# Topic Cluster Templates

Planning worksheet and measurement framework for building topic clusters without overproducing thin cluster pages.

## Pillar Viability

| Field | Input |
|-------|-------|
| Pillar topic | [broad topic] |
| Pillar keyword | [head keyword] |
| Monthly volume | [volume] |
| Keyword difficulty | [KD] |
| Business relevance | [1-5] |
| Current rank | [position / not ranking] |
| Competitor coverage | [who owns this topic] |
| Estimated cluster size | [subtopics] |
| Existing assets | [URLs/files to repurpose] |

Proceed when most are true:

- 8-12 viable subtopics exist.
- Combined cluster volume is greater than 5,000/month or strategically important despite lower volume.
- Topic is directly tied to product/service expertise.
- You can add original expertise, data, examples, or tooling.
- Competitors have not already built an unbeatable cluster.

## Subtopic Map

| # | Subtopic | Target Keyword | Volume | KD | Intent | Format | Status |
|---|----------|----------------|--------|----|--------|--------|--------|
| 1 | [subtopic] | [long-tail] | [vol] | [KD] | I/N/C/T | Guide/Tutorial/List/Tool | Idea/Draft/Published |

Intent legend: `I` informational, `N` navigational, `C` commercial, `T` transactional.

## Architecture Patterns

| Pattern | Best For | Shape |
|---------|----------|-------|
| Classic hub-spoke | Educational topics | Pillar links to definition, benefits, examples, tools, mistakes, checklist |
| Layered cluster | Technical topics | Beginner -> intermediate -> advanced branches |
| Use-case cluster | Product/service topics | SMB, enterprise, agency, ecommerce, industry variants |
| Process cluster | How-to topics | Research -> plan -> execute -> measure |

## Internal Linking Rules

| Rule | Requirement |
|------|-------------|
| Cluster -> pillar | Every cluster page links to the pillar |
| Pillar -> cluster | Pillar links to every core cluster page |
| Cluster -> cluster | Each cluster page links to 2-3 related siblings |
| Anchor text | Descriptive and contextual, never generic `click here` |
| Placement | Body content first; footer/sidebar links are secondary |

| Cluster Size | Min Links/Page | Max Links/Page | Pillar Link Strategy |
|--------------|----------------|----------------|----------------------|
| 5-8 pages | 2-3 | 5-6 | Link to every cluster page |
| 9-15 pages | 3-4 | 6-8 | Link to every cluster page |
| 16+ pages | 4-5 | 8-10 | Link to top pages; group the rest |

## Build Sequence

| Phase | Publish |
|-------|---------|
| 1 | Pillar page first |
| 2 | 3-4 lowest-difficulty cluster pages |
| 3 | Highest-volume pages |
| 4 | Remaining niche subtopics |
| 5 | Refresh pillar with links and update outdated clusters |

| Team Size | Typical Cluster Time | Cadence |
|-----------|----------------------|---------|
| Solo | 6-8 weeks | 1 per quarter |
| Small team | 3-4 weeks | 1 per month |
| Medium team | 2-3 weeks | 2 per month |
| Large team | 1-2 weeks | 1 per week |

## Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Fix |
|--------------|-----|
| Footer-only cluster links | Move links into relevant body sections |
| Orphan cluster pages | Add pillar and sibling links |
| Over-linking | Keep links relevant; normally 5-10 internal links/page |
| Pillar-only linking | Add 2-3 sibling links where context supports it |
| Thin subtopics | Merge into pillar or wait until enough evidence exists |

## Measurement

| Timeframe | Review | Action If Weak |
|-----------|--------|----------------|
| 2 weeks | Indexing | Fix crawl/internal-link issues |
| 1 month | Early rankings and traffic | Improve titles, metas, internal links |
| 3 months | Ranking trend | Refresh content, add missing subtopics, build links |
| 6 months | Full cluster performance | Major update, prune, or pivot |

| Health Dimension | 1 Poor | 3 Average | 5 Excellent |
|------------------|--------|-----------|-------------|
| Traffic growth | Declining | Flat | 10%+ MoM |
| Keyword coverage | <20 | 20-50 | 50+ |
| Top 10 rankings | 0 | 1-5 | 5+ |
| Freshness | 12+ months stale | Updated within 6 months | Updated within 3 months |
| Internal linking | Missing/orphans | Basic | Full cross-linking |
| Completeness | <50% | 50-80% | 80-100% |

Health score = average dimension score. Below 3.0 = at risk; below 2.0 = strategic review.