Getting your content to rank makes it more visible on search engine results, attracting traffic to your website and increasing awareness about your business. You’ve probably heard it’s crucial to add high-quality keywords to your content, but that’s not the only search engine optimization (SEO) tactic that should be present in your content SEO strategy.

This post discusses topical maps and how creating them can help you reach the correct audience, rank higher in search results, and appeal to more potential customers.

What is a topical map?

A topical map is a structured approach to organizing the topics and subtopics related to a particular subject. It functions like an outline, showing the hierarchy of topics and how they’re connected.

You can arrange the contents of your website based on a topical map, creating a clear and logical structure that visitors can easily understand and navigate. This approach helps facilitate a seamless experience for users, no matter their purpose.

For instance, imagine you’re a local business offering home improvement services. Instead of randomly listing all your services on your website, you can create sections like “Electrical” and “Plumbing.” Under “Electrical,” you might have individual pages for services like “Wiring and Rewiring” and “Lighting Installation and Repair.” If users go to “Plumbing,” they might find service pages like “Drain Cleaning” and “Water Heater Installation and Repair.”

Why should you use a topical map?

Creating a topical map can help your content SEO efforts in multiple ways:

Improved user experience. Arranging your site’s contents logically makes it easier for visitors to find the information they need.

Better rankings. A clear structure makes your website easier for search engines to understand, index, and rank.

Enhanced local SEO. Strategically linking services to pages optimized for your location tells search engines what you do and where your target customers are. This can boost your visibility on Google My Business and Google Maps and your site’s overall local SEO.

Topical maps can also help prevent issues like keyword cannibalization, which happens when multiple site pages compete in ranking for the same keyword, leading to lower overall rankings. By restructuring your website based on a topical map, you can make your site more streamlined, avoid cannibalization, and improve your chances of ranking higher for specific keywords.

How do you build a topical map?

Here are simple steps to build a topical map as part of your content SEO strategy:

Choose your main topic

Pick a topic centered on your products or services. The topic should be broad enough to cover various subtopics but specific enough to relate to your business’s offerings directly. Going back to the previous example, for instance, you could select “Plumbing Maintenance” or “Electrical Repair.”

Identify subtopics

For subtopics, select areas that allow you to dive into the main topic. For the above main topics, your subtopics might include:

Drain Cleaning
Winterizing Pipes
Circuit Breaker Replacement
Surge Protection

You can then branch into further subtopics for each subtopic you’ve identified. Under “Drain Cleaning” and “Surge Protection,” for example, you may choose:

Causes of Frequent Clogs
DIY vs. Professional Drain Cleaning
Identifying Power Surge Breaks
Surge Protection for the Entire Home

Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahrefs can help you brainstorm subtopics that potential customers are actively searching for.

Create supporting content

Supporting content should explore your chosen subtopics in-depth and contain relevant keywords. Each piece of content should focus on a unique topic and link to related pieces to maintain a strong network of connected information.

For example, if you’re creating content on “Causes of Frequent Clogs,” you might link to a piece on “Sewer Line Blockages.” Internal linking helps search engines understand how the different pieces of content on your site relate to one another, making it crucial to building your website’s search ranking.

Optimize for local SEO

Since small businesses typically rely on customers within their area, it’s essential to consider SEO for local businesses when crafting your topical map.

Create location-specific pages. If your business has multiple locations, create a page for each one. Each page should include local keywords, such as “Plumbing maintenance in Manhattan” or “Best electrician in Fort Lauderdale.”

Prioritize Google My Business and Google Maps. Listing each location on Google My Business ensures your business shows up accurately on Google Maps. Make sure to link to these listings on your website and include local keywords where possible.

Focus on local topics. Consider adding content that specifically speaks to and resonates with your audience, such as blog posts on recent events.

Additionally, ensure your keywords are found in other parts of your content. A tactic often used in SEO for local businesses is to incorporate keywords in meta descriptions, title tags, and URLs. That said, be careful not to overstuff your content with too many keywords, as this error can derail your local SEO efforts.

Keep content fresh and up-to-date

Regularly updating your content keeps it and your website relevant. Adjust your topical map as you add new services and products, phase out old offerings, or expand your service area. Google favors active websites and fresh content, and updated posts are crucial to stabilizing your site’s ranking over time.

A topical map helps you organize your content so your website ranks higher in search results, especially when created as part of your content SEO strategy. It also guides your potential customers through your website and helps provide them with a seamless user experience.

Building a topical map and incorporating it into your local SEO efforts might seem overwhelming, but you can trust a professional SEO company for guidance and assistance. Their team of experts has years of SEO experience; they can help you build high-quality content and optimize it using the latest and most effective SEO strategies.

Harness the power of optimized content to get your business seen today!

As a small to medium business (SMB) building your website’s online visibility, you should be careful about engaging in spammy SEO tactics—even unintentionally. Unethical SEO practices can lead to penalties that can severely harm your website’s Google rankings and make your business less visible to potential customers.

Here are seven common spammy tactics that can result in search engine penalties and SEO tips for steering clear of them:

Keyword stuffing

Even though keywords are crucial in most on-page SEO strategies, overloading your content with too many is a big no-no. As far as search engine algorithms go, quality and relevance trump quantity. Keyword stuffing, or using keywords an excessive number of times, can actually harm your search ranking instead of improving it.

Imagine yourself reading this sentence: “We are the best electricians in California, offering electrician services in California to those who need cheap electricians in California for residential electrical services.” It sounds bad, unnatural, and confusing, leading to poor user experience.

To avoid keyword stuffing, focus on writing for your human audience rather than for search engines. Use your targeted keywords within the context of your content and as you would in a normal conversation. Remember that Google aims to provide the most relevant and valuable results for its users, so prioritize creating high-quality, user-friendly content.

Buying links

Backlinks, which are when other websites link back to your site, are one of Google’s top ranking factors. They are considered a strong signal of authority because other websites are essentially vouching for your content. This is why some businesses buy backlinks, thinking that more links can increase their authority and rankings. However, Google sees this as a shady and manipulative tactic and will penalize your website for it.

Instead of buying backlinks, earn them legitimately by creating high-quality content that will be used as a resource or reference by other sites. You can also engage in organic approaches like networking within your industry, guest blogging, and sharing your expertise on social media to build your authority and attract natural backlinks.

Duplicate content

Duplicate content is the same content on multiple web pages—whether your own or on different websites. Although unintentional duplicate content is possible, some businesses intentionally use it to manipulate search rankings. Either case can confuse search engines about which version to rank, leading to penalties.

Do your best to create original content for each page of your website. To minimize the risk of duplicate content, you should also run your copy or blog posts through plagiarism checks. If you need to repeat information—with product descriptions on e-commerce pages, for example—differentiate each piece of content by paraphrasing or adding unique value.

Cloaking

This practice means the content shown to search engines differs from what appears to users. For example, the site might present keyword-rich content to search engines but direct users to a page that doesn’t match the search terms. This deceptive tactic violates search engine guidelines and can sink your Google ranking.

Instead of trying to trick users or search engines, create content that satisfies your human audience and follows SEO updates and best practices. Make sure your pages provide the value they promise based on the keywords they’re optimized for.

Hidden text or links

Some websites hide text or links by making them the same color as the page background, rendering them invisible to everyone but search engines. This tactic allows the website owner to stuff their pages without disrupting user experience, thinking the extra keywords and links would benefit their search rankings. However, Google considers this practice deceptive and incapable of offering real value to site visitors.

To avoid this issue, create content that speaks directly to your audience. Ensure that all elements of your website, including text, media, and design, are visible, easy to read, and comprehensible.

Thin content

This type of content has little useful or relevant information for site visitors. It could be auto-generated content or pages stuffed with keywords but do not offer anything valuable. Thin content can frustrate users and may cause them to leave the page, increasing the website’s bounce rates.

When creating content for your website, focus on providing information that will genuinely help users. Find out what questions and concerns your potential customers have, and provide answers through your content. This way, visitors will want to stay on your website and consider you as a credible source of information.

Doorway pages

A doorway page is a low-quality page created specifically to rank for specific keywords and act as a “door” that leads users to a different page on your website. These pages are often thin and offer little value. For example, a website might create a doorway page for the keyword “HVAC repair in Houston.” Instead of providing high-quality content related to the keyword, the page redirects users to the main HVAC services page. This tactic is considered deceptive and can lead to Google ranking penalties.

To avoid getting penalized, do not create pages for the sole purpose of capturing traffic. Instead, make sure each page in your website delivers usable, informative, and engaging content. This not only satisfies search engine requirements, but it also keeps site visitors happy.

Navigating the world of SEO may seem overwhelming, especially when you consider search engine penalties. However, remember that good SEO is about building trust—with both your audience and search engines. Keep your content genuine, valuable, and relevant, and always follow ethical SEO tips and best practices. Chances are, you’ll soon see steady growth in your Google rankings without resorting to black-hat tactics.

Tag: seo experts

Topical Maps Explained: How to Organize Content for Better SEO