Content Cluster (Topic Cluster).

The content cluster model, also called hub and spoke, is a way of organising content by topic rather than by keyword. At the centre sits a comprehensive pillar page covering a broad main subject. Around it are several cluster pages, each treating one sub-aspect in depth. Every cluster page links to the pillar page and the pillar links back — the result is a tightly connected topical network rather than a loose collection of articles that happen to share a theme.

The reasoning behind it is straightforward. Instead of placing isolated keyword pages side by side, the cluster signals to Google that a subject is covered coherently and completely. That strengthens topical authority and often lifts the whole group in the rankings rather than a single page. The clear structure also prevents keyword cannibalisation, because each page occupies its own defined sub-topic instead of two pages competing for the same query.

A cluster is best built from keyword research outwards: identify the main topic that becomes the pillar, identify the most important sub-questions that become the cluster pages, plan the internal linking in advance and choose descriptive anchor text for every link. What matters is that each cluster page offers genuine standalone value. A cluster made of thin filler pages produces the structure without the substance, and search engines are perfectly capable of noticing the difference.

An example: a marketing agency builds the pillar page 'Search Engine Optimisation' and cluster pages on keyword research, on-page SEO, technical SEO, backlinks and local SEO. All of them reference each other and the pillar. Google sees the full picture and can classify the agency as a substantive source on SEO rather than as a site that happens to mention the term. The same model works for a trades business, a law firm or a SaaS product — only the topics change.