Topic clusters instead of keywords
Advisor prospects no longer type two-word queries. They ask long, specific questions across Google and ChatGPT. A keyword list produces isolated posts. A topic cluster produces a hub and supporting pages that cover one client problem completely, which is what both rankings and AI citations reward.
- 01Keywords are ingredients. The topic is the recipe. AI systems cite the source that covers the whole problem.
- 02Build one hub per client problem you actually solve, then write the supporting pages the hub promises.
- 03Internal links have to be explicit. Orphan pages do not form a cluster.
- 04This URL already has referring domains. It stays put.
Why keyword-first content misses the question
A 58-year-old partner who may sell a business, has three kids in college, and wants to retire in five years without a tax spike is not searching “retirement planning tips.” They are pasting that situation into ChatGPT. A 600-word post aimed at a two-word keyword cannot be the answer.
Models look for sources that cover the full scope: the tax, the equity event, the college cash flow, the timing. The firm that published one thin post per keyword loses to the firm that built a hub around that life event.
What a cluster looks like
One audience, one problem, one hub, and the supporting pages the hub promises. Every page links to the hub and the hub links to every page. The keyword list on the left is what most advisory blogs look like.
- Retirement planning tips
- 5 investing mistakes
- Market update: Q3
- What is a Roth IRA?
- Tax tips for 2026
Each page answers a two-word query. None answers the 40-word question a prospect actually pastes into ChatGPT.
The hub states the problem and links out. Each supporting page leads with a 40 to 60 word answer, then goes deep, then links back. That is what a model cites.
How to build a cluster an advisor can actually finish
- 1
Pick one audience and one problem
Physicians approaching a practice sale. Tech employees with concentrated stock. Widows in the first year. One you genuinely take, and could talk about for an hour.
- 2
Write the hub
State the problem, outline the decisions inside it, and link out to each one. This is the page you want cited when the whole situation gets pasted into a model.
- 3
Write the supporting pages
Tax, insurance, equity, the first twelve months after close. Each leads with a 40 to 60 word answer, then goes deep, then links back to the hub and to the commercial page for the engagement.
- 4
Stop when it matches the work
A cluster you will not update is a liability. Five strong pages beat twenty leftovers. Use keyword research to title sections, not to spawn disconnected posts.
Clusters are how the content program is built. The commercial page is how the work is scoped.
See content marketingAsked and answered
Do I still do keyword research?
Yes. Keywords tell you how people name the problem. They are not the outline. Use them to title sections, not to spawn twenty disconnected posts.
How many pages does a cluster need?
Enough to cover the decisions your clients actually make, and no more. Five strong pages beat twenty leftovers.
Every day you’re invisible, another advisor gets the call
Advisors only · Since 2010 · Limited active client list