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Keywords and content planning

What is a topical map, and how do you build one?

A topical map is a plan of every topic and subtopic a site should cover to answer its audience's searches, grouped under hub pages, with the page that will cover each one.

Illustration: part of a physio clinic's map

  1. 1Hub: Physiotherapy in Fremantle
  2. 2Back pain physio (page exists)
  3. 3Sports injury physio (page exists)
  4. 4Physio after knee surgery (to write)
  5. 5How many physio sessions do I need? (to write)

The clinic and its pages are made up. Two gaps show straight away.

What goes in one

Each main topic becomes a hub. Under it sit the subtopics, each with the search it answers, the page that answers it (one you have or one to write), and the links between them. The map shows at a glance what is covered and what is missing.

Topical map or keyword map?

A keyword map ties each search to one page, so no two pages compete. A topical map groups those pages by subject and shows how they link. You want both: the keyword map stops cannibalization, and the topical map shows the gaps.

How to build one

Start from searches, not from ideas:

  • List the searches your buyers make, including the follow-up questions.
  • Group them by subject; each group gets a hub page.
  • Put your existing pages on the map first, one search each.
  • Mark the gaps, then decide what to write first by demand and how close each page is to a sale.

SEO glossary

Every term starts with a one-sentence answer and links the free tool or lesson that helps next.

All terms

Topical map: questions people ask

How big should a topical map be?

As big as the questions your buyers really ask. A local service business may need 20 to 40 pages; a store with many products needs more.

Is a topical map the same as a sitemap?

No. An XML sitemap lists pages that exist for search engines. A topical map is a plan for people, including pages you have not written yet.

See which searches your own site should answer next.

Start with the plan for your own site: which page targets each search, and what to write next. The first one is free.

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