Building topical maps has become essential for SEO work, significantly improving domain authority. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore how to create effective topical maps using AI, offering actionable insights and best practices to optimize your content strategy. Additionally, we'll provide a detailed walkthrough of how we built a "Topical Map Generator" app.

Understanding Topical Maps

Topical maps are essential tools in semantic SEO that organize content into themes and subthemes, aligning with how search engines interpret topics rather than individual keywords. They provide a clear structure that improves topical authority and relevance, aiding algorithms in understanding the breadth and depth of a website's content offering.

The Relationship Between Topical Authority and Search Engine Trust

Topical authority, demonstrated through comprehensive and interlinked content within a topical map, builds search engine trust. With consistent high-quality content production, search engines see the brand as a reliable information source.

The Four Fundamental Aspects of a Topical Map

1. Core Topics: These are the central themes that define your niche or industry.

2. Subtopics: Divisions within core topics that delve into specifics.

3. Content/Articles: Individual pieces that cover different aspects of each subtopic.

4. Internal Linking: Connections between pieces to demonstrate the relationship between ideas.

Creating a Topical Map: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Research Core Topics: Begin by identifying the main themes relevant to your niche. Use keyword research tools to discover high-volume, low-competition keywords that can form the foundation of your core topics.

2. Subtopic Exploration: Break down each core topic into subtopics. This helps create a comprehensive coverage of your main themes and allows for more targeted content creation.

3. Content Creation: Develop content for each subtopic, ensuring that you're addressing user intent and providing valuable information. Implement a strategic internal linking structure to reinforce topic relationships.

4. Monitor and Adjust: Regularly update and expand the topical map to include new developments and fill gaps. Review your map at least once a quarter or whenever significant changes are made to your content strategy.

Building the "Topical Map Generator" App

Creating a topical map for semantic SEO can be a complex task, but with the "Generate Topical Map" app, it becomes a streamlined process. This app is designed to help users develop comprehensive topical maps that enhance their website's SEO strategy. Here's a detailed walkthrough of how I built this app using Moonlit Platform.

App Overview

The "Generate Topical Map" app is designed to assist users in creating topical maps by leveraging a chat model to generate structured content based on user inputs. The app takes several inputs related to the website's focus and outputs a detailed topical map in markdown format.

Inputs

The app requires the following inputs:

1. Central Entity: What is your website mainly about?

2. Core Section of the Topical Map: Where most of the ranking signals flow.

3. Website Name: The name of your website.

4. Outer Section of the Topical Map: Where historical data comes from.

5. Central Search Intent: The connection between the central entity and source context.

6. Source Context: Why are you writing about this topic?

These inputs help define the structure and focus of the topical map.

Logic and Functionality

Step 1: Topical Map Prompt

The core functionality of the app is driven by a chat model function that generates text based on the provided inputs, the app itself is super simple, its value lies in the prompt we used. Here's how it works:

• Function Configuration: The chat model is configured with a detailed prompt that includes information about creating topical maps. It references various aspects of topical maps, such as source context, central entity, and search intent.

• Model: The app uses the LLaMa 3.1 model to process the inputs and generate the topical map. You can Clone & Edit this app to try using other models such as GPT-4, Gemini, Claude 3.5, and more. We also keep our template apps up to date to use the latest models, so if a new model comes across that surpasses LLaMa 3.1 capabilities by magnitudes then we will update accordingly.

Outputs

The app outputs the generated topical map in markdown format, which includes:

• Source Context: A brief explanation of why the topic is important.

• Central Entity: The main focus of the website.

• Central Search Intent: The connection between the central entity and source context.

• Core Section of the Topical Map: A detailed list of topics and subtopics.

• Outer Section of the Topical Map: Additional topics that provide historical context.

How It Works

1. Input Collection: Users provide the necessary inputs through text fields.

2. Text Generation: The chat model processes these inputs and generates a structured topical map.

3. Output Display: The resulting markdown text is displayed, ready for use in SEO planning.

Here's a visual representation of how the app looks in the Moonlit content workflow builder. Again, super simple, just a 1 step with a powerful prompt.

The interface shows how inputs are collected and processed to generate the topical map.

This image illustrates the output, showcasing the detailed topical map generated by the app.

How to Customize the Generate Topical Map App

• Enhance Topic Granularity: Adjust the output by modifying the input fields to focus on more specific areas within your niche. For instance, refine the core section to include specialized content templates tailored for different user types or geographical locations.

• Refine the Prompt Instructions: Customize the prompt to change the tone or focus on particular aspects of your topical map. You might instruct the model to generate lists that favor certain content types or industry-specific topics.

• Expand Input Variables: Add or modify input fields in your app to capture additional context about your brand or target audience. This added detail can help generate an even more tailored topical map.

• Integrate Competitor Analysis: Incorporate data from competitor websites to guide the model on potential gaps in your topical map. This can be used to enrich both the core and outer sections with new ideas.

• Experiment with Output Layouts: Tweak the markdown layout in the prompt to align with your internal style guidelines. This ensures that the generated topical map fits seamlessly into your content strategy documents.

Generate Your Topical Maps Today

Creating and maintaining topical maps is an essential strategy for SEO success. It's becoming the starting point for most content teams content strategy process. By implementing the steps and techniques outlined in this guide, you can enhance your website's visibility, improve user experience, and establish strong topical authority. The "Generate Topical Map" app we've walked through demonstrates how AI can simplify this process, making it accessible even to those without extensive SEO experience.