As consumer search behaviors shift from simple keyword queries to more complex, question-based searches, search engines are redefining how they rank and present results.
Google, for one, has moved away from relying solely on keywords and instead focuses more on the context and intent of people’s search queries to find the best results.
This has forced marketers and search engine optimization (SEO) professionals to overhaul their site structures, hence the introduction of today’s topic – content clusters.
Content clusters are interlinked web pages centered around a central topic or pillar page. They help organize a website’s content into related clusters, improving search engine visibility and user experience.
In this guide, we will show you how to build and execute a successful content cluster marketing campaign. Topics will include:
• What Is a Content Cluster?
• Why Are Content Clusters Important for SEO?
• Other Glowing Benefits of Content Clusters
• Steps to Building a Content Cluster Marketing Campaign
What Is a Content Cluster?
A content cluster or topic cluster is a group of related web pages with a common topic or theme. The main page within the cluster, known as the “pillar” page, provides a comprehensive overview of the subject and links to more specific subtopics within the cluster.
The subtopics, also known as “cluster content,” are linked together through hyperlinks and provide more detailed information on specific aspects of the main topic.
These clusters provide relevant and valuable content for readers while helping search engines better understand the website’s main topic and context.
Why Are Content Clusters Important for SEO?
In light of Google’s shift towards contextual search, HubSpot conducted content cluster experiments in 2016 and found that websites with more interlinking ranked higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) website. Impressions (or views) of these websites also increased with the number of links they created.
This is because linking related pages together enables search engines to crawl and index the site’s content more efficiently. Unfortunately, businesses often create multiple web pages on related topics, leading to these pages competing against each other in search engine results.
To address this, a structured approach is necessary – you can have a main page (pillar page) that provides a comprehensive overview of the topic and other related pages (topic clusters) organized around it and linked back.
This rearrangement helps search engines understand the priority of pages, ensuring the main topic page is more likely to be seen by searchers. Topic clusters thus help reorganize a website’s content into a more efficient structure, as shown in the image below, where a central page covers the general topic and is linked to other related content pages.
Other Compelling Benefits of Content Clusters
Improving your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) is only the icing on the cake when it comes to content clusters. Other benefits of using content clusters include:
1. Improved User Experience
Organizing your content into clusters makes it easier for users to navigate your website and find relevant information. When users can easily discover related content, they’re more likely to stay on your site longer, reducing bounce rates and increasing engagement.
2. Authority Building
Covering a topic in-depth with multiple pieces of content shows expertise and authority to readers and search engines. This helps build trust with your audience and establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
3. Better Lead Generation
By providing relevant and valuable content, you attract potential customers interested in your topic or product.
4. Easier Updates and Maintenance
A structured content cluster makes it easier to update and maintain related pages than scattered content across the website.
5. Supports Conversion Goals
Content clusters allow you to guide users through the buyer’s journey by providing relevant information at each stage. From awareness to decision-making, you can tailor content within the cluster to address your audience’s specific queries.
Now that you understand the importance of content clusters let’s talk about how to build and execute a successful content cluster marketing campaign.
Steps to Building a Content Cluster Marketing Campaign
Curating topics and auditing your existing content are the foundation for an effective content cluster marketing campaign.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
Step 1: Identify Pain Points
Map out 5 to 10 core problems that your buyer persona faces. You can use the following data sources to help you identify these problems:
• Surveys to gather direct feedback from your current customers or target audience
• Interviews, whether one-on-one or in focus groups, can provide qualitative insights into the specific issues they encounter.
• Secondary research within online forums, social media groups and professional networks related to your industry can reveal common themes and pain points discussed among your target demographic.
This comprehensive approach ensures that your content clusters are rooted in real issues and leverages audience targeting to make your content more effective.
Step 2: Audit Existing Content
Review your content plans or archives to identify themes and how different pieces fit together. You can use mind maps, spreadsheets or list-making tools to group your content by topics and subtopics based on search intent.
A content audit will also help you identify duplicate content and other gaps in your current content strategy so that you can fill them with new pieces.
Step 3: Map Out Your Content Clusters
Once you have a full list of your existing content, map them according to the themes you identified in Step 2. This will help you create a visual representation of your content clusters and identify any areas of overlap or gaps.
A pro tip is to group topics and sub-topics based on search intent to ensure your content clusters are impactful and relevant to your target audience.
Keyword research and SEO tools help identify main and subtopics for content creation. You can cross-reference these findings with your content audit to ensure a comprehensive and well-rounded content cluster strategy.
Step 4: Determine Pillar Content
Choose one or more core topics that align with the pain points identified in Step 1 to serve as your pillar pages. These pages will act as the central hub, linking to other related content within the cluster.
Pillar content is usually longer-form pieces that provide a comprehensive overview of a topic. To make it more engaging, it can include infographics, videos and other interactive elements.
Step 5: Create Supporting Content
Once you have your pillar pages in place, you can start writing supporting content to fill any gaps in your content creation strategy. On top of using existing content, you can also create new pieces that address specific subtopics within each content cluster.
Some strategies for creating top-performing content include:
• Read customer reviews and feedback to see what content they found most helpful.
• Check your Google Analytics data to identify which pages have the highest traffic or engagement rates.
• Look at social media analytics to understand which posts or content pieces received the most likes, shares or comments.
• Forums like Reddit and Quora can also provide insights on the most relevant topics within your niche.
