Using A Topic Cluster Model for Content Development - TribeTalk EP 49

In this week’s TribeTalk we discuss switching up our content strategy to meet changing SEO needs.

Our EmberTribe team has created a lot of great growth content over the years, and much of it holds tons of value for readers. However, we weren’t seeing the kind of traffic and engagement with our content that we wanted. That led us to seek out ways to boost organic traffic to our site. Ultimately we ended up re-thinking our entire current content strategy!

What We Knew

• Updates to search engine algorithms and changing consumer behaviors have forced marketers to change the way they structure their sites
• Search engines have become better at providing searchers with what they want.
• SEO practices have had to evolve with algorithm changes.
• Content creators (including us) have to get even more creative to keep up.

How We Pivoted

We decided to restructure our digital content around the topic cluster methodology. If you haven’t heard of a “topic cluster model,” we wouldn’t be surprised. It was pretty new to us, too, when we undertook a shift in our content development structure. 

Here’s a basic rundown of the topic cluster model:

•  It’s a new kind of content strategy that uses a “pillar page” as the main hub of content for a big topic (kind of like an umbrella topic).
• Content is produced around a pillar page and related topics. These pieces of content are called cluster content.
• The clusters link to your pillar page and to each other and this tells search engines that the pillar page is an authority on the topic.
• Topic clusters help marketers link related content internally (and rank higher in SERP).

As for results? Well, SEO traction takes time so we’re still waiting to see how the new model pans out. Results are looking pretty good so far!

But on the non-SEO side of things, our content development and planning process has benefited from this new structure. That’s a silver lining for sure!