The Hub and Spoke model is a content creation strategy that has gained popularity in recent years for its effectiveness in improving a website’s search engine optimisation (SEO). The model is named after a wheel, with the hub at the centre and spokes radiating outward, all connected together.
In the context of content creation, the “hub” represents a central, comprehensive piece of content (like a landing page or long-form article) that covers a specific topic in depth. The “spokes” are smaller, more focussed pieces of content that link back to the hub and explore specific subtopics or related ideas.
This article is an example of ‘spoke content’. It focusses on a specific strategy within the broader theme of SEO Strategies (the hub).
Hub and Spoke vs. Pillar and Cluster: Same Concept, Different Analogy
The Hub and Spoke model is essentially the same as the Pillar and Cluster model, which is another popular content marketing strategy for SEO. The main difference between the two is only the analogy used to describe the structure.
In the Pillar and Cluster model, the central, comprehensive piece of content is referred to as the “pillar,” while the smaller, more focused pieces of content are called “clusters.” The idea is that the pillar page serves as the foundation for the topic, while the cluster pages provide more detailed information on specific subtopics.
Just like with the Hub and Spoke model, the Pillar and Cluster model aims to establish a clear hierarchy of information on a website, with the pillar page serving as the main authority on the topic and the cluster pages providing more targeted insights. The pillar page links out to the cluster pages, and the cluster pages link back to the pillar page, creating a strong internal linking structure that can help improve the site’s SEO.
So, while the Hub and Spoke model uses a transportation analogy and the Pillar and Cluster model uses an architectural analogy, both strategies are based on the same underlying principles of creating a comprehensive central resource around a relevant topic and linking it to more targeted, focused content pieces.
Whether you prefer to think of your content in terms of hubs and spokes or pillars and clusters, the key is to create a clear, organised structure that helps search engines understand the relationships between your content and establishes your site as an authority on your chosen topic.
Why the Hub and Spoke Model Works for SEO and Google’s Users
Google’s primary goal for organic search is to provide its users with the most relevant, high-quality content that best answers their search queries. The Hub and Spoke model aligns with this goal by creating a clear, organised structure that helps Google understand the relationships between different pieces of content on a website, making it a powerful content marketing strategy.
Improved Content Discovery
By creating a comprehensive hub page that covers a broad topic and linking it to more targeted spoke pages, the Hub and Spoke model makes it easier for Google to discover and index all the relevant content on a website. This means that users are more likely to find the specific information they’re looking for when they search for keywords related to the topic.
Better User Engagement
When a website provides a clear hierarchy of information, with a comprehensive hub page and more targeted spoke pages, users can easily navigate the site and find the content they need. This can lead to higher engagement, lower bounce rates, and longer session durations, which are all positive signals to Google that the site provides a good user experience.
Establishing Authority and Expertise
By understanding the target audience and creating in-depth, organised content around a specific topic, a website can demonstrate its authority and expertise in that area. Google values authoritative content and is more likely to rank it higher in search results, as it believes this content will be more valuable to its users.
Targeting Long-tail Keywords
The spoke pages in the Hub and Spoke model provide opportunities to target long-tail keywords and phrases related to the main topic. These long-tail keywords often have lower competition and can attract more targeted traffic to the site. By ranking for a wide range of keywords, a site can provide users with more specific, relevant content that directly addresses their search queries. Additionally, identifying and utilizing short tail keywords effectively ensures that the hub page addresses the audience’s needs and supports a substantial amount of related content.
The Power of Short-Form Content
While long-form content has its place in a robust content strategy, incorporating shorter blog posts (700 to 1000 words) can significantly accelerate your content generation process. These concise articles, when focused on specific long-tail keywords, offer several advantages in a hub and spoke content model.
Creation Speed
Shorter posts allow you to create content faster. Instead of spending weeks crafting a comprehensive 3000-word article, you can produce several targeted pieces in the same time frame, giving you more SEO surface area. This rapid production helps you cover a broader range of topics and keywords, expanding your content footprint more efficiently.
Niche Down
These bite-sized articles are ideal for addressing niche topics and long-tail keywords. They allow you to dive deep into specific aspects of your main topic, providing valuable, focused information to your audience, without stuffing a post with repetition trying and hit a target word count. The focus should be on the quality of your words, not the quantity. Shorter posts allow you to do this.
Align with User Behaviour
Short-form content aligns with user behaviour. In today’s fast-paced digital world, many readers prefer quick, easily digestible information. By offering concise, to-the-point articles, you cater to this preference, potentially increasing engagement and encouraging readers to explore more of your content.
Spokes for Days
These shorter posts can serve as excellent “spokes” in your hub and spoke strategy. They can link back to your more comprehensive “hub” content, creating a network of interlinked, relevant articles. This structure not only enhances your site’s SEO but also provides a clear path for readers to delve deeper into topics that interest them.
By balancing short-form, keyword-focused content with longer, more comprehensive pieces, you can create a dynamic and efficient content strategy that serves both your audience and your SEO goals.
