If you’re serious about building topical authority, the first step is creating a well-structured topical map.
Step 1: Source Keywords from Multiple Angles
Let’s say you’re building a site about diets. Start by using ChatGPT with a prompt like:
“Give me 20 semantically relevant but unique subtopics under the category of diets.”
You’ll get responses like:
- The Keto Diet
- Mediterranean Diet
- Intermittent Fasting
- Paleo Diet, etc.
Now, take each subtopic (e.g. Keto Diet) and prompt:
“Give me 20 different keyword variations of the keto diet that address different search intents.”
You’ll get results such as:
- Keto diet meal plan
- How to start a keto diet
- Keto diet grocery list
- Keto diet for diabetics
Repeat this process across all subtopics, and you’ll quickly build a topical map with 300–500 keywords.
Step 2: Expand with Keyword Tools
Supplement your keyword set with:
- AnswerThePublic – for commonly asked questions
- Ahrefs (Questions report) – to surface intent-driven queries
- People Also Ask – from Google SERPs
- Related Searches – at the bottom of the search results
- Autocomplete – from Google’s search bar suggestions
- Google NLP API – to identify key entities and semantic relevance
Each of these sources adds a different layer of insight and search behavior.
Key Takeaway:
Building topical authority is about comprehensive coverage, not random keyword targeting.
Start with a smart topical map and you’ll own your niche long term.
If you’re serious about building topical authority, the first step is creating a well-structured topical map.
Step 1: Source Keywords from Multiple Angles
Let’s say you’re building a site about diets. Start by using ChatGPT with a prompt like:
“Give me 20 semantically relevant but unique subtopics under the category of diets.”
You’ll get responses like:
- The Keto Diet
- Mediterranean Diet
- Intermittent Fasting
- Paleo Diet, etc.
Now, take each subtopic (e.g. Keto Diet) and prompt:
“Give me 20 different keyword variations of the keto diet that address different search intents.”
You’ll get results such as:
- Keto diet meal plan
- How to start a keto diet
- Keto diet grocery list
- Keto diet for diabetics
Repeat this process across all subtopics, and you’ll quickly build a topical map with 300–500 keywords.
Step 2: Expand with Keyword Tools
Supplement your keyword set with:
- AnswerThePublic – for commonly asked questions
- Ahrefs (Questions report) – to surface intent-driven queries
- People Also Ask – from Google SERPs
- Related Searches – at the bottom of the search results
- Autocomplete – from Google’s search bar suggestions
- Google NLP API – to identify key entities and semantic relevance
Each of these sources adds a different layer of insight and search behavior.
Key Takeaway:
Building topical authority is about comprehensive coverage, not random keyword targeting.
Start with a smart topical map and you’ll own your niche long term.
