Topical Mapping for Google

What is Topical Mapping?

Topical mapping is a strategy that involves mapping out the topics that are most relevant to your business and your customers. By doing so, you can create content that is more targeted and relevant to your audience, which can help you rank higher on Google. Topical mapping takes a longer-term perspective, which means that you should focus on topics that are relevant to your business in the long run, rather than just trying to rank for one single keyword.

From an SEO perspective, topical mapping is important because it helps validate that your content is topically relevant. When Google sees that your content is focused on a specific topic, it’s more likely to rank it higher in search results. This can help drive more traffic to your site, which is essential for e-commerce businesses.

Why Aren’t We Converting More Sales from Traffic?

One reason why businesses struggle to convert traffic into sales is that the first content to rank on Google tends not to be the most commercially driven pages. For example, if you sell dog products, ranking for “Why does my dog follow me everywhere?” may not result in many sales. Instead, you should focus on bottom-of-the-funnel pages with high buyer intent.

When Do We Start Making Money from E-commerce SEO with Topical Mapping?

To make money from e-commerce SEO, you need to compare yourself to your competitors. Look at how widely they’ve covered a topic, their ranking, and what their particular income looks like. You should also look at the traffic to commercial pages and make assumptions about conversion rates. Once you have this information, you can see what the potential market value is.

Tipping Points on Topical Mapping

There are several tipping points to be aware of when it comes to topical mapping. The first is topical relevance. As you create more content around a specific topic, you’ll start to see a hockey stick effect, where your content ranks higher and higher. The second tipping point is commercial terms. These are the near-term targets that you should focus on. Ideally, you want to be on the top of page one within six to nine months and see a commercial return within 12 months. Keep in mind that highly competitive