What is The Hub and Spoke Model
The hub and spoke model in content marketing is a framework that allows you to create topical relevance. It allows you to better organize your content, and lead visitors through every stage of the buyer’s journey. It accomplishes this with larger overview pages (the hub) about specific topics which then link to pages where aspects of the topic are explored in-depth (the spokes). For example, a business could create a hub page that focuses on email marketing. The hub page would summarize the major aspects of the topic such as segmentation, subject lines, email newsletter design, re-engagement campaigns, etc. For each supporting topic or subsection, it would link to another page that goes into further detail on it.
keywords relevant to the topics
At this point, you should have a lot of potential topics that you know your audience cares about. Right now there are two challenges:
There are too many topics that need to be prioritized or cut
You don’t know their potential in terms of search traffic
Keyword research is the solution to both problems. Prioritize topics based on the potential search volume (which is a proxy for interest) and business impact. Keyword research is beyond the scope of this post so I’ll share a few resources. Before that, there are some things to be aware of. Many keyword research tools will give you a keyword difficulty rating. Take this with a grain of salt because, as I mentioned earlier, topical relevance plays a major role in your rankings. Keyword research tools haven’t caught up to this. Over time, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how well you rank for keywords considered difficult.
For instance, Transistor.fm. is a podcast hosting company that was launched in early 2018 and already ranks on the first page for “how to start a podcast.” It’s outranking websites that should be doing better in a head-to-head fight.
This happens when you have topical relevance. Another thing to keep in mind is that keyword search volumes in research tools are flawed. That’s why 2 keyword research tools can give you 2 completely different search volumes.
If you rank on the first page of Google for one keyword, you’ll rank for 50 other keywords as well. All of them bring a little more traffic and most keyword tools are unable to predict that.
Finally, it’s important to understand the quality of the content already ranking on the first page. Can you truly create something better? If you can then go for it. If not, it may be best to focus your attention elsewhere.
SEO (and conversion) optimized content
After finishing keyword research, you should have multiple hub page topics and know which one you’ll tackle first. You’ll also have the subtopics for your spoke pages which I’ll touch on shortly.
The next thing to do is create the hub page. This is where people often drop the ball. They create mediocre content that has no hope of ranking or enticing their visitors to take the desired action.
Your content should be:
- High-quality
- SEO optimized
- Conversion focused
Point #1 is a given but high quality is relative to other content out there. That’s why I mentioned looking at the people you’ll compete with. You should know ahead of time whether you can make something better.
What you can do instead of focusing on the length of your content is make sure you have a great design, you have included some rich media (videos, GIFs, infographics), and you have made the content as digestible (readable) as possible.
Also, don’t forget that editing is more about removing than adding. More doesn’t mean better.
The hub and spoke content model puts the user first but you should still optimize your content for SEO . Here’s a quick overview of what to focus on:
- Optimize meta descriptions to improve CTR
- Interlink (you’re already doing this as part of the hub and spoke model)
- Develop a clear content structure
- Include images with relevant alt text
- Make sure your site loads fast (non-negotiable)
- Include outbound links to relevant sites
The last thing to focus on is the conversion aspect of your content. Your hub piece is designed to rank well and push visitors to other parts of your website. Don’t be afraid to add in content CTAs that get people to perform your desired action.
Use a popup, an inline form, a CTA with a simple button, or whatever works best for your audience. Whatever you do, don’t miss this amazing opportunity to turn targeted traffic into new business.
Crafting Effective Content Spokes
The hub and spoke model is built on a simple premise. You’re growing your audience, authority, and customer base by positioning yourself as an authority on a subject.
They first interact with you through a hub page and get introduced to detailed guides on the subject. You’re going an inch wide and a mile deep. You’re prioritizing depth over breadth.
The content spokes are what give your content hub its power. These are the subtopics you mention and also link to from the content hub so the reader can get more information on the subject. They’re in-depth pieces that advance the narrative you’ve started in the content hub. They also link back to the hub to share link juice and improve your website’s usability.
However, spokes aren’t limited to just articles. They can have a number of formats and goals depending on your overall business strategy. A few types of content that work well for content spokes are: podcasts, infographics, ebooks/white papers,user-generated content , and videos.
Podcasts
Podcasts are growing fast . If you have one, you can invite a guest that will expand on an aspect of your content hub and treat it as one of the spokes.Conversely, you can use a relevant podcast where you were interviewed into a spoke. Just ask the host for permission to embed it on your website and expand it with a transcript or written commentary.
Infographics
Years ago, it was expensive to have an infographic made. Now, there are many tools on the market like Venngage and Canva which make it simple to design and distribute infographics. They’re visually appealing, easy to digest, and shareable.
Ebooks & White papers
You can -and should- link to gated content from your content hub. This is how you get closer to generating real revenue for your business. The lead magnet you use doesn’t have to be 100 pages, and it doesn’t even need to cover the topic 100% either. It just needs to be a piece that is interesting enough to hand you out their email to get it. White papers, by nature, are often packed with a lot of information and can’t be consumed in one sitting. Therefore, it’s normal for them to be gated. Don’t shy away from adding in gated content because it’s where you move closer to your real goal.
After getting a new lead that’s interested in your topic, the hub and spoke model does its second job: You can use the same content you were already creating for your spokes to build trust and move your new prospect, lead, or contact down the purchase funnel/buying journey.We want to combine the AARRR funnel with email marketing and go from Acquisition to Activation and all the way to Revenue. With marketing automation and drip campaigns, you can keep in touch, and use the momentum you gained to learn more about your email subscribers (see the research questionnaire I mentioned earlier).
Videos
Video is king. If it’s to be believed then video marketing is the final frontier. With this type of content spoke, you can take advantage of a pronged approach. These primary content spokes are similar to your hub content. The only difference is that they go deep on a single subtopic. Your hub content touches on the entire topic.
Secondary content spokes support both the primary spokes and the hub content.
Secondary content spokes aren’t usually as in-depth. Their main goal is to drive traffic back to the content hub or build links . They can take the form of guest posts, social media posts, guest podcast appearances, video content on third-party sites, forum activity, and more. Many people skip this part of the entire process but I’d argue that it’s the most important. No matter how topically relevant your content is or well written, it won’t make a difference if it’s not seen.You have to jump-start that process with a few links and social sharing before the flywheel effect can kick in.
Hub and Spoke Model – Conclusion
The hub and spoke model is an effective way to overcome a lot of the challenges associated with content marketing. When done properly, you build a content moat that protects your rankings and revenue. And, when done incorrectly, you’ll spend a lot of time with little to show for it. This article has outlined the hub and spoke strategy model of content marketing and broken down the key elements you need to implement it. Start with your hub topics and work your way down to the individual spokes. Keep in mind that this isn’t a one-day project. It can take weeks or months to complete so make sure you’re in it for the long haul.
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