Content SEO

Topical Authority Mapper

/topical-map

Map out the complete topical universe for your niche. Identifies pillar pages, cluster articles, and gaps in your topical coverage.

Get this skill

Install all free SEO skills with one command:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ccforseo/seo-skills/main/install.sh | bash

Or install this skill manually:

$ git clone https://github.com/ccforseo/seo-skills.git
$ cp -r seo-skills/topical-authority ~/.claude/skills/topical-authority
View on GitHubFree · MIT License · 8 skills included

What it does

The Topical Authority Mapper skill builds a comprehensive topic map for your niche or subject area. It identifies pillar topics, supporting subtopics, and the relationships between them. By comparing your existing content against the full topic map, it reveals coverage gaps that prevent you from establishing topical authority. The output is a visual map with recommended content priorities.

Key features

  • Generates a complete topic map for any niche
  • Identifies pillar and cluster content relationships
  • Maps your existing content against the topic universe
  • Highlights coverage gaps preventing topical authority
  • Prioritizes new content by search volume and competition

How to use Topical Authority Mapper

  1. Run the command

    Type /topical-map with your niche topic and domain. The skill maps the full topic universe and overlays your existing content.

  2. Review the topic map

    The output shows pillar topics as hubs with cluster subtopics branching from them. Your existing pages are mapped to their matching topics, and gaps are highlighted.

  3. Plan your content

    Use the gap analysis to prioritize which topics to cover next. The skill ranks gaps by search volume and competitive difficulty.

When to use it

Planning a content strategy from scratch for a new site

Identifying topics needed to complete topical authority

Auditing content coverage compared to competitors

Building a content roadmap for the next 6-12 months

Frequently asked questions

What is topical authority in SEO?

Topical authority is a site's demonstrated expertise across all aspects of a subject. Search engines prefer to rank sites that comprehensively cover a topic over sites with isolated articles. Building topical authority requires covering pillar topics and their supporting clusters thoroughly.

How many articles do I need for topical authority?

There is no fixed number. It depends on how broad your topic is. The skill maps the complete topic universe for your niche and shows how many subtopics exist. Covering 70-80% of those subtopics typically establishes strong topical authority.

What is the difference between a pillar page and a cluster page?

A pillar page covers a broad topic comprehensively (e.g., 'Technical SEO'). Cluster pages cover specific subtopics in depth (e.g., 'How to fix redirect chains'). Cluster pages link back to the pillar, creating a content hub that signals authority.

Can the Topical Authority Mapper compare my coverage against competitors?

Yes. Provide competitor domains alongside yours and the skill overlays all sites' content on the same topic map. This shows where competitors have coverage you lack and where you have unique content advantages.

Related skills

Content SEO

Keyword Clustering

/keyword-cluster

Group keywords by search intent and topical relevance. Turns a raw keyword list into organized clusters ready for content planning and page targeting.

Content SEO

Content Brief Generator

/content-brief

Generate data-driven content briefs with target keywords, heading structures, competitor analysis, and word count recommendations. Ready to hand to a writer.

Content SEO

Competitor Gap Analysis

/competitor-gap

Find keywords your competitors rank for but you don't. Identifies content opportunities where competitors outperform your site in search results.

Technical SEO

Internal Link Mapper

/internal-links

Map your site's internal link structure and find opportunities to strengthen topical clusters. Identifies orphan pages, weak hubs, and missing contextual links.

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