How to build a topic cluster: a worked example
Moving from a keyword list to a topic cluster is the step most content programmes skip. Here it is with a concrete example.
Quick answer
A topic cluster is a pillar page covering a topic in full, connected by deliberate internal links to satellite pieces that deepen its sub-questions. The goal is to demonstrate coverage and authority on that topic as a single structure.
Why a keyword list is not enough
A thousand-row keyword list does not tell you which page to write. Produce twenty pages for twenty keywords that share one intent and those pages suppress each other.
Step 1: Group by intent
Group keywords by SERP similarity, not by volume. Two keywords whose top ten results largely overlap belong on the same page.
Step 2: Define the pillar
The pillar covers the whole topic and routes readers to the sub-topics. It is usually informational and broad.
Step 3: Write the satellites
Each satellite deepens one section of the pillar and always links back to it. The pillar links out to the most important satellites.
Step 4: Measure and prune
Six months in you will find satellites with no traffic at all. Merging them into the pillar usually strengthens both, where deleting them strengthens neither.
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