Topic Clusters 101: How to Level Up Your SEO (with Examples)

6 Steps to Get AI to Recommend Your Brand

Topic clusters can strengthen your website’s authority, improve SEO performance, and enhance reader experience.

Need proof?

Check out our content cluster on [SEO marketing](/content/hub/seo/ "SEO Marketing Hub 2.0"/index.html).

This 57-page cluster provides a comprehensive knowledge hub for anyone who wants to learn SEO.

The result?

The content cluster ranks for over 29K keywords, driving more than 158K visitors to Backlinko’s website. And it has picked up almost 165K backlinks.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to build topic clusters like this one. We’ll share benefits, examples, and tactical tips to help you get started.

What Is a Topic Cluster?

A topic cluster is a group of pages covering a single topic or theme in detail.

This strategic approach links several pages that discuss one aspect of the topic. A central [pillar page](/content/pillar-pages "Pillar Pages: How to Create One + Examples"/index.html) then brings all these subpages together to cover the topic broadly.

Let’s understand this concept better with one of Backlinko’s top-ranking content clusters on [YouTube marketing](/content/hub/youtube "YouTube Marketing Hub"/index.html).

This content hub covers six themes for YouTube marketing, including creating a channel, making videos, and optimizing your channel.

Each theme is a content cluster with multiple articles covering relevant subtopics.

For example, the cluster “Optimize Your YouTube Videos” covers keyword research, your title and description, engagement signals, and more.

This topic cluster’s performance speaks for itself.

Ranking for over 17K keywords with a strong backlink profile of almost 7K links, it has significant search visibility for YouTube-related topics.

Core Components of a Topic Cluster

A topic cluster strategy includes three core elements:

Let’s see a visual example to understand how these elements work together.

Think of a topic cluster as a subway network.

The main topic is the central station, and subtopics are stations across the city. These smaller stations are connected to the central station and to each other through internal links, building a large network (or cluster).

Pillar Pages

A pillar page consolidates all the themes covered in cluster articles. These pages offer a broad overview of the topic and direct readers to more in-depth resources.

You can structure a pillar page in different ways.

One way is to create an introductory page that sets the context for the topic with a high-level overview.

It links to individual “chapters” or cluster articles to help readers explore subtopics one by one.

Like this guide on knowledge bases by Help Scout.

Cluster Content

A cluster includes a set of articles, each focusing on a specific subtopic tied to the larger theme of your cluster.

Each article is connected to other cluster articles AND the pillar page through [internal links](/content/hub/seo/internal-links "Internal Linking for SEO: The Complete Guide"/index.html).

When you’re planning these articles, it helps to start by spotting related content ideas you might otherwise miss.

The goal is to build topical authority by covering different aspects of a topic comprehensively in individual articles.

Let’s see an example by the consumer advocacy group Choice.

The “mattress” topic cluster includes several articles like mattress reviews, best options for different kinds of sleepers, and similar topics. Which shares all the information readers need to buy mattresses.

Internal Links

Internal links connect all the content within a topic cluster. They build context around how each article is relevant to the pillar page.

And make it easy for users (and search engines) to navigate between them.

Consider these links as routes connecting the substations to each other and to the central station. These links let readers find different articles in a cluster contextually. Instead of going back to the pillar page and searching for the next chapter.

How Do Topic Clusters Help Your SEO Efforts?

Topic clusters can improve your SEO performance and enhance the user experience on your website. It’s a win-win.

Topic clusters build topical authority and establish credibility for your site. When you cover a topic extensively, you can showcase expertise through several articles. This signals to search engines (and users) that your website is an authoritative resource on the topic.

For example, MoneyHelper has created several content clusters in the “Everyday Money” category. They cover personal finance topics like banking, credit, insurance, and more.

Here’s an example of the budgeting cluster with several (cluster) articles linked on the left:

These clusters have helped establish MoneyHelper’s authority on personal finance topics.

As a result, these pages consistently appear in the “People also ask” (PAA) [SERP feature](/content/hub/seo/serp-features "What are SERP Features?"/index.html) for over 1,500 keywords.

Clusters can also increase your visibility in search results in a wider sense.

Since each article targets a different set of keywords, your site can rank for multiple keywords. Giving you more opportunities to capture organic (unpaid) traffic.

Besides, a pillar page can fulfill a range of [search intents](/content/hub/seo/search-intent "Search Intent and SEO: A Complete Guide"/index.html), while the cluster articles target more specific intents.

4 Topic Cluster Examples to Show You How It’s Done

Let’s break down four topic cluster examples to understand how they work:

1. Maze’s Guide to UX Research

2. Hotjar’s Complete Guide to Heatmaps

3. Creative Live’s Ultimate Guide to Photography

4. Chameleon’s Guide to Digital Adoption Platforms

How to Create a Topic Cluster in 6 Steps

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to building topic clusters.

Considering these aspects, let’s walk you through a customizable six-step workflow for creating topic clusters from scratch.

1. Create a List of Topics

Many SEOs start with keyword research when building topic clusters. But instead of letting keywords dictate your strategy, you should first identify topics where you want to establish authority.

2. Find Target Keywords

For each topic, identify all of the possible keywords you can rank for. This includes variations and [long-tail keywords](/content/hub/seo/long-tail-keywords "Free Keyword Research Tool by Backlinko"/index.html) to cover this topic from multiple angles.

3. Document Your Pillars and Clusters

One of the easiest ways to document your pillar and cluster content ideas is with a good old spreadsheet.

4. Create Pillar Pages and Cluster Content

Plan a structure for your pillar page based on the subtopics in the cluster. This is also a good time to choose the format and layout for your pillar content.

5. Build an Internal Linking Structure

Internal links tie together all the pages within a topic cluster. They link the pillar page to all the cluster articles AND connect these articles to each other.

6. Measure Cluster Performance

You can’t publish an entire topic cluster and call it a day. Once all the pages are live, you need to take relevant actions to monitor performance and improve your ROI.

Enhance Your Content Strategy with Topic Clusters

With this 6-step playbook, you’re ready to create high-performing topic clusters.