Topical maps, explained
What a topical map is, why it decides what ranks, and how to build, publish and measure one. Lessons in the order to read them.
- 1What is a topical map? Parts, links and orderA topical map plans every page a site needs on its subject, linked and in order. Its parts, where the idea came from, and two real maps opened up row by row.
- 2Topical authority: what it is and how to build itTopical authority with evidence beyond Google's docs: Koray's formula, a Microsoft patent, court records, and a real store that grew before it had many links.
- 3The other half of topical authority: links, mentions and reputationDo you need backlinks for topical authority? What links and mentions do that your pages cannot, what AI answers cite, and a store that grew 29x on few links.
- 4Topical map vs topic cluster vs keyword listA keyword list records searches, a topic cluster groups one subject's pages, a topical map plans the whole site. See all three on one store, with real data.
- 5How to build a topical map, step by stepBuild a topical map by hand in nine steps: source context, core and outer sections, searches, page or section, links and order. Worked map to download.
- 6One page per keyword? When a search deserves its own pageOne page per keyword is the wrong rule. Four questions decide whether a search gets its own page or a section, tested on ten real pairs, with a worksheet.
- 7Topical map examples: three real maps, opened upThree real topical maps opened up row by row: an online store, a service business and this library, with searches, publishing order, links and free CSVs.
- 8Topical map template for Google Sheets and Excel (free)A free topical map template for Google Sheets and Excel: six lines at the top, one row per page, a tab for searches with no page, checks and a worked example.
- 9What is a pillar page? Where it sits in a mapA pillar page heads one branch of a topical map. What makes a page a pillar, where the idea came from, and real pillars from a store and a service business.
- 10Internal links inside a topical map: who links whereWhich page links to which in a topical map, where the link sits, what its words say, what to do with pages not built yet, and one real branch, link by link.
- 11Keyword cannibalization: how to find, fix and prevent itFind keyword cannibalization by hand in Search Console, decide between merge, redirect, re-aim or leave, and give every search one owner page in your map.
- 12Publishing order: which pages of a map go live firstWhich pages of a topical map to publish first: six rules reconciled into one order, seasonal lead times, links to unpublished pages and a real branch.
- 13Expanding a topical map: what to add once the first pages are liveWhen a topical map is ready to grow, the four ways to expand it, how far is too far, where new page ideas come from, and how to add pages without breaking it.
- 14Content pruning: what to do with pages that do not belongContent pruning gives every page on your site one verdict: keep, update, merge, redirect, remove or noindex. The decision path, the checks and an audit sheet.
- 15Topical maps for ecommerce storesHow a store's topical map works: collections and products first, guides that feed them, which filters become pages, variants, out-of-stock pages, real rows.
- 16Topical maps for local and service businessesHow to plan a topical map for a local or service business: service, location and town pages, the doorway line, map pack limits, emergencies and real rows.
- 17Topical map tools and generators, tested on one siteI ran free topical map generators, AI clusterers, a chat assistant and shared-results clustering on one made-up salon and scored them on 7 checks.
- 18How to tell if a topical map is working after you publishWhat ranking looks like in the weeks after you publish a topical map, the six Search Console checks that show it working, and how AI answers change the reading.