Topical Clusters
Organise website content into logical groups—clusters, topics, and subtopics—to build a clear content structure that supports SEO performance.
Quick start
1. Select a project from the dropdown at the top of the page.
2. Click the + button in the Clusters column to create a content cluster.
3. Select the cluster, then click + in Topics to add topics within it.
4. Use AI Content Ideas from the menu (···) to generate related topics automatically.
5. Drag items between columns to reorganise the content hierarchy.
Understanding the display
The interface uses a three-column Miller layout. Each column represents a level in the content
hierarchy, with parent-child relationships flowing left to right.
| Column | Purpose |
| Clusters | Top-level content themes (e.g., "SEO Fundamentals", "Content Strategy") |
| Topics | Main articles within a cluster—displayed when a cluster is selected |
| Subtopics | Supporting content under a topic—displayed when a topic is selected |
Visual indicators: Published items display a pink checkmark badge. Items with assigned URLs show a chain-link icon.
Selection behaviour: Clicking a cluster reveals its topics. Clicking a topic reveals its subtopics. The active item is highlighted with a pink border.
What should I do next?
Content organisation strategy depends on current state:
| Situation | Action |
| Starting fresh | Create 3–5 clusters representing core content themes. Add 5–10 topics to each. |
| Existing content, no structure | Use Auto-Assign Keywords to match ranking data. Group pages by theme into clusters. |
| Need content ideas | Select a cluster or topic and run AI Content Ideas to generate suggestions. |
| Planning new content | Create a topic, then use Create Outline to generate a blog structure for the Action Board. |
| Reorganising content | Drag topics between clusters or subtopics between topics to restructure. |
| Analysing gaps | Filter by Published = No to find planned content. Filter by intent to check coverage. |
Creating content structure
Adding items
Click the + button in any column header to add a new item. For topics, first select the parent cluster. For subtopics, first select the parent topic.
| Field | Description |
| Name | The title of the cluster, topic, or subtopic |
| URL | The published page URL (topics and subtopics only) |
| Search Intent | Informational, Navigational, Commercial, or Transactional |
| Journey Stage | Awareness, Consideration, or Decision |
| Content Type | Blog, Guide, Product, Review, Comparison, How To, and more |
| Keyword | Select from tracked keywords in the project |
| Published | Toggle to indicate whether content is live |
Editing items
Click the menu button (···) on any item and select Edit. All fields except the parent relationship can be modified.
Deleting items
Click the menu button (···) and select Delete. Deleting a cluster removes all its topics and subtopics. Deleting a topic removes all its subtopics.
Organising with drag and drop
Items can be reorganised by dragging. Visual indicators show the drop position: a blue line above or below for reordering, or a highlighted background for nesting.
| Action | Result |
| Drag topic to different cluster | Topic moves to the new cluster, along with its subtopics |
| Drag subtopic to different topic | Subtopic moves under the new parent topic |
| Drag subtopic to cluster column | Subtopic promotes to a top-level topic |
| Drag within same column | Reorders items (above/below the target) |
Restriction: Subtopics cannot be nested inside other subtopics. The hierarchy is limited to three levels.
Using filters
The filter bar at the top narrows the visible content. Search is global—matching items appear across all columns with context breadcrumbs. Dropdown filters apply to topics and subtopics.
| Filter | Options |
| Search | Free text matching against names, keywords, and URLs |
| Published | All, Published, or Not Published |
| Intent | Informational, Navigational, Commercial, Transactional |
| Journey Stage | Awareness, Consideration, Decision |
| Content Type | Blog, Guide, Product, Review, and 12 additional types |
Filters combine with AND logic. Selecting Published = Yes and Intent = Informational shows only published informational content.
AI features
Content Ideas
Generates new topics or subtopics based on existing content patterns.
1. Click the menu (···) on a cluster or topic.
2. Select Content Ideas.
3. Wait for processing (typically 15–45 seconds).
4. New items appear in the relevant column with intent and journey stage pre-assigned.
For clusters: Generates 15–20 strategic topic suggestions analysing the cluster theme and existing topics.
For topics: Generates 12–18 subtopic suggestions that explore different angles of the parent topic.
Create Outline
Generates a detailed blog outline and creates an Action Board task. Available for topics and subtopics only.
1. Click the menu (···) on a topic or subtopic.
2. Select Create Outline.
3. Wait for processing (typically 10–30 seconds).
4. A new task appears in the Action Board with the full outline in the description.
The outline includes: title, introduction, section headings with bullet points, meta titles, meta description, and visual ideas.
Auto-assign keywords
Matches published content URLs against keyword ranking data to automatically assign the best-performing keyword to each topic.
Running auto-assign
1. Click Auto-Assign Keywords in the filter bar.
2. Review the preview statistics showing matchable items.
3. Select an assignment strategy.
4. Click Run Auto-Assign.
5. Review the results summary.
Assignment strategies
| Strategy | Behaviour |
| Best Position | Assigns the keyword where the URL ranks highest in search results |
| Highest Volume | Assigns the keyword with the most search traffic potential |
| Most Recent | Uses the freshest ranking data available |
Include existing assignments: Enable this checkbox to re-evaluate topics that already have keywords. Disabled by default to preserve manual assignments.
Requirements
Auto-assign requires keyword ranking data for the project's domain. Topics must have URLs assigned and be marked as published. The system matches URLs by normalising protocols and trailing slashes.
Exporting data
Click the export icon to download the complete content structure as a CSV file. The export includes all clusters, topics, and subtopics with their metadata: intent, journey stage, keywords, and URLs.
Troubleshooting
No data displayed: Verify a project is selected in the dropdown. Check that the project contains clusters—an empty project shows no content.
Topics not appearing: Select a cluster first. Topics only display when their parent cluster is active. If using search, topics appear with context breadcrumbs regardless of selection.
Cannot add topics or subtopics: Select the parent item first. The + button in Topics requires an active cluster. The + button in Subtopics requires an active topic.
Drag and drop not working: Clusters cannot be dragged—only reordered by sort order. Ensure the target position shows a visual indicator (blue line or highlighted background) before releasing.
AI Content Ideas slow or failing: Large clusters with many existing topics take longer to process. If processing exceeds 60 seconds, try again—the system handles temporary failures automatically.
Auto-assign shows no matches: The project domain requires keyword ranking data. Verify topics have URLs assigned and are marked as published. Check that ranking data exists for the domain in the Keywords section.
Keywords not appearing in dropdown: Keywords must be tracked for the project's domain. Add keywords in the Keywords section before they appear in the Topical Clusters keyword selector.
FAQ
How many levels deep can content be nested?
Three levels: Cluster → Topic → Subtopic. Subtopics cannot have children.
What happens when a cluster is deleted?
All topics and subtopics within that cluster are permanently removed. This action cannot be undone.
Can topics belong to multiple clusters?
No. Each topic belongs to exactly one cluster. To reference content across themes, create separate topics in each relevant cluster.
Does changing a topic's cluster move its subtopics?
Yes. Subtopics follow their parent topic when it moves to a different cluster.
How does AI Content Ideas determine suggestions?
SERP360 analyses existing topic patterns, industry context, and content gaps to generate strategic suggestions with appropriate intent and journey stage assignments.
Can filters be saved?
Filters reset when leaving the page. The default view shows all content without filters applied.
Getting help
Contact support for data issues or unexpected behaviour.