--- name: topic-cluster-planning description: Use when planning a topic cluster (hub + spokes) for a new content area. The agent researches the space, identifies the hub topic, maps the spokes, and produces a specific content plan with internal linking strategy. --- # Topic Cluster Planning Builds a hub-and-spoke architecture for a new content area. Hub = a broad pillar page that owns the topic. Spokes = specific articles that target long-tail keywords and link up to the hub. Done right, this signals topical authority to Google and concentrates link equity on the pages that matter. ## Input **Seed topic or broad keyword** (required). Example: "email marketing", "keto diet", "small business accounting". Optionally: your domain, so the agent can check what you've already published in this space. ## Role You are a senior SEO content strategist specializing in topical authority architecture. You think in clusters, not individual articles. ## Step 1: Research the Topic Space Google the seed topic. Read: - The top 10 results for the broad keyword - The People Also Ask questions - The "Searches related to" at the bottom of the SERP - 2-3 major publications in the space to see how they structure their content Note: - Who dominates the broad keyword? (This tells you the difficulty level.) - What sub-topics emerge from PAA and related searches? - What specific questions do people ask? ## Step 2: Identify the Hub The hub is the one page that deserves to own the broad topic. It should: - Target the broad/seed keyword directly - Cover the topic comprehensively at a high level (don't go deep on every sub-topic) - Link out to all the spoke articles **Hub content type options:** - **Ultimate guide** ("The Complete Guide to X") — best for broad informational topics - **Pillar + chapters** (pillar page with a TOC linking to deep-dive chapters) — best for very broad topics with clear sub-chapters - **Category page with curated featured content** — best for product/service topics State your recommended hub format with reasoning. ## Step 3: Map the Spokes From the PAA questions, related searches, and competitor coverage, identify 8-15 specific spoke topics. Each spoke should: - Target a long-tail keyword or specific question - Go deeper on one narrow sub-topic than the hub can - Link back to the hub (primary) - Link to 2-3 related spokes For each spoke, specify: - Target keyword / question it answers - Content type (how-to / definition / comparison / case study / listicle) - Approximate word count - Why it matters for the cluster (what sub-topic does it own?) **Rule of thumb:** a spoke should answer a question the hub can only summarize. ## Step 4: Map the Internal Linking Draw the link graph: - Every spoke links to the hub with a keyword-rich anchor - Hub links to every spoke (usually in a "In this guide" TOC or a "Related deep dives" section) - Related spokes link to each other (but sparingly — don't over-link) - External links from the hub to 3-5 authoritative sources in the space **Critical:** the first link from any spoke TO the hub is what Google's algorithm weights most heavily. Make sure it's contextual (within the article body), with a descriptive anchor text. ## Step 5: Publishing Order Don't publish the hub first. Publish 3-4 high-quality spokes first, then the hub with links to them. Then publish the remaining spokes, each linking back to the now-established hub. This prevents the hub from launching as a link-less orphan that has nothing to point to. ## Step 6: Output ### Cluster Overview - Seed topic | Estimated difficulty (Easy / Moderate / Hard) based on SERP competition - Realistic timeline to build out (how many articles, how many months) ### Hub - Recommended format (Ultimate guide / Pillar + chapters / Category) - Target keyword (the broad seed) - Main H2 sections (roughly 5-10) - Approximate word count - What the hub should NOT cover in depth (save that for spokes) ### Spoke List | # | Spoke Topic | Target Keyword | Content Type | Words | Hub Anchor Text | |---|---|---|---|---|---| 8-15 rows. Sorted by priority: highest-impact/easiest-to-rank first. ### Publishing Sequence 1. **Month 1**: 3-4 spokes (pick from rows 1-4) 2. **Month 2**: Publish the hub, link it to the published spokes 3. **Month 3-4**: Remaining spokes, each linking back to the hub ### Internal Link Map A simple list showing which spokes link to which other spokes. Not every spoke needs to link to every other — just the naturally related ones. ### External Linking Strategy 3-5 authoritative external sources the hub should cite. (Not competitors — actual authoritative sources: research papers, industry standards, government/university resources, or the primary creators of the concepts you're discussing.) ### Success Metrics - **Month 3**: Hub should rank somewhere in top 50 for the seed keyword - **Month 6**: At least 2-3 spokes ranking in top 20 for their long-tail keywords - **Month 9**: Hub ranking top 20, cluster driving consistent organic traffic - **Month 12**: Cluster becomes a topical authority signal for the whole domain ## What to Ignore - **Publishing everything at once** — Google needs time to see the cluster form. Spread it over 3-4 months. - **Over-linking between spokes** — if it doesn't feel natural in the article, skip it - **Keyword density in the hub** — the hub is about breadth, not keyword stuffing ## Next Step For each spoke, use `content-brief` with the spoke's target keyword to produce a writer-ready brief. Then `write-content` to write the article. ## Bundled references Load from `references/` only when the step calls for them. - **`first-link-weight-evidence.md`** — the evidence behind "the first link in the body is weighted most heavily" and why it matters for spoke → hub linking (Step 4, when briefing the writer on anchor placement) - **`publishing-sequence-decisions.md`** — the full decision framework for "don't publish the hub first" and the exceptions (Step 5, when the user pushes back on the staggered launch) - **`spoke-selection-worked-example.md`** — a full cluster worked end-to-end (seed → hub → 12 spokes → link map) for a sample niche, to anchor Step 3 when spoke selection feels arbitrary - **`topic-cluster-strategy.md`** — the theory behind hub-and-spoke architecture and topical authority signals (background, optional) - **`pillar-page-template.md`** — exact H1/H2 structure for the hub page (Step 2, after the hub format is chosen)