A very strong trend in SEO since 2020 is undoubtedly the concept of topic clusters .
SEO consultants are encouraged to explore topic clusters, or its variant the semantic cocoon, as a way to organize and connect content on a single website .
In this belgium phone number data technique (which we already discussed in 2017), a pillar page (pillar content in English) that contains in-depth information on a subject is associated, through internal links, with several other pages. The pillar page and the group of secondary pages must share the same theme .
Topic cluster definition
In my opinion, the thematic cluster structure offers two major advantages :
SEO benefits
Benefits related to user experience (UX)
Quick read: what you will learn about cluster topics by reading this articleIn this post, we first remind you of the basic principles of the thematic cluster strategy and how to implement it:
SEO benefits
UX benefits
how cluster topics work
how to find thematic cluster ideas
Next, you will discover 3 concrete examples of thematic clusters :
The case of SEOQuantum (B2B)
The example of redacteur.com (B2B)
The concrete case of Maciassur.fr (B2C and local SEO)
If you want to become a thematic cluster expert, just read on.
The advantages of the thematic cluster for SEOGoogle aims to provide users with the best available content on a given topic. SEOs use this technique to improve the ranking of pillar pages , as they are considered more detailed.
Additionally, given the architecture of internal linking, the search engine believes that the more internal pages you link to on a given topic, the more informed you are about that topic. It is therefore a question of writing a lot of content on the same theme .
Learn more about the internal meshing strategy
The advantages of the thematic cluster for UXTopic clusters allow users to easily navigate your website and discover all your content related to a given topic, ensuring an engaging and enriching user experience. They allow users to gain sufficient insight into a topic without having to conduct multiple searches.
Now let's take a closer look at how thematic clusters work.
How thematic clusters work
Topic clusters are made up of pillar pages and secondary pages belonging to the same thematic group.
Pillar Pages: These pages, which can also be sections, cover in detail a broad topic that is essential to your business. They are called pillar pages because they address topics that are part of the foundation of your business. These are the concepts from which all the content on your site will flow.
Secondary pages: These are pages you access from a pillar page. They allow you to share more in-depth information on the topic. Having their own URL, they can also be referenced for longer, more specific keywords. Secondary pages complement the pillar page and allow you to go further in terms of traffic and engagement, exploring other key phrases.
I will go into more detail in the article dedicated to the functioning of thematic clusters (cluster topic in English)
Find ideas for your site's pillar pagesKeep in mind that pillar pages are conceptual . Therefore, keyword data doesn't necessarily play a role in creating this type of page. In fact, when it's well-crafted and has many parent pages, it usually ranks for a wide range of queries.
I always ask myself two questions before designing pillar pages for my clients' websites. Building this type of structure is a two-step process. I'll illustrate my process with several examples of thematic clusters , including one from a client specializing in home veterinary services.
1. Does the pillar refer to your product/service?
There should be a direct link between your pillars and your business . These pillars help create content groups, so it's essential to ensure the theme has economic value for the business.
Topic cluster example
In this case, we relied on 5 pillars that were fundamental to the success of the brand's content:
Canine activities
Dog health
Puppy Awakening
Dog behaviors
Positive reinforcement (educational method)
Each of these 5 pillars gives us the opportunity to create a lot of content and link to the brand's services.
2. Does your company have the authority to speak on these issues?
Google prefers to rank content created by experts . This allows it to ensure the quality of the content it offers through search results. Furthermore, I remind you that Google's algorithm takes into account the thematic relevance of the content.
The search belgium phone number data engine rightly believes that you shouldn't create content on topics that are unrelated to your area of expertise . Publishing content on such topics would mean that your sole purpose is to increase traffic to your business; it would mean that you don't have any real expertise in the area you're creating content on, and therefore can't help people.
What makes you an expert in the eyes of search engines is the comprehensiveness of your content. Setting up topic clusters on your site is proof of comprehensiveness .
However, the concepts related to thematic cluster and how you use them are not uniform; they must change depending on what you sell on your website.
Let's take a closer look at this.
Concrete cases and examples of topic clustersRemember that you need to select topics that are relevant to your product so that your content can attract quality traffic and interested customers . To do this, you need to identify the topics that are the basis of the services or products you sell.
B2B Example — SEO Tools
At SEOQuantum, we offer three tools focused on semantics : semantic analysis, semantic crawling, and thematic clusters.
