In today's digital age, where search engines like Google are becoming increasingly smarter, it is essential to organize your website content strategically. An effective way to do this is through a Topical map. In this blog post you will learn everything about what Topical maps are, why they are important and how you can create them yourself to improve your SEO.
What is a Topical map and why is it important?
A Topical map is a visual representation of the content structure of your website. It shows all the concepts you've written about for a given topic and shows how they relate to each other. Here are some reasons why a Topical map is important:
- Improved user experience: Well-organized content helps users navigate more easily and find the information they are looking for.
- Better context for search engines: It helps search engines understand what your content is about, which can lead to higher visibility and better rankings.
- Preventing content cannibalization: By defining the topics and subtopics in advance, you avoid covering the same content multiple times.
- Effective internal link structure: A strategic internal link structure ensures seamless navigation and improves the discoverability of content by search engines.
How do you create a Topical map?
Creating a Topical map involves creating a hierarchy of content that resembles how Google understands topics. You do this by identifying the most important topics for your niche or business and then splitting them into categories with supporting subtopics. Here are the steps to create a Topical folder:
Step 1: Start with a broad topic
Start with a broad topic on which you want to build authority. Use a tool like InLinks to create a new content brief for your topic. Add the broad topic in the keyword field and start the analysis. This analysis may take a few minutes, but the result is the basis for your Topical map.
Step 2: Analyze your topics and subtopics
The generated Topical map shows all entities that our NLP algorithm recognized from the top 10 results for your topic in your target sector. InLinks automatically builds a content hierarchy by clustering these entities into categories with supporting subtopics. To build authority on that topic, you need to cover the relevant categories and subtopics.
Step 3: Plan your content pages
Use the Topical map as a guide to write meaningful content around the concepts Google understands. InLinks offers a comprehensive content planner to help you prioritize keywords and build a content queue. Write content that is semantically related to the topic you want to cover, and optimize it using tools such as the InLinks optimization tool.
Step 4: Connect subtopics to pillar pages via internal links
Use internal links to create a semantic relationship and show Google that they are topically related. Pillar pages serve as content hubs and should provide an overview of and link to all cluster pages. The cluster pages should also link to the pillar page and to themselves where relevant.
Step 5: Review and update your Topical map
Over time, you should revise your Topical map to ensure it reflects your website's content structure and authority in your niche. Use InLinks' site-wide topic map to manage and customize your content pages based on covered and missing topics.
Closing note
Creating a Topical map is a powerful method to improve your SEO strategy and increase the visibility of your website. By strategically organizing your content, you improve the user experience and make it easier for search engines to understand and rank your website. Use tools like InLinks to plan, optimize and connect your content, and keep updating your Topical map to build your authority. Want to learn more about how to improve your SEO strategy? Please consider our services for Outsource SEO to watch.