# Topic clusters: how B2B sites build pillar pages that rank in Google and AI search (2026)

> Topic clusters link a pillar page to one page per search, so Google and AI search see full coverage. A real SOC 2 cluster, link rules and when clusters bloat.

Canonical: https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/topic-clusters
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Topic clusters link a pillar page to one page per search, so Google and AI search see full coverage. A real SOC 2 cluster, link rules and when clusters bloat.

Written by [Brenden House](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/people/brenden), Founder, Searchmaxxed

Published 2 November 2026 Updated 4 November 2026 17 min read

Summarise with AI

Free 90-Day AI Search Growth Plan

## See who AI recommends instead of you

Get your free 90-Day AI Search Growth Plan: where you stand for 10 buying questions, your top 3 competitors and why they get picked, and what to do in days 1-30, 31-60 and 61-90. Walked through on a 30-minute call; the written plan is yours to keep.

Get your free growth plan

## Key takeaways

Build each topic cluster around a subject you sell into, with one pillar page, one page per distinct search and links between them.

- Give a search its own page only when Google answers it with different results from the pillar's searches. Otherwise, make it a section.
- Link every cluster page up to the pillar and across to the page that sells.
- Open every section with a plain answer that AI engines can lift whole.
- Add something only you have, because generic posts are bloat.
- Judge each cluster by clicks and pipeline.

Start closest to what you sell.

A topic cluster is a group of pages on one subject: a central pillar page, linked to cluster pages that each answer one narrower question. The pillar targets the broad search. The cluster pages take the specific ones and link back. You'll also hear it called the topic cluster model, content clusters or hub and spoke. It still works in 2026. There's one condition, though: every cluster page has to win a search that the pillar can't.

Here at Searchmaxxed, we plan and build topic clusters for [law firms](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/industries/legal-seo), [clinics](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/industries/healthcare-seo) and [premium builders](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/industries/construction-seo). We make your company the answer in Google and in the AI engines your buyers ask, from ChatGPT to Perplexity, Gemini and AI Overviews. Then we turn that into a steady flow of high-intent leads and pipeline.

## What is a topic cluster?

A topic cluster is a set of pages that together cover one subject, arranged like a hub with spokes. The pillar page is the hub. The cluster pages are the spokes, and internal links tie them together so readers and search engines can move from one to the next.

HubSpot puts the payoff neatly: the links turn "a loose archive of posts" into a "tightly organized network of related coverage". A B2B cluster has four parts.

| Part | Its job | Example for a SOC 2 compliance vendor |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pillar page | Covers the broad topic and links to every spoke | A "SOC 2 compliance" guide |
| Cluster page (spoke) | Answers one narrower search in depth | "SOC 2 Type 1 vs Type 2" |
| Internal links | Connect spokes to the pillar, each other and the product | Each spoke links to the guide and the demo page |
| Money page | Turns a reader into a lead | The SOC 2 compliance software page |

The names vary more than the idea. Ahrefs says topic clusters, content hubs and pillar pages are "all basically the same thing".

Clusters are how sites earn topical authority. That's the trust a site builds across a whole subject, and our [guide to topical authority](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/topical-authority) covers that bigger idea in full. Here, we stay on the structure: what goes in a cluster, what stays out, and how the pages link.

## What is a pillar page, and how is it different from a hub page?

A pillar page is the central page of a topic cluster. It covers the whole subject at a high level, targets the broad head search, and links out to a cluster page for every subtopic.

Hub pages are where the industry splits. [Conductor draws a line](https://www.conductor.com/academy/topic-clusters/) between the two. A hub page is mostly a directory that helps readers find the spokes, while a pillar page is a standalone, in-depth guide. Conductor counts its own index coverage guide as a hybrid: it reads like a pillar until its FAQ, which works as a directory of spokes.

HubSpot's test for a pillar is blunt. As [Siege Media](https://www.siegemedia.com/seo/topic-clusters) quotes it, "if you're trying to get the page you're working on to rank for a long-tail keyword, it's not a pillar page." Pillars chase the broad term, and the long tail belongs to the spokes.

