Organizing content using a topical map is a great business technique that will be helpful for improving the SEO and making the website more user-friendly. A topical map further assists search engines in grasping the structure and order of contents to be indexed hence leading to the much-coveted higher rankings. Here is the step-by-step guide on how one can develop an effective topical map.
Understanding a Topical Map
Generally, a topical map is a plan of all the web pages of your site with regard to the topics covered containing both graphic and written elements. This map reveals the major phenomenon areas and topics that can be grouped under each of them and shows how they are connected. This improves your site’s SEO because this structure assists search engines in assimilating your content’s context.
Key Components of a Topical Map
1. Primary topics: The large subject areas of your site or, in other words, the actual branches of your site’s classification.
2. Subtopics: These are given as more specific aspects of the paper that fall under each of the main categories.
3. Keywords: Relevant keywords for each topic and subtopic.
4. Content Types: Different formats of content like blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.
5. Internal Links: Connections between different pieces of content.
Steps to Create a Topical Map
1. Identify Your Main Topics
To start, it’s important to identify the main categories of your website and, if needed, adjust or enhance the semantic navigation bar accordingly. Your content should align with your business goals while also capturing the interest of your audience. For example, a fitness website might cover various sub-topics such as workout routines, nutrition tips, fitness apparel, and equipment.
Tips for Identifying Topics
The following types of research are relevant when preparing audience research:
Competitor Analysis: See what topics the competitors covered, on social media or in articles.
Keyword Research: The Google Keyword Planner is a good example of the tools to be used in obtaining the most used keywords.
2. Break Down into Subtopics
When you have obtained the main topics, always divide them into subtopics. It assists in coming up with comprehensive content that addresses as many facets as possible in a particular topic.
Example
If the subject selected was “Workouts” then some of the subtopics may include “Workouts at Home, Cardiovascular Exercises, Strength Building Exercises” etc.
3. Conduct Keyword Research
When it comes to a particular topic and its subtopics, it will be important to identify the keywords. It enables you to create content which can be easily searched by the search engines.
Tools for Keyword Research
Google Keyword Planner: Offers insights into search volumes and competition.
SEMrush: Provides comprehensive keyword data and analysis.
Ahrefs: Provides data on keywords and ranking.
4. Outline Content Types and Formats
Determine what content you will use for each of the topics and subtopics you have identified in a given article. You can write blog articles, create videos, infographics, podcasts and other materials.
Content Types
Blog Posts: Suitable for producing wordy contents since it is a written content type.
Videos: Great for visual and auditory engagement.
Infographics: The representation of simple and complex information combinations through graphics.
Podcasts: This format is suitable for audio and for telling stories and narratives.
5. Create a Content Hierarchy
Collect your topics and subtopics in the form of an outline to make them appear in a sequence. This in turn helps in structuring the site as well as helping search engines to organize the patterns of the site architecture.
Example of a Content Hierarchy
– Workouts
– Home Workouts
– Beginner Home Workouts
– Advanced Home Workouts
– Cardio Exercises
– Running
– Cycling
6. Develop Internal Linking Strategies
Effective internal linking is important to SEO since it informs search engines about the type of links between the pages available on the site. It also improves user navigation.
Best Practices for Internal Linking
Link to Relevant Content: You should have credible links that are related to the topic of the content.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text: As an SEO strategy, it refers to the text placed in anchor to inform the users and search engines as to the relevance and content of the proposed URL.
Link Equity: Link from high authority page to lower authority pages so as to enhance its capability of ranking.
7. Visualize Your Topical Map
Determine how your topical map will look by drawing it. It can be done with the help of available tools such as Lucidchart or MindMeister.
Benefits of Visualizing a Topical Map
Clarity: Provides a clear overview of your content structure.
Collaboration: It helps in sharing with colleagues and getting their feedback.
Tips for Maintaining Your Topical Map
Regular Updates
In fact, your topical map should be dynamic in the sense that it is a working document. It should be updated frequently to allow for new postings, new trends in SEO, and altering reader preferences.
Monitor Performance
In order to monitor the performance of the content created, tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can be used. Continually use the topical map to make changes depending on what topics has positive and negative reactions.
Stay Informed
Stay updated with the new trends and SEO algorithm in the market. This will assist you in being more selective with regard to the topical map that will enable you to remain relevant.
