From the death of link schemes to mobile prioritisation, SEO has undergone several adjustments throughout the years. However, the implementation of the Topic Cluster Model as the newest SEO approach is one of the most significant breakthroughs in the market.
This method began in 2015, when Google introduced RankBrain, an algorithm that connects a person’s previous searches with similar subjects and terms, resulting in the best results for the user.
By now, you should be aware that ranking well in any Search Engine Result Page (SERP) necessitates demonstrating how each of your targeted keywords is related to the others.
What are Topic Clusters?
A Topic Cluster is a collection of interconnected web sites built around pillar material that addresses a big topic. This is based on the notion that search visibility for a specific topic is far superior to ranking for a single keyword.
Finally, this method aids in the development of a sphere of influence in which the total number of searches for thematically relevant long-tail keywords outnumbers the total number of searches for a primary term. This will undoubtedly assist you in managing the structure and content of your website. Furthermore, when one of the cluster’s blog posts performs well in the rankings, the entire cluster performs well as well.
The following are the three components of the Topic Cluster Model:
- Pillar Content
- Cluster Content
- Hyperlinks
Now, let’s discuss these components more thoroughly.
- Pillar Content
The cluster core is the pillar content because it is based on the broader topic. It’s usually between 3,000 and 5,000 words lengthy, and it covers all elements of a topic while yet leaving an opportunity for other posts to respond. The pillar material is ideal for those who are unfamiliar with a topic yet wish to get a broad understanding of it.
- Cluster Content
This component is responsible for any cluster material that is linked to the pillar content. Unlike pillar content, which covers a wide topic, cluster content concentrates on a specific keyword that is connected to your broad keyword, and discusses it in greater depth and detail. Finally, these cluster content pieces provide a link that leads back to the pillar content.
- Hyperlinks
This is the most significant of the three components. This is due to the fact that hyperlinks are what connect the pillar and cluster information.
Here’s a picture of the three components placed together to give you a better idea of how the Topic Cluster Model works:
Simply explained, the topic cluster model is a collection of interconnected information grouped together under a single topic for better detection by search engines. It generates signals that are intended to demonstrate your website’s authority and competence on the subject at hand. This will boost the exposure of your website, potentially resulting in increased traffic and conversions.
Topic Cluster Model: Its Importance and Advantages
Without a doubt, keywords have always been and will continue to be the core of content creation. With continual technology innovation and progress, however, gradual behaviour adjustments in how users interact or use a set of keywords occurred.
Since the introduction of digital assistants like Siri and Alexa, they have become one of the most popular platforms for obtaining search engine results pages (SERPs) at a much faster and more efficient pace than typing the query manually.
Google and other search engines have adjusted their systems to accommodate topic-based content searches as a result of this shift in user behaviour. Existing SEO tactics that we’re unable to adapt to the shift in behaviour were eventually phased out in favour of newer, more effective strategies, such as the topic clusters model.
Though keywords are still crucial, addressing an entire topic is the way to go these days for a variety of reasons, including the following:
- Search engines are better at understanding related ideas.
Searching for a certain keyword is still useful. However, today’s search algorithms are better at comprehending several phrases on the same subject.
- Authoritative and trustworthy results are what Google and other search engine results want to provide to their users.
It is essential to continually create valuable and exact information about a specific issue in order to demonstrate authority to people and bots. This is considerably superior to creating a slew of disorganised content that focuses on keywords that are unrelated.
As a result, thinking on subjects rather than a certain keyword is one of the elements you should be concentrating on because of the following advantages:
- This will keep visitors on your website
Having a lot of information that is relevant to your visitors’ interests helps keep them on your website for longer.
- When an article does well, all the interlinked articles also do well
As you generate material on a specific issue, the search rankings of your other similarly relevant content on your website will steadily improve. As a result, you may be able to own numerous SERP positions in the future.
- It helps bring you more traffic
Because your cluster is ranking well, it will attract more users to your website, who will be more inclined to stay on it, resulting in increased traffic and conversions.
Creating a Topic Cluster
We’ll go on to the next phase, which is establishing your own subject cluster, now that you’ve learned about the topic cluster paradigm and how vital and helpful it is:
- Select Your Topic
If you have a blog, the first step in curating your own subject cluster is to decide what topic you want to be an authority on – it may be sports, games, or SEO. If you’re dealing with a business website, though, attempt to stay as close to the company’s specialisation as feasible. When choosing a topic for your pillar content, keep the following in mind:
- Your topic should be the keystone of your business
- It should be something that you want to rank for
- It should cover all the various aspects of a pillar page but must be broad enough for you to write numerous articles about it
When you’ve decided on your pillar content topic, it’s time to start creating content around it. You are assisting prospects in developing a consistent level of trust in you and your brand by doing so.
- Inspect Your Existing Content
After figuring out and choosing the topic that you want to talk about, the next step is to do a content audit to see if you have existing and supporting articles that you can link to your chosen pillar page. This will ultimately let you maximize your existing content, and at the same time, will help you maximize the focus on your content creation efforts.
- Optimize Your Keywords
Although subject clusters are the most popular SEO technique today, this does not mean you should ignore or ignore your target keywords. It’s still necessary to optimise your content and web pages for your keywords.
You may now edit and optimise your cluster’s pages and content once you’ve created your topic clusters and determined your target keywords.
- Link All Your Content Together
After you’ve finished writing all of your material, it’s time to connect it all together, as well as to the pillar page. Always remember to make your links two-way when you’re in this section – that is, your pillar page must include links to each of your cluster articles.
This is the most crucial stage in creating a subject cluster since it clearly shows search engines like Google that these contents are connected and related to one another.
After you’ve made all of these modifications to your website, all you have to do now is wait for the results to appear in your site analytics. However, you should expect to see and feel the strategy’s impact in a month or two.
After the allotted time has passed and you’ve seen the results for your subject clusters, you’ll be able to see which pages in the cluster performed the best and which pages you still need to optimise to improve their ranking.
Key Takeaway
Switching to a new approach might be scary, especially if your company already has a large archive. However, if you can design multiple articles on a topic while also ensuring that they are well-presented, and then sew them all together, you are likely to succeed with this method.
Need help with getting your business found online? Stridec is a top SEO agency in Singapore that can help you achieve your objectives with a structured and effective SEO programme that will get your more customers and sales. Contact us for a discussion now.
Need help with getting your business found online? Stridec is a top SEO agency in Singapore that can help you achieve your objectives with a structured and effective SEO programme that will get your more customers and sales. Contact us for a discussion now.