Here's a twist most guides miss. Google treats "pillar pages" and "topic clusters" as two different questions. In the US results we pulled on 1 November 2026, the two searches shared none of their top 10 pages. HubSpot and Semrush ranked for both. Each used two separate articles.

Compare that with "topic clusters", "topic cluster model" and "what is a topic cluster". Those three shared between 5 and 8 of their top 10 results. One page can win all three.

That's the method in miniature. Let the results decide which searches share a page.

### How long should a pillar page be?

As long as the subject needs. Conductor says there's "no magic length" for pillar content, and Google's own AI features guide says there's "no ideal page length" for any page. Most pillars run long because their subject is broad.

The spokes carry the depth.

### What's the difference between a pillar page and a landing page?

A pillar page teaches. A landing page asks for the demo or the sign-up. On a B2B site, keep them apart but one click from each other, so the pillar can send ready readers straight to the product. Siege Media warns that a pillar sitting too close to a product page risks confusing Google about which one to rank. Give each its own search.

## Do topic clusters still work in 2026?

Yes, as site structure. Google's documentation backs the part clusters rely on most, which is links. Its [link best practices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable) say "Google uses links as a signal when determining the relevancy of pages and to find new pages to crawl." The same page adds: "Every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site."

What changed is Google's patience with padding. Its [guide to generative AI features](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide), updated 10 July 2026, warns against "separate content for every possible variation of how people might search". Doing that to manipulate rankings breaks its scaled content abuse policy. And Google adds that "a high quantity of pages doesn't make a website higher quality or more relevant to users".

So the model holds, but the bar for every spoke has gone up: ten strong pages now beat fifty thin ones.

The proof sits in one B2B category.

## What does a winning B2B topic cluster look like?

It looks like one page per search, all under one hub, with the product page close by. SOC 2 shows it plainly. It's a security audit that B2B software buyers often ask their vendors to pass, so compliance companies fight hard for every search around it.

We pulled the US top 10 for ten SOC 2 searches on 1 November 2026. Across them, 48 different websites made the top 10, yet only two vendors showed up for nine of the ten: Vanta and Secureframe. Both did it with a cluster.

| Search | Secureframe page (position) | Vanta page (position) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| soc 2 compliance | What is SOC 2 (2) | Compliance requirements (9) |
| what is soc 2 | What is SOC 2 (2) | Compliance requirements (8) |
| soc 2 requirements | Requirements (1) | Compliance requirements (2) |
| soc 2 type 1 vs type 2 | Type 1 vs Type 2 (1) | Type 1 vs Type 2 (3) |
| soc 2 vs iso 27001 | Blog comparison (5) | ISO 27001 vs SOC 2 (1) |
| soc 2 automation | Manual vs automated (10) | Compliance automation explainer (1) |
| soc 2 audit cost | Audit cost (4) | Audit cost (3) |
| soc 2 checklist | Not in top 10 | Compliance checklist (3) |
| soc 2 compliance software | SOC 2 hub page (7) | Product page (2) |
| soc 2 report | What is a SOC 2 report (5) | Not in top 10 |

Four patterns stand out.

**A different page for nearly every search.**  Secureframe ranked with eight different URLs across its nine searches, and Vanta ranked with seven. Neither bet on one long post.

**One page where the results overlap.**  Vanta's requirements page ranked for "soc 2 compliance", "what is soc 2" and "soc 2 requirements". Those three searches share 4 or 5 of their top 10 results with each other. So one page serves them all.

**Dense links inside the cluster.**  Secureframe's SOC 2 hub links to 37 pages in its /hub/soc-2/ folder. Its Type 1 vs Type 2 page links back to the hub and to 31 sibling pages, while Vanta's SOC 2 collection links to 46.

**The product page inside the cluster.**  For the buying search, "soc 2 compliance software", Vanta's product page ranked second. The guides teach. The product page catches the buyer.

Big brands with strong link profiles have more than structure going for them, but structure is why each search lands on the right page. A buyer who asks about audit cost reads an audit cost page, one click from a demo.

## How do you build a topic cluster, step by step?

Pick a subject you sell into, list every search in it, and test which searches share a page. Then build and link the pages. It's the order we follow for B2B clients.

