Skip to main content
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
How to Skyrocket Your
SEO Performance with
Topic Clusters
Martin Hayman
RankCaddy
Slideshare.net/MartinHayman
@MartinHayman
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
What Are Topic Clusters
and Why Do They Matter?
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
They give your Audience
the information they are
looking for.
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
They help strengthen
Topical Authority
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Topical Authority
Internal
Links
Backlinks
E-E-A-T
Content
Quality
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Are Topic Clusters the real deal?
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Google granted a patent titled "Ranking Search Results
Based on Entity Metrics"
Suggests that the search engine considers the
comprehensiveness of a website's content around a
specific topic when determining its ranking.
2015
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Patent titled "Website Representation Vector to Generate Search
Results for the Website" (US Patent 9,760,487)
Suggests that Google might determine the relevance of a
website to a query by looking at the overall theme of the website.
This could indirectly support the concept of topical authority
`
2017
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
`
2021
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
First, we’re making it easier to explore and understand new
topics with “Things to know.” Let’s say you want to decorate
your apartment, and you’re interested in learning more about
creating acrylic paintings.
The search results page for the query “acrylic painting” that
scrolls to a new feature called “Things to know”, which lists out
various aspects of the topic like, “step by step”, “styles” and
“using household items."
If you search for “acrylic painting,” Google understands how
people typically explore this topic, and shows the aspects
people are likely to look at first. For example, we can identify
more than 350 topics related to acrylic painting, and help you
find the right path to take.
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Second, to help you further
explore ideas, we’re making it
easy to zoom in and out of a
topic with new features to
refine and broaden searches.
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Google's E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise,
Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) principle is
another indication that search engine values topical
authority.
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
How do we build these?
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Step 1:
Identify your topic
(pillar page)
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Step 2:
Identify your sub-topics
(keyword research)
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Common sub-topics
to cover
Examples of [X]
What is [X]
[X] tips/ideas
How to do/use [X]
How to use [X] for
[thing/activity/person]
Benefits of [X]
Alternative to [Y]
[X] vs [Y]
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Step 3:
Create high-quality
content
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
For pillar pages
…There are some options
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Shorter Form Longer Form
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
For cluster pages
QUALITY QUALITY QUALITY
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
For cluster pages
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
For cluster pages
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Step 4:
Add relevant
internal links
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
https://bit.ly/internal-linking-brightonseo
Download Presentation
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
https://www.youtube.com/@martinchayman
Visit YouTube Channel
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Internal Links
Relevance
Quality
Quantity
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Internal Links
Relevance
Quality
Quantity
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Step 5:
Review & Improve
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Improve
Improve Content More Content Backlinks
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Improve
Improve Content More Content Backlinks
Don’t Set & Forget
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Common Mistakes
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Mistake 1:
Keyword
Cannibalisation
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Topic Clusters
How to Build
Effective Topic
Clusters
10 Ways to
Create Topic
Clusters
How to
Create Topic
Clusters in
2024
Step by Step
Guide to
Creating Topic
Clusters
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Mistake 2:
Siloing
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Missed Internal
Linking Opportunities
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Mistake 3:
Lack of…
Content
Quantity
Internal Links
Quality
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Examples
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
https://www.drift.com/learn/chatbot/
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/link-building-guide/
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Using AI to plan
topic clusters
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
@martinhayman #BrightonSEO
Slides will be available here:
bit.ly/topic-clusters-brightonseo
Thanks!
@martinhayman
www.rankcaddy.io
martin@rankcaddy.io
Martin Hayman