Examples of Successful Content Clusters in Different Sectors

We’ve discussed what topic clusters and pillar pages are, why they’re important for search engines, and how you can implement your own, but now let’s explore some of our favourite examples of the topic cluster model.

We asked our colleagues and people with industry expertise to let us know their favourites within the education, health, finance and tech sectors. What do they like about them? What sets them apart? Is it the quality content? The intelligent approach to internal links? Or something else entirely?

So with that in mind, let’s get started exploring our favourite topic cluster examples.

Education Topic Cluster Examples

I Want To Learn Japanese

We start with one of the most comprehensive topic clusters we’ve ever seen. I Want to Learn Japanese from Tofugu.

By their own admission, the guide is “over the top” but if you’re looking for an example of an extensive topic cluster, it’s hard to beat. What’s more, it preps the user right at the start, to help prevent them from becoming overwhelmed by the scale of it, and warns them that some of the processes might not seem right on first read. Tofugu’s stated goals are:

“to reach Japanese fluency as directly as possible. Unlike a teacher or a textbook, we have the freedom to be ruthless in the path we take to get there.

There are no tests or quizzes to take. You don’t have to move at the speed of the slowest learner in your group. All you need to do is follow each step, do the work, and progress.

Just keep in mind that because of this, some steps may seem counterintuitive. They may even seem slow compared to other methods, but everything has been carefully selected to get you to the finish line faster and more efficiently. We’ll talk more about that later.”

The table of contents at the top of the page allows users to easily navigate the text and the fact it’s broken up with key quotes, images and clear links to other content means it never feels as overwhelming as it could.

How to Start a Podcast

How to Start a Podcast from Buzzsprout is a much simpler and digestible education topic cluster compared to Tofugu, but it’s no less comprehensive.

Although it covers a huge topic, this topic cluster is broken down into 10 easy steps that follow a logical and simple process as part of an online course. What’s more, each section is broken down into bullet points and short, snappy sentences that make it easy to digest. Images and video content further information at a glance. As you’d expect, each section links through to a more in-depth guide.

Tech Topic Cluster Examples

What is a Chatbot? The Ultimate Guide

Drift has created the Ultimate Guide to Chatbots as part of their Learn section, and we think it’s a great topic cluster example, especially when it comes to converting users.

Not only do we love the formatting and the style of it, but we also like the sticky navigation on the left-hand side and the clear CTAs throughout the copy. This is a fantastic example of strategic internal linking.

Despite providing a chatbot service themselves (which they integrate well into this cluster), Drift don’t shy away from discussing their competitors and what they do well. This builds trust in the content and shows that it’s not purely for promotional purposes, but to genuinely educate their users. It shows they’re confident enough in their own product to let it stand against competitors.

The final flourish? Offering a clear link to their ROI tool at the bottom of the copy that shows prospective customers how much money they may be missing out on by not using their tech.

Health Topic Cluster Examples

The Atlantic: Population Healthier

If there’s a prize in this list for memorable design, usability and engaging content then Population Healthier from The Atlantic must surely win it.

We love how the various graphics, charts, videos, maps and diagrams move in and out as the user scrolls, and how seamlessly the related information and links are presented. It really tells the story and brings it to life, while still communicating all the key information for the user.

Additionally, we also love how the sticky Article Menu on the left allows the user to bring up the main nav regardless of where they are on the page: