Definition
A topic cluster is a hub page covering a broad subject linked to spoke pages targeting specific subtopics. Internal linking connects spokes to the hub and to each other, signaling topical depth to search engines.
Historical context
Keyword-by-keyword landing pages dominated 2000s SEO. Content strategy evolved toward pillar pages after semantic search improvements. Internal linking became the mechanism to concentrate external link equity across a domain.
Strategic explanation
Build hubs journalists want to link to: research, definitive guides, tools. Spokes target long-tail French queries with depth. Hub links to spokes with descriptive anchors; spokes link back to hub. Limit orphan pages.
When digital PR earns links to hubs, monitor crawl paths to ensure spokes update in Search Console coverage reports.
Industry use cases
SaaS: integration hub linking to partner-specific pages. Ecommerce: sustainability hub linking to category stories. B2B: compliance hub linking to sector-specific interpretations.
Frameworks
Hub-spoke build order
- Map keyword cluster and search intent
- Publish hub with linkable asset
- Publish spokes with unique value
- Internal link mesh + breadcrumb schema
- Earn external links to hub first
French keyword variants in clusters
Account for diacritics, formal vs. informal queries, and regional terminology. One hub can serve multiple spoke variants with clear canonical and hreflang if multilingual.