### 1. Pick a subject close to what you sell

Write the subject in one sentence, tied to the product you sell and the buyers who pay for it. "SOC 2 compliance for SaaS companies" works for a compliance platform.

"Cybersecurity" doesn't.

Siege Media flags both mistakes. Choose a pillar too broad, like "productivity" for an automation tool, and you'll end up writing about things far from your product. Go too narrow and the useful searches run out after five to ten phrases.

### 2. Collect every search in it

Pull queries from Search Console, People Also Ask, keyword tools, sales call notes and support tickets. Then study your competitors' hubs. Secureframe's SOC 2 hub lists 37 subtopics, from bridge letters to audit timelines, which makes it a free map of the questions your buyers search.

### 3. Test which searches share a page

Search each term and count the URLs that any two searches share in their top 10. Our rule: 4 or more shared results means one page, and 0 or 1 means two pages. At 2 or 3, we check which page types rank before we decide.

The ten SOC 2 searches split like this on 1 November 2026.

| Page | Searches it should own | Shared top 10 results |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pillar: SOC 2 compliance guide | soc 2 compliance, what is soc 2, soc 2 requirements | 4 or 5 between each pair |
| Spoke: SOC 2 checklist | soc 2 checklist | 4 with requirements, 1 or none with the others |
| Spoke: SOC 2 report | soc 2 report | 3 at most, with "what is soc 2" |
| Spoke: Type 1 vs Type 2 | soc 2 type 1 vs type 2 | 1 at most with any other |
| Spoke: SOC 2 vs ISO 27001 | soc 2 vs iso 27001 | None |
| Spoke: SOC 2 audit cost | soc 2 audit cost | None |
| Spoke: SOC 2 automation | soc 2 automation | 1 at most with any other |
| Money page: SOC 2 software | soc 2 compliance software | 1 at most with any other |

Two rows are judgement calls. Each shares a few results with the pillar's searches, but far fewer than those three share with each other. Vanta ranks with a checklist page and Secureframe with a report page. We'd build both as spokes, linked from the pillar.

Watch "soc 2 automation". It sounds like a product search, yet it shares only one result with "soc 2 compliance software". Vanta won it with an explainer.

So build an explainer that links to the product page.

### 4. Audit the pages you already have

Check Search Console for posts that already earn impressions on the cluster's searches. Rework the best one into the pillar or a spoke, then merge near-duplicates into it and redirect them. Two of your pages fighting over one search is keyword cannibalisation. Our guide to [fixing keyword cannibalisation](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/keyword-cannibalisation) covers the cleanup on a large site.

### 5. Write every page answer-first, with something only you have

Open each page by answering its search in the first two sentences, before any background or brand story. Then add what the ranking pages lack. For a compliance vendor, that might be median audit timelines from your own customers, a real control list or screenshots of the product at work. Google's AI features guide asks for "non-commodity content", and this is what it means in practice.

A spoke that repeats what already ranks adds a page and nothing else.

### 6. Link the cluster together

Link every spoke to the pillar, the pillar to every spoke, and every spoke to the money page. The next section sets out the rules.

### 7. Measure it as one cluster

Track the cluster's searches, clicks and pipeline together. A spoke that converts nothing can still lift the pillar it supports, which a page-by-page report will never show you.

Start with [keyword clustering](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/keyword-clustering) to decide which searches belong on one page before building the wider topic structure.

## How should internal links work inside a topic cluster?

Every spoke links up to the pillar, the pillar links down to every spoke, and every spoke links once to the page that sells. HubSpot sets the first two rules in its [topic cluster guide](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/topic-clusters-seo). It adds that spokes should cross-link "only where the reference makes sense to the reader".

We add a fourth for B2B clients. Without a link to the money page, a cluster earns traffic and no pipeline.

Here's the plan for the Type 1 vs Type 2 spoke:

- **Up:**  a link on the words "SOC 2 compliance guide" in the first section, pointing to the pillar.
- **Sideways:**  a link to the audit cost spoke where the page mentions budget, and nowhere else.
- **To the sale:**  a link on "SOC 2 compliance software" near the end, pointing to the product page.
- **Down from the pillar:**  a link to this spoke in the paragraph that introduces Type 1 and Type 2 reports.

