How to create a topic cluster: A step-by-step guide

The way we search, and the way search engines rank content, has changed over the years. However, many content strategies haven’t been updated to reflect this. Instead, blog posts are created in isolation, with each targeting a single keyword and hoping for the best.

The results of this are a whole lot of effort for patchy visibility and content that just doesn’t cut it when it comes to authority. And this is where topic clusters come in.

This smarter way to organise content mirrors how people are actually searching and exploring information. Instead of each blog post standing alone, content is grouped around a central theme with a clear structure that both search engines and readers can navigate.

Topic clusters can drive significantly more organic traffic. According to a 2025 analysis, content organised into topic clusters can deliver roughly 30% more organic traffic than standalone posts. (source: HireGrowth)

But how do you go about creating a topic cluster? In this step-by-step guide, we’ll look at the process from start to finish to help you successfully create traffic-driving content clusters.

What are topic clusters?

A topic cluster (also called a content cluster) is a group of pages on a website which follow a similar theme and are linked together.

Each cluster should include:

• Pillar page: the main page providing an overview of the subject
• Subpages (or cluster pages): pages that go into more detail about a specific area of the overall subject

Each page will link to other relevant pages in the cluster, with all pages linking back to the main pillar page.

Example of a topic cluster: A travel blog may wish to create a content cluster about the island of Malta:

Why are topic clusters important for SEO?

Topic clusters are important for SEO because they help to align your pages with how search engines crawl the internet. Pages are no longer ranked in isolation, instead the algorithms now look for relationships between different pages as well as a deeper authority from the website. You want your site to show that it knows what it’s talking about when it comes to that topic.

And it’s not just SEO we’re thinking about now. Topic clusters can help with GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and Search Everywhere, too.

The benefits of topic clusters include:

• Stronger internal linking structure
• Greater authority, signalling to search engines that your site is an expert on a topic
• Enhanced user experience (UX), increasing engagement and reducing bounce rate
• Increased ranking across multiple related keywords
• Easier content management

What’s the difference between content clusters and hub and spoke pages?

It’s more of a conceptual difference if we’re honest. Think of content clusters as a kind of thematic grouping informed by your content strategy whilst hub and spoke pages (or pillars and hubs) relate more to the website’s structure.

Both content clusters and hub and spoke strategies follow the same SEO principle: a central point covering a broad theme, from which emanates many more detailed subpages which look at more specific subtopics, all of which are linked together to improve authority.

How to make a topic cluster

Now let’s get into the detail. Here’s our easy guide to creating a content cluster from scratch.

Summary – how to create a topic cluster

1. Decide on your topic
2. Keyword research
3. Identify your pillar page and subpages
4. Create the content
5. Consider using existing content
6. Measure performance over time

1.      Decide on your topic

First thing’s first, you’ve got to decide on the subject you want to cover in your topic cluster.

The topic will need to:

• Answer a user’s need
• Be relevant to your brand or business
• Have scope for creating multiple pieces of content

Action: Remember to keep the initial topic broad – we’ll drill down in the subpages.

Example: If your website sells craft supplies, you could make your core topic ‘decoupage for beginners’.

2.      Keyword research

Finding all the keywords relevant to your topic will help you to structure your cluster, as well as giving you inspiration for further pages. Split your research into two sections:

• Short-tail keywords (core keywords) for the pillar page
• Long-tail search terms (supporting keywords) for the subpages

Action: Going after search terms with medium-high volume but low competition will make your content more likely to rank, especially if you have a smaller website.

Tip: Browse ‘People also ask’ in Google to see the common questions people are already asking about your topic to better match search intent.

3.      Identify your pillar pages and subpages

Now that you have all the keywords, you can identify which content should be your pillar page and which should be your subpages. Remember to keep the pillar broad and the subpages more specific.

Add this information to a spreadsheet to help you keep track of the project and the internal links.

Action: There’s no magic number of how many articles you should have in total in a topic cluster but aiming for around 15-20 pages is a good starting point. You can always build this out further later down the line.

4.      Create the content

The fun part – creating the content! Start with your pillar page and work outwards, remembering to include places where you can add internal links.

We recommend writing each page to optimise for one search term, including others naturally in your writing.

Action: Remember to optimise for Search Everywhere and keep your E-E-A-T principles.

5.      Consider using existing content

When creating your topic cluster strategy, remember to make use of what you already have. You might already have live blog posts which aren’t gaining much traction and could do with a refresh, or you may be able to repurpose some of your content from other channels.

Action: When you do your annual content audit, keep content clusters in mind and evaluate whether it would be worth turning some of your existing content into a new content cluster.

Things to keep in mind when considering using existing content:

• Are the existing blog posts generating much traffic?
• Are the existing blog posts up to date with accurate information?
• Can any of the existing blog posts be easily turned into a topic cluster, just by adding internal links?

6.      Measure performance over time

It’s important that you monitor your clusters to ensure that all your effort is paying off. Case studies have shown that content that has been restructured into clusters sees organic visibility improve by around 20-40% and increased clicks and impressions were common within 3-9 months of rollout. (source: SEO Mafia Club)

Action: Google Analytics has a Content Groupings feature which helps you to analyse how your content clusters are performing as a whole, rather than looking at each page individually.

Looking for help creating topic clusters?

And if you’ve read this blog post and feel overwhelmed? Let us take topic clusters off your to-do list! The Content Marketing Team has years of experience creating topic clusters for brands and businesses. We can rewrite existing content or create something completely new. Get in touch today to find out more.