SEO is shifting toward the cluster topic model, a framework characterized by one page, which acts as a content hub, and multiple pages with related content branching off it. Search engines may favor pages that follow this model and rank them higher for the topics they cover. Search engine algorithms will continually evolve to better serve user behaviors. The latest updates are no different.

The cluster topic model may be the latest way to influence SEO, but the best content marketers have been using it for years. Aside from SEO benefits, here are four reasons you should adopt a topic cluster model for your content.

1. You need multiple pieces of content to be considered a thought leader.

The content that your brand creates should speak to your capabilities, thought leadership and unique value proposition. If you’re a hospital aiming to be the go-to cardiology provider in your area, a lone piece of content on your website featuring heart-healthy tips won’t do the trick. Imagine the impact you could make with a section of your site devoted to heart health and wellness. A cardiology hub page explaining why heart health is important to overall health would be much more effective. You could link to the hub with pages dedicated to patient testimonial videos, heart-healthy recipes, heart tips specific to women and more.

2. You can’t cover a whole topic in one piece.

When it comes to creating meaningful, valuable content that your audience wants to engage with, most of the time, saying everything will get you nothing. By slicing up a topic into more digestible sub-topics, you avoid overwhelming your audience. Content that is too long is time-consuming and cumbersome to read. Instead, keep your audience coming back for more with bite-size, related pieces. This is why serialized content has been so successful for newspapers, magazines, books and podcasts for years.

3. Clusters give you diversity in content formats.

Is your website full of text with little visual, audio or video content? The cluster topic model also lends itself to content format diversity. In addition to providing complementary sub-topics through a constellation of pages, you can offer those sub-topics in different audio and visual formats.

4. Clusters can create efficiencies in your content creation process.

Who doesn’t like finding efficiencies, especially when they’re paired with increased value? Planning and creating a set of complementary content pieces on a topic requires less time and effort than planning and creating disparate pieces. Less research time and fewer interviews with subject matter experts are needed, and freelance costs can be reduced if you outsource.

Ready to start planning your content in clusters but need to get organized? Download our FREE guide to creating a content calendar with a ready-to-use template.