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Recipe

SEO keyword cluster from a topic

Turn a single seed topic into a complete keyword cluster with pillar page, supporting long-tail terms, and internal link map.

Ingredients

  • 1 seed topic (e.g. “email deliverability”)
  • Access to Meridian keyword explorer
  • Competitor URL list (3–5 domains)
  • Search volume & difficulty thresholds

Steps

  1. Seed expansion. Paste the topic into Meridian. Collect the top 50 related queries. Filter by volume > 100 and difficulty < 40.
  2. Pillar page selection. Pick the highest-volume, broadest-intent term as your pillar. This becomes the hub URL.
  3. Cluster grouping. Group remaining terms by semantic similarity. Aim for 4–6 clusters of 5–8 keywords each.
  4. Supporting content map. Assign each cluster to a dedicated sub-page. Write titles that include the primary cluster term.
  5. Internal link plan. Link every sub-page back to the pillar. Cross-link sub-pages where intent overlaps.
  6. Publish & track. Deploy the cluster. Monitor rankings weekly for 30 days. Adjust underperformers.

Pro tip

Re-run the seed expansion quarterly. Search intent shifts — a cluster that worked in Q1 may need fresh long-tail terms by Q3.

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