Keyword Cluster Research for Topic Authority
SEO & SearchintermediateClaude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o. Claude excels at organizing complex information hierarchies and creating logical linking structures. GPT-4o is faster for generating high-volume keyword lists. Both handle SEO context well, but Claude's structured thinking produces better internal linking maps.
When to Use This Prompt
Use this prompt when you're building a topic authority strategy and need to identify all related keywords that should link to a pillar page. It's ideal for planning 6-12 month content roadmaps, reorganizing existing content into clusters, or launching new topic areas where you want to dominate search results.
The Prompt
You are an SEO strategist helping me build topic clusters for search authority. I need you to analyze a primary keyword and create a comprehensive keyword cluster that supports pillar content strategy.
## Primary Information
- Primary Keyword/Topic: [YOUR PRIMARY KEYWORD]
- Industry/Niche: [YOUR INDUSTRY]
- Target Audience: [YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE]
- Current Content Gaps: [ANY KNOWN GAPS]
## Your Task
1. **Analyze the Primary Keyword**: Explain search intent (informational, navigational, transactional, commercial) and current SERP landscape for this term.
2. **Generate Cluster Keywords**: Create 15-20 related keywords organized by:
- Long-tail variations (4+ words)
- Question-based queries ("How to...", "What is...", "Why...")
- Comparison keywords
- Related subtopics
- Local variations (if applicable)
3. **Organize by Content Type**: Suggest which cluster keywords work best for:
- Blog posts
- Pillar pages
- Resource guides
- FAQ sections
- Product/service pages
4. **Create Internal Linking Map**: Show how cluster keywords should link back to the pillar page and to each other.
5. **Prioritize by Opportunity**: Rank the top 5 cluster keywords by search volume potential and competition level.
## Output Format
Provide results as:
- A structured list with keyword, search intent, estimated difficulty, and recommended content type
- A simple linking diagram showing pillar-to-cluster relationships
- Quick wins (3 keywords with high volume, low competition)
- 6-month content roadmap for rolling out cluster content
Focus on practical, implementable recommendations that a content team can execute immediately.
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Tips for Best Results
- 1.Specify your exact niche and audience—generic industries produce generic clusters. Include competitor names if you want to differentiate from their keyword strategies.
- 2.Ask for search volume estimates alongside keywords. Request tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush difficulty scores if you have access to those metrics to share.
- 3.Request the output in a spreadsheet-ready format (CSV-style) so you can immediately import into your content management or SEO tools for tracking.
- 4.Follow up by asking the AI to identify content gaps—which cluster keywords don't have existing content on your site yet. This reveals your quick-win opportunities.
Example Output
## Primary Keyword Analysis
**Keyword**: "Content Marketing Strategy"
**Search Intent**: Informational (80%), Commercial (20%)
**SERP Landscape**: Dominated by HubSpot, Neil Patel, and Semrush guides. Opportunity for niche-specific angles.
## Keyword Cluster (Top 15)
1. "Content marketing strategy for B2B" - Long-tail, High Intent, Blog Post
2. "How to create a content marketing plan" - Question, Medium Volume, Pillar Support
3. "Content marketing strategy examples" - Comparison, High Volume, Resource Guide
4. "Content distribution strategy" - Subtopic, Medium Volume, Blog Post
5. "Content calendar template" - Tool-focused, High Volume, Resource
6. "SEO content strategy" - Related, High Volume, Blog Post
7. "Social media content strategy" - Subtopic, High Volume, Blog Post
8. "Content marketing ROI" - Commercial, Medium Volume, Pillar Support
9. "What is content marketing" - Definitional, High Volume, FAQ
10. "Content marketing metrics" - Subtopic, Medium Volume, Blog Post
## Quick Wins (Low Competition, High Volume)
- "Content marketing strategy for startups"
- "Content marketing strategy template"
- "Content marketing strategy 2024"
## Internal Linking Map
Pillar: "Content Marketing Strategy" → Blog: "Content Distribution" → Blog: "Social Media Content" → Resource: "Content Calendar Template" → FAQ: "What is Content Marketing"
## 6-Month Rollout
**Month 1-2**: Publish pillar page + 3 foundational cluster posts
**Month 3-4**: Add 5 subtopic deep-dives
**Month 5-6**: Create tools, templates, and FAQ content
Related Prompts
Related Reading
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Trusted by 10,000+ Directors and CMOs.