Write anchor text that names the topic of the page it points to, so readers and Google know what's on the other side. And keep the links in plain HTML. Google says it can generally crawl a link only if it's an `<a>` element with an `href` attribute.

For clusters past a few dozen pages, our guide to [internal linking strategy for large sites](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/internal-linking-strategy) covers hub depth and orphan pages.

## How do topic clusters help you show up in AI search?

AI answers search in pieces. A cluster gives each piece a page or a passage with a clean answer to lift. Google says its AI features use query fan-out: "a set of concurrent, related queries generated by the model". One buyer question becomes several searches.

Google also ranks parts of pages. Its [ranking systems guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) describes passage ranking as "an AI system we use to identify individual sections or 'passages' of a web page". A good pillar can answer a fan-out question with one section. A spoke answers it with a whole page.

That gives you a simple rule:

- **Sections:**  sub-questions that share results with the pillar's searches. Open each one with a plain, self-contained answer.
- **Spokes:**  sub-questions with results of their own.
- **Every passage:**  name the product or topic, so the passage still makes sense when an engine lifts it out.

Our guide to [content chunking for AI search](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/content-chunking-for-ai-search) shows how to write passages that keep their meaning. Skip the gimmicks, though. Google says there's "no requirement to break your content into tiny pieces for AI", because its systems can "show the relevant piece to users".

A cluster gets you retrieved. Getting named takes more: mentions on the review sites, lists and trade press the engines already trust. Our [guide to showing up in AI search](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research/how-to-show-up-in-ai-search) covers the full plan for ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews.

## When do topic clusters bloat instead of help?

A cluster bloats when it adds pages that don't win a search of their own. You'll spot it in Search Console first, as two or three of your URLs swap places on one query and none of them climbs.

Five patterns cause most of it:

- **Spokes that share the pillar's results.**  They compete with the pillar for its own searches. Moz warns this "often happens when you publish multiple pages with similar search intent".
- **A pillar far from your product.**  It earns readers who will never buy.
- **No route to the sale.**  The guides rank, and nobody reaches the demo page.
- **A page for every phrasing.**  Google names this exact habit in its scaled content warning.
- **Template spokes.**  The names change from page to page, and nothing else does.

Test every spoke first.

| Question | If yes | If no |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Does it share 0 or 1 top 10 results with the pillar's searches? | Give it its own page | Make it a pillar section |
| Would a buyer search for it on its own? | Give it its own page | Make it a pillar section |
| Can you add something the ranking pages lack? | Build it now | Wait until you can |
| Does it lead naturally to your product? | Build it now | Put it lower on the list |

For a small site, the honest answer is often no cluster at all. A company with three services and one market may need a handful of good pages.

Structure starts paying once a subject holds more distinct searches than a single page can answer on its own.

## How many pages should a topic cluster have?

There's no fixed number. Ahrefs says there's "no minimum or maximum number of pages" for a cluster, only enough to cover the topic without your pages competing.

The SOC 2 leaders show what a mature category can carry. Secureframe's hub links 37 pages, and Vanta's collection links 46. Most B2B clusters we plan start far smaller, with a pillar, a money page and a few spokes for searches with results of their own. They grow from there, as new queries turn up in Search Console.

## How do you measure a topic cluster?

Measure the cluster as one unit. Its searches, clicks and pipeline tell you whether the structure works, and page-level numbers alone hide it.

Start in Search Console. Filter pages by the cluster's folder, such as URLs containing /soc-2/, and compare matched 28-day periods. Track clicks, impressions and the number of queries where a cluster page reaches the top 10.

Then check that every important query shows one cluster URL, not two.

Add the AI side next. Search Console's [Generative AI performance report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16984139) shows your impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode, so track it for the pillar and each spoke.

Finally, follow the money. Tag every lead in your CRM with the cluster it first landed on, and you'll see which subjects turn into pipeline.

## Is Searchmaxxed right for you?

We're a strong fit if you're a law firm, clinic or premium builder with a subject worth owning. Maybe your blog has grown into hundreds of posts nobody can map. Maybe a competitor ranks with a full cluster while you rank with one page.