How the Hub and Spoke Model Improves Website Structure
The Hub and Spoke SEO model does more than organises and speeds up content generation. It significantly enhances your overall website structure. This improvement is crucial for both user experience and search engine optimisation.
Creates a Logical Content Hierarchy
The Hub and Spoke strategy establishes a clear hierarchy within your content. Your hub page serves as a central resource, with spoke pages branching out to cover specific subtopics. This structure helps users easily navigate your site and find the information they’re looking for.
Enhances Internal Linking
With content hub pages linking to relevant spokes and vice versa, this model naturally encourages a robust internal linking strategy. Strong internal linking helps distribute link equity throughout your site, potentially boosting the SEO value of multiple pages.
Improves Crawlability
Search engine bots can more easily crawl and index your site when it’s structured logically. The Hub and Spoke strategy creates clear pathways for bots to follow, ensuring all your valuable content gets discovered and indexed.
Reduces Content Cannibalisation
By organising content into distinct hubs and spokes, you minimise the risk of different pages competing for the same keywords. This structure helps prevent content cannibalisation, where multiple pages on your site compete for the same search rankings.
Boosts Topical Authority
When you cluster related content together, you signal to search engines that your site has depth and expertise in specific topics. This can enhance your site’s topical authority, potentially improving your rankings for related searches.
Facilitates Content Gaps Identification
The Hub and Spoke Content structure makes it easier to identify gaps in your content. As you build out your spokes, you’ll naturally discover new subtopics to cover, ensuring comprehensive coverage of your main themes.
Improves User Engagement
A well-structured site encourages users to explore more content. When readers finish a spoke article, they can easily navigate to related spoke content or the main hub, increasing time on site and pages per session – both positive signals for SEO.
Why is this important?
A well-structured website not only pleases search engines but also provides a better experience for your users. It makes your content more discoverable, keeps visitors on your site longer, and establishes your brand as an authoritative source in your field. In the competitive market, a strong website structure can be the difference between standing out and getting lost in the crowd.
By implementing a Hub and Spoke content model, you’re not just organising your content – you’re building a solid foundation for long-term SEO success and user satisfaction.
How to Implement the Hub and Spoke Content Model
At our SEO agency, we use a Hub and Spoke content model to drive results for our clients. This strategic approach allows us to create comprehensive, interconnected content that boosts search visibility and engages target audiences effectively.
The key to this strategy working, however, is in the research and strategy, as much as it is in the content.
Conduct Thorough Keyword Research
Start by identifying a broad topic relevant to your business. Go through your website and consider the different products or services you provide. Is there a particular area of your business that drives the most profit or demand? List these out and consider the different search terms (keywords) your customers might use to find these products or services.
Research those keywords (there are plenty of free tools available) and look for high-volume, competitive keywords related to the topic you want to focus on. These will form the foundation of your hub content.
Cluster Your Keywords
Group related keywords together to form clusters (themes). This process helps you identify potential subtopics and lower volume keywords that will become your spokes. Look for patterns and themes within your keyword list to create logical groupings.
Create a Detailed Hub Page
Develop a comprehensive, in-depth page around your main topic using the primary keywords you’ve identified. This content hub should cover the topic broadly, providing valuable information that serves as an authoritative resource for your audience.
Research your competitors that rank higher than you in Google Search Results and identify areas of their web-pages that you can replicate and improve upon.
Plan Your Spoke Strategy
Using your keyword clusters, plan a series of shorter, more focused articles that dive deeper into specific aspects of your main topic. These spoke pieces should target keywords with lower volume and low competition, addressing niche questions and topics that your audience is searching for.
Develop Short-Form Spoke Content
Create concise, informative articles (700-1000 words) for each of your planned spoke topics. Focus each piece on a specific long-tail keyword or subtopic, ensuring it provides valuable, targeted information to your readers.
Interlink Your Content
Ensure your spoke content contains internal links back to the hub page and, where relevant, to other related spoke articles. Likewise, update your content hub page to include internal links back to your new spoke content. This interlinking strategy strengthens your overall content structure and improves SEO.
Monitor and Refine
Regularly analyse the performance of your hub and spoke content. Look for opportunities to expand on successful spokes, update your hub with new information, or create additional spokes based on emerging keywords or topics.
By following these steps, you can effectively implement the Hub and Spoke model, creating a robust content strategy that enhances your SEO efforts and provides value to your audience.
Conclusion
The Hub and Spoke model is a powerful content creation strategy that can help improve a website’s SEO results, based around a clear content hub. It does this by establishing authority, creating a clear hierarchy of information, encouraging internal linking, and targeting a wide range of keywords. By creating a comprehensive hub page and a series of targeted spoke pages, you can attract more targeted traffic to your site and establish yourself as a go-to resource in your industry.
The Hub and Spoke model is just one of the many SEO Strategies we use to help our clients attract more customers in the UK. If you’d like to learn more about SEO or Digital Marketing in general, book a free strategy call with a Newcastle based SEO Expert.
