Lesson 4 looks at how you can use the topic cluster tool for blog linking structure.
Using the clusters tool for blog linking structure
Once the pillar page is created, this becomes the basis for a content cluster in HubSpot. You then need to ensure that relevant blogs are added to the cluster and linked to the pillar page.
To do this, navigate to the portal and go to Marketing in the top navigation. Choose planning and strategy, then navigate to SEO. Here you will see the topic library. It is here that you will be able to create clusters and view their performance. Navigate to the right-hand side and choose “Add Topic” to begin.
Select a topic which is related to one of the main challenges your customers want to overcome. Answering these questions will help you start to think about what topics your buyers care about. Based on your existing website and what you know about your industry, you can use the search bar below the main navigation, which will give you a list of topics to write about.
Write your suggestion into the bar, then pick a topic for your cluster. You will then see a monthly search volume and difficulty of entry for the chosen word. If this is suitable then click on the topic term to select it, then move to the bottom left and press "Create Topic" to begin the next stage.
This will bring you to the topic visualisation area. The first thing to do is select your country for tracking in the top left.
Now move to the middle of the closer, where you will see your chosen topic. Click on this and it will open an interface on the right. In the interface, you will see your monthly search volume.
Below this, you will be asked to fill in the pillar page that you want to align to this topic. Click on this link and begin typing to choose a page that exists in your CRM, add in an external link or create a new pillar page using the guide above to link.
Next, move to the top of the screen and select the “Add Topic Keyword” button. This will open an interface in the right, where you can enter a subtopic keyword. Much like before, this will give you traffic estimations and keyword suggestions. Select the most appropriate keyword, then press Save.
This will then take you to the next stage in the content cluster, which will ask you to choose content that relates to the subtopic. Choose a page and then this will add that page to the subtopic and give you an indication of the top search queries related to the page.
Now that you have your first subtopic, you need to ensure that it is linked to the main pillar page. To do this, click on the link and then click "Edit" in the top corner.
Somewhere in the text you will need to have a link back to the pillar. We recommend that you do this by adding in a snippet of text at the top or bottom of the page that reads - "if you would like more information on this topic, then check out our page [page title]". This provides a simple, natural link back to the pillar page.
Once you have done this, navigate back to your pillar and click on the subtopic again. There will be a button on the right-hand side interface asking you to check the link; press this.
Once the blog and pillar are linked, you will see the link icon show up in green on the relevant blog.
Repeat this for a total of 20 pieces of content to fill your pillar.