Topical Maps

Open Topical Maps

Topical Maps, the PirateSERP tool for content structure, expands a seed topic into the subtopics that Google offers searchers and arranges them as a tree of pillar and cluster pages. Each topic carries its monthly search volume and cost per click (CPC) for the market you select. Search data is included with your subscription, so you don't need a separate data-provider key.

Build a map

1. Select the project. Your project's market and language fill the form.
2. Enter a Seed topic, such as best coffee maker. If your project has saved services, you can choose one in Business service to fill the field.
3. Review Market and Language.
4. Choose Levels deep: 1, 2, or 3. The form selects 2 by default.
5. Click Build Map, and keep the tab open while the map fills.

Each level takes a few minutes, and each extra level expands many more topics. Start with one or two levels, then rebuild at three levels when the first branches match your topic. The status line reports each stage, from expanding the seed to fetching search volume and saving the map.

A topic whose subtopic query grows too long is kept in the map without subtopics of its own. When that happens, a Map saved, N topics skipped notice reports how many topics received no subtopics.

Review topics

The results header shows the topic count, market, and language. Three tiles summarize the map: Pillars (have subtopics), Clusters (leaf topics), and Combined monthly volume.

Click Tree to read the map as an outline with Topic, Structure, Volume, and CPC columns. Click the arrow beside a topic to collapse or expand its branch. Every map opens fully expanded.

Click Graph to see the topics as connected dots. The color of each dot marks its top-level branch, the legend names each branch, and the dot size shows the topic's depth.

A topic marked related comes from Google's related searches because the topic had no refinement options of its own. Review each branch before you treat it as a page idea.

Assign page roles

A pillar is a topic with subtopics, and a cluster is a leaf topic under its pillar. These labels suggest a site structure; they do not require you to publish a page for every topic.

On a saved map, choose a role for each topic in its role… list:

• authority for content that earns references and trust.
• discovery for content that searchers find through search.
• conversion for content that leads a visitor to a business action.

Roles save with the map. Click Export CSV to download each topic's keyword, label, depth, parent keyword, structure, role, source, search volume, and CPC.

Save and reopen maps

Topical Maps saves each finished map to Saved maps in your active project. Click a saved map to reopen its tree, values, and roles, or click the delete icon to remove it. Switch projects to find another client's maps.

If saving fails after a map finishes, the map stays on screen with a notice that its topics are not saved. Click Retry save to save it again. A retry saves one copy of the map, not a duplicate. Click Export CSV to keep a copy before you leave the page.

Continue your research

Compare a topic's related keywords in Keyword Research. Open a cluster topic in Content Editor to draft its page, and plan links between pillar and cluster pages with Internal Linking.