Either way, you want the right page to win each search, and you want to see it in pipeline.

Here's what you get. We map the searches around your buyer's decision, give each one a single owning page, and build the links from the pillar to the product. You talk to the people doing the work, with no account manager in between. We track which searches and AI answers turn into revenue, through your CRM as well as GA4.

And you own your site, content and data from day one, as our [SEO content strategy service](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/services/content-strategy) page sets out in full.

One client came to us with a website that wasn't working. Three months later he was on page one for one of the most competitive searches in his industry. Now he has more high-intent leads than he can handle, and we're building the systems to handle them.

The bigger picture:

Searchmaxxed's work has generated more than $15 million in revenue through search for its clients.

"I can't believe this worked." That's what we hear. Clients tell us they finally found a growth partner in search that keeps its word and gets things done.

We're the wrong call in three cases. If you need leads this month to survive, search takes longer than that. If you're shopping for the cheapest retainer, we're the wrong team. And if five strong pages already cover your market, you don't need a cluster yet.

## What should you do next?

Pick one subject close to your product. Search its ten biggest questions, note who ranks with which page, and count the results each pair shares. By the end of an afternoon, you'll be looking at your pillar, your spokes and your gaps.

Want us to do it with you?. We'll benchmark you against your top competitors across Google, ChatGPT and the other AI engines. We'll show you where they're named instead of you, and the few moves that will matter most.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an example of a topic cluster?

Take Secureframe's SOC 2 hub. One hub page links to 37 pages on SOC 2, from requirements to audit cost, and each of those pages links back to the hub. In US results on 1 November 2026, its spokes ranked first for "soc 2 requirements" and "soc 2 type 1 vs type 2".

### What is the difference between a pillar page and a topic cluster?

A pillar page is one page. A topic cluster is the whole group: the pillar, the cluster pages that each answer one narrower search, and the internal links between them. The pillar covers the broad subject and points to the cluster pages, and they point back.

### Are topic clusters and content hubs the same thing?

Mostly, yes. Topic clusters, content clusters, content hubs and the hub-and-spoke model all describe one central page linked to related pages on a single subject. Some teams keep "hub" for a directory-style page and "pillar" for an in-depth guide. Either way, the structure works the same.

### Should a pillar page be a blog post or a product page?

Usually a guide, kept separate from the product page. The pillar teaches the whole subject, while the product page sells. Place the pillar one click from the product page and link to it where readers are ready to buy. Give each page its own search, so they don't compete.

### Do topic clusters help with AI Overviews and ChatGPT?

They help you get retrieved. AI Overviews and AI Mode run several related searches per question, and Google ranks individual passages. ChatGPT finds pages for its search answers through its own crawler, OAI-SearchBot. In each case, a cluster gives every sub-question a clear answer to lift. Getting named also takes mentions on the review sites, lists and trade press those engines trust.

### Can AI-written content build a topic cluster?

Only if each page adds something the ranking pages lack. Google's scaled content abuse policy covers pages made mainly to manipulate rankings, "no matter how it's created". A cluster of generic AI drafts adds pages without giving Google a reason to rank them.

### How often should you update a topic cluster?

Every quarter, and whenever Search Console shows new queries. Add a spoke when a search earns results of its own, merge spokes that start competing, and refresh any page that slips.

## Sources

1. [Conductor draws a line](https://www.conductor.com/academy/topic-clusters/)
2. [Siege Media](https://www.siegemedia.com/seo/topic-clusters)
3. [link best practices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)
4. [guide to generative AI features](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide)
5. [topic cluster guide](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/topic-clusters-seo)
6. [ranking systems guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide)
7. [Generative AI performance report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16984139)

## About the editorial team

[**Brenden House**](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/people/brenden)

Founder, Searchmaxxed

## Get named when buyers ask AI who to hire

- Where you stand for 10 buying questions
- Your top 3 competitors and why they get picked
- Days 1-30, 31-60 and 61-90, and the first 3 moves

Get your free growth plan

Searchmaxxed's work has generated more than $15 million in revenue through search for its clients.

Get your free growth plan

## Related

- [Research](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/research)
- [Searchmaxxed](https://www.searchmaxxed.com/)