Analytics metrics
- Keyword rankings
- Internal links click-through rate (CTR)
- Backlinks
- Conversion rate
Google Analytics metrics: Google Analytics has a feature called content groupings that allows us to group content together within the analytics tool by pasting specific URLs into a content cluster tracker. This allows us to view data by topic cluster to track the performance of each cluster in terms of total users, page views, average time on page and bounce rate. We can also track whether we see an increase in organic traffic to certain pages that have been connected to the cluster to see if we are attracting more visitors to subtopic pages.
Keyword rankings: Checking the rankings of the pillar page and subtopic pages for relevant keywords are a great way to measure whether search engines are recognising the content as valuable and relevant to what the user typed into Google. In other words, it’s a sign you have answered the user’s question. We monitor this using various tools such as SEM Rush and Microsoft Clarity.
Internal link click-through rate (CTR): Tracking the click rate of the internal links within the topic cluster enable us to see whether the user is navigating through different pages and engaging well with the pillar page and subtopics. This tracking can be set up through Google Analytics.
Conversion Rates: Another metric to measure when looking at the impact of your topic clusters is whether your content is driving conversions, such as subscribes, downloads, sign ups and contact forms. This indicates users have found the content valuable and wish to learn more or get in contact.
We recommend waiting a couple of weeks before measuring these metrics to determine if your topic clusters are working effectively.
Consistency is key when it comes to creating topic clusters. It is important to have enough content for the pillar page and subtopics to effectively create a ‘meaty’ topic cluster that covers several different areas in depth. We suggest focusing on a few select clusters and feeding them with engaging, high search volume content to maximize their impact!
If you’d like to discuss topic clusters or other strategies to boost your SEO, feel free to get in touch.
By Yasmin Abraham
Digital Marketing Manager
About the Author
Yasmin is SE10’s digital marketing manager, who leverages her skills and experience in social media, lead generation, SEO and more to develop effective digital marketing strategies that help clients meet their business objectives. Splitting her time between Boston, USA, and London, UK, she brings a global perspective and understands how to adapt digital marketing strategies to the specific needs of different markets. Her ability to communicate effectively with clients from different cultures and backgrounds, combined with her commitment to staying on top of the latest digital marketing trends and providing practical and effective solutions make her an essential member of the SE10 team.