• Google’s “People also ask” and “Related searches” features, as well as tools like AnswerThePublic, can also give you ideas for subtopics to cover within each content cluster.
As you create new or update existing content, link them back to the corresponding pillar page within the cluster. This will help users easily navigate between related pieces and improve overall website traffic.
Step 6: Conduct Keyword Research
Even though Google favors topic-based clustering over keyword-based SEO, it is still important to conduct keyword research to ensure that your content clusters include long-tail keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for.
Long-tail keywords are highly specific search queries with low individual search volumes but collectively account for a large percentage of searches. They are more likely to convert users into customers due to their specificity.
Here are some examples of targeted keywords that are long-tail keywords:
• Content strategy for small businesses
• Social media marketing strategies for startups
• SEO tips for eCommerce websites
• Keyword research tools for bloggers
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush and Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally into your content.
Also, make sure you come up with a list of negative keywords, especially if you plan to promote your content through paid channels like Google Ads. Negative keywords are terms you want to exclude from your audience targeting efforts to ensure that your ads only appear for relevant search queries.
Step 7: Interlink Your Content
We can’t stress this enough – make sure to interlink your content within each cluster and across different clusters. Linking between relevant pieces within your site helps search engine crawlers understand how different pages are connected and their level of importance.
In addition, internal linking can also help boost user engagement and reduce bounce rates by providing users with additional resources and information on related topics.
Follow these tips for effective internal linking:
• Place internal links where they make sense contextually within your content.
• Aim for links to be two to five words long for easier mobile accessibility.
• Embed videos and social media posts in blog entries and on your main content page.
• Craft links with engaging anchors, such as statistics, quotes and insights from experts.
• Incorporate a powerful call-to-action (CTA) in links on your main content page, like “click here to discover (insert content cluster).”
• Consider adding internal links at the beginning and end of your content under a section titled “similar content.”
Step 8: Promote Your Content
Once your content clusters are live on your website, it’s time to promote them through various channels to drive traffic and generate leads.
Here are some strategies for promoting your content clusters:
• Social Media: Share your pillar pages and supporting content on relevant social media platforms your target audience is active on. Use hashtags and create visually appealing graphics to increase engagement.
• Email Marketing: Send out newsletters or targeted email campaigns to promote your new or updated content clusters to subscribers who have shown interest in related topics.
• Guest Posting: Reach out to industry-related publications or other websites for guest posting opportunities to showcase your expertise and link back to your content clusters.
• Influencer Outreach: Partner with influencers in your niche to mention, share or promote your content clusters on their platforms.
• Paid Promotion: Run audience targeting ads on social media or search engines to drive traffic to your content.
Step 9: Monitor and Analyze Performance
Lastly, track and analyze the performance of your content clusters to see what’s working and what needs improvement.
Here are some key indicators to monitor:
• Website traffic: Keep an eye on overall website traffic and see if there’s a noticeable increase after implementing content clusters.
• Engagement metrics: Look at metrics like time spent on page, bounce rates and scroll depth to understand how users interact with your content.
• Conversion rates: Track the number of leads or conversions generated from your content clusters to measure their effectiveness in driving conversions.
• Social media metrics: Monitor likes, shares, comments and other engagement metrics on social media to see how your target audience is responding to your content clusters.
• Keyword rankings: Use tools like SEMrush or Google Search Console to track the ranking of targeted keywords related to your content clusters.
• Interlinking click-through rate (CTR): Keep track of the CTR of internal links within your content clusters to see if they are effectively driving users to other relevant pieces.
• Backlinks: Monitor the number of backlinks to your content clusters to see if other websites link to them. Building a strong backlink portfolio can help improve your website’s overall authority and search engine rankings.
Based on this data, you can make informed decisions about optimizing your content clusters for better results, such as updating outdated information, testing different page elements or promoting your content through various channels.
Examples of an Effective Content Cluster Strategy
Now, let’s apply a topic cluster strategy to the topic of “Link Building”:
Pillar Content
Begin with a comprehensive guide covering the fundamentals of “Link Building.” You can include key concepts and strategies such as:
• Understanding the importance of backlinks
• Different types of backlinks (e.g., dofollow, nofollow)
• Techniques for acquiring quality backlinks
• Link building best practices and ethical considerations
Cluster Content
Develop additional content that explores specific aspects of link building in more detail.
For instance, you can focus content creation on:
• “Guest Blogging for Link Building: Strategies and Tips”
• “Earning Backlinks through Content Marketing”
• “The Role of Outreach in Effective Link Building Campaigns”
• “Advanced Link Building Techniques: Beyond the Basics”
Internal Linking
Create a network of internal links connecting the content cluster to the main “Link Building” pillar. Additionally, interlink the cluster content pieces to reinforce their thematic relevance and enhance the coherence of the overall topic cluster strategy. This will make the content more organized, easier to navigate and more valuable to the reader.
Create a Winning Content Cluster Strategy With Thrive
Building content-rich websites with a clear content cluster strategy can help improve search engine rankings, drive targeted traffic and build your brand’s authority.
If you’re looking to implement topic clusters on your website, turn to Thrive. Our content marketing team and SEO specialists collaborate to create customized content cluster strategies that signal relevance, authority and credibility to search engines and users alike.
As a full-service digital marketing agency, we offer a full suite of services to supplement your content marketing efforts, such as HARO link building, web design, paid advertising and social media marketing.
Ready to build a results-driven content strategy? Speak to an expert today.
