A Topical Map Example, Annotated: Planning Content for a Local Business
Quick answer
A topical map lists every page a site should publish on a subject, grouped into clusters, with one job per page: the question it answers and the search it should win. The example below plans three clusters for a fictional plumber, with the linking rules and publishing order that turn the list into a plan.
Key takeaways
- A topical map is a plan, not a keyword list: every page gets one job and one place in a cluster before anything is written.
- Questions come from real sources: autocomplete, People Also Ask, Search Console queries, and what customers ask on the phone.
- Each cluster pairs a pillar, usually the service page, with supporting pages that answer the questions around it.
- Links follow fixed rules: supporting pages up to the pillar, the pillar down to each, and siblings across where they connect.
- Publish in order of value: the pages closest to a buying decision first, broad educational pages later.
What is a topical map?
A topical map is a plan of every page a site should publish on a subject, grouped into clusters, with a single job for each page. It turns "we should write about water heaters" into a list of specific pages, the question each one answers, the search it should win, and how it links to the others. The map comes before writing, so every page earns its place.
The example below is for a fictional business, planned the way a real map is built. Search volumes are deliberately left out: a real map uses the client's own data, and invented numbers would teach the wrong lesson.
Who is the example business?
Example Plumbing is a fictional plumber in Salem, Oregon, serving Salem and a few nearby towns. It does three kinds of work that bring in most of its revenue: water heater repair and replacement, drain cleaning, and emergency call-outs. Its current site has a home page, one generic services page, and a contact page. Customers find it mostly through its Google Business Profile.
How is the map built?
A topical map is built in five passes, each narrowing the last.
- List the entities: the services, the equipment, the problems, the places served, and the decisions a customer faces.
- Collect the questions from real sources: Google autocomplete, the People Also Ask boxes on relevant searches, the business's own Search Console queries, and, most valuable of all, what callers ask on the phone.
- Group the questions into clusters around the services that make money, one pillar per service.
- Give every page one job: the question it answers, the search intent behind it, and what the reader should do next.
- Plan the links and the publishing order before anyone writes a word.
What does the finished map look like?
The finished map is a table: three clusters, fourteen planned pages, and a job for every one. Each pillar is a service page, because the service page is the one that should rank for the money search.
| Cluster | Page | Type | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water heaters | Water heater repair and replacement in Salem | Pillar (service) | Who can fix or replace my water heater, and what does it involve? |
| Water heaters | Repair or replace? A water heater decision guide | Guide | Should I repair my water heater or replace it? |
| Water heaters | Tank vs tankless water heaters | Comparison | Which type of water heater is right for my home? |
| Water heaters | Why is my water heater leaking? | Troubleshooting | What does a leak mean, and is it urgent? |
| Water heaters | No hot water: what to check first | Troubleshooting | What can I check before calling a plumber? |
| Drains | Drain cleaning in Salem | Pillar (service) | Who can clear my drain, and how? |
| Drains | Slow drain vs clogged drain | Guide | Is my drain problem getting worse? |
| Drains | Are chemical drain cleaners safe for pipes? | Guide | Should I use a drain cleaner from the store? |
| Drains | Tree roots in sewer lines | Troubleshooting | Why does my main line keep backing up? |
| Emergency | 24-hour emergency plumber in Salem | Pillar (service) | Who can come right now, and what will it cost? |
| Emergency | How to shut off your water in an emergency | How-to | How do I stop the water right now? |
| Emergency | Burst pipe: what to do in the first hour | How-to | What do I do while I wait for the plumber? |
| Emergency | What counts as a plumbing emergency? | Guide | Do I need to pay emergency rates for this? |
| Areas | Areas we serve | Service area | Do you come to my town? |
Notice what is not on the list. There is no "Top 10 plumbing tips" post and no page per nearby town. The first answers no specific question; the second would create near-identical pages that Google's spam policies describe as doorway abuse. One honest service-area page does that job.
How do the pages link?
The pages link by three fixed rules, set in the map so no writer has to guess.
Pillar page the whole topic
- Service page
- How-to guide
- Comparison
- FAQ page
- Local page
- Case study
Every page links to the pillar and back; related pages link to each other.
- Every supporting page links up to its pillar, in a sentence where the reader would want the service.
- Every pillar links down to each supporting page, where the question comes up.
- Siblings link across when the next question is on another page: the leak guide links to the repair-or-replace guide, and the burst-pipe page links to the shut-off guide.
Cross-cluster links are allowed where the topics genuinely meet. A leaking water heater can be an emergency, so that troubleshooting page links to the emergency pillar too.
In what order should the pages be published?
Publish the three service pillars first, then the pages closest to a buying decision, then the broader guides. For this business that means the pillars in week one; the leak, no-hot-water, and burst-pipe pages next, because people reading them are often about to call; then the comparisons and decision guides; and the drain-cleaner and emergency-definition guides last.
That order puts effort where the revenue is, and it means every supporting page has a live pillar to link to on the day it is published.
What does a real map add?
A real topical map adds the data this example leaves out. It uses the client's Search Console queries and search volumes, checks what competitors already rank for, audits the existing pages so nothing is duplicated, lists the entities each page must cover, notes the structured data each page needs, and includes a short brief for every page. Disclosure: that is the topical authority mapping service I sell, so weigh the source.
Sources & further reading
Topics & entities in this article
Frequently asked questions
Every planned page, grouped into clusters, with the question each answers, its search intent, its type, how it links to other pages, and the order to publish in. A real map also includes the data behind those choices.
As many as the subject genuinely needs. The example has fourteen across three clusters. A starter cluster is often one pillar plus four to eight supporting pages.
Only where you can say something specific about each area. Google's spam policies list pages targeted at specific cities that funnel users to one page as doorway abuse.
Google autocomplete, People Also Ask boxes, your own Search Console queries, competitor pages, and the questions customers actually ask you.
No. A keyword list says what people search. A topical map decides which page answers each search, how the pages connect, and what gets written first.
Related service
Topical Authority Mapping
Topical authority mapping structures your entire topic space around entities. The map defines every pillar, cluster, and gap, so your site covers the subject comprehensively and search engines treat you as the authority.