How to cluster content to enhance your relevance

In this talk, Pablo will discuss the importance of efficiently clustering content in SEO to expand brand relevance, while also demonstrating how to avoid common mistakes and tunnel-vision techniques.

Transcript

1. How to cluster content to enhance your relevance Pablo López Senior SEO Consultant @ DEPT® speakerdeck.com/pablolopezm @pablolopezm
2. Senior SEO Consultant 9 years working in SEO Spanish Hello! I’m Pablo #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
3. Do you remember how you used to search on Google? #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
4. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Before Basic search queries to find answers to our questions
5. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Now We ask more complex questions, and we expect an accurate answer
6. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Now Or we directly go to TikTok Source: TikTok Source: Nieman Lab
7. We (users) have drastically changed the way we search #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
8. Google have changed their algorithm to favor topic-based content #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
9. Search engines are now smart enough to recognise the intent behind our search queries #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
10. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com They’ve evolved to the point where they can: Compare it against previous searches Understand semantic context Deliver highly accurate web results
11. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com The SERPs evolution in the last 5 years is a strong evidence of that SERPs AI Overviews Faceted search Instant answers Knowledge graph Videos Organic results Paid results Product carousels
12. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com AI Overviews Featured Snippets People Also Ask Knowledge panel
13. How do we optimise for that? #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
14. By clustering our content #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
15. What is a content cluster? #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
16. “A content cluster is a group of interconnected pages, organised around a central topic.” #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
17. one pillar page & multiple subpages #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Pillar page Subpages Each cluster includes:
18. The goal of clustering content is to create a more logical site architecture as well as effectively boost the site's authority #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
19. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Source: TUI PILLAR PAGE SUBTOPICS
20. How do you cluster content effectively? #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
21. Define the content hub and your clusters #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com STEP 1
22. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com The golden rule: you can’t talk about everything Sustainability Design EV cars Batteries Fashion Solar panels
23. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Choose your content clusters wisely BRAND Revenue Streams Business Units Product/Service Lines USERS User Journey Interests Search Intent KEYWORD POTENTIAL Search Performance Longevity Competition
24. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Before starting to cluster content, we need to define the content hub structure CONTENT HUB CLUSTER CLUSTER CLUSTER CLUSTER PILLAR PAGE PILLAR PAGE PILLAR PAGE PILLAR PAGE SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC
25. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com PILLAR PAGE PILLAR PAGE PILLAR PAGE PILLAR PAGE SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC SUBTOPIC CLUSTER
26. Map out your live content against the selected clusters #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com STEP 2
27. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com WHY? Prevents from cannibalising existing content with new subtopics Allows you to identify thin content that can be consolidated Highlights content gaps
28. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com The best way to analyse live content is through a content audit
29. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
30. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
31. Keyword research and seeding #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com STEP 3
32. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com #1 Keyword seeding: business pillars
33. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com #1 Keyword seeding: GSC
34. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com #1 Keyword seeding: competitors
35. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Source: SEMrush #2 Creating the keyword database (I)
36. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Source: Google Keyword Planner #2 Creating the keyword database (II)
37. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com #2 Creating the keyword database (III) Source: AlsoAsked
38. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com We then extract the search volumes using the SEMrush API
39. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com And your database should look like this
40. Map the keywords #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com STEP 4
41. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Finally we map the keywords against the new and existing topics
42. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com And we then name the pillar pages and group the subtopics PILLAR PAGES SUBTOPICS
43. So, what have we learned today? #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com
44. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Consider your current content Build clusters based on your users Data is purely based on keywords Clustering content is the most scalable way to build relevance
45. #brightonSEO @pablolopezm | deptagency.com Pablo López Do you want to connect?