Google no longer just looks for keywords on webpages when determining rankings. Instead, you need to show Google that your webpages are both relevant to specific keywords and more authoritative than your competitors. As a result, topic clusters should have a place in your search engine optimisation (SEO) content strategy. Let us discuss the importance of topic clusters in SEO.
Definition of topic clusters
Before we get to why they are important, you need to know what they are. A topic cluster (or content cluster) is a group of content assets on a website that are all centred on a related topic. The content inside a topic cluster explores a broader subject with more detail, nuance, and specificity.
Every topic cluster is built around a piece of pillar content or a pillar page. Pillar pages are focused on broader subject areas and tend to target general industry keywords with higher search volume. The accompanying cluster content delves more deeply into subtopics or common questions usually targeting less popular and less competitive keywords that have a semantic relationship with the primary content.
Importance of topic clusters for your school’s SEO
This is especially crucial if you are recently starting a website for your school. Most websites starting out have lower Domain Authority and cannot rank for more competitive keyword phrases, even if their content is top-notch. Luckily, that is where topic clusters can help. You start out being able to rank for less competitive keywords and drive traffic in the short term. As you are building your site authority, you can rank for bigger and better keywords.
The SEO goals of topic clusters:
- Accumulate search traffic for long-tail, lower search volume keywords through cluster content.
- Improve the performance of the pillar content for more competitive keywords.
- Build credibility in specific topic areas so Google sees your website as an industry expert.
Understanding the big picture of topic clusters
Ideally, you should be using topic clusters for as long as your website exists and until you finish answering every single question users might have about your school. Google will not only see specific pieces of content as relevant to industry keywords but will see your entire website as a leading industry authority. If done properly, your topic clusters will be your most powerful SEO weapon!
Thanks for taking the time to read our blog post on the importance of topic clusters in SEO. At faethe.marketing we have been helping schools get more students through successful SEO strategies. So if you are looking to recruit more students for your programmes with minimal cost and effort, feel free to reach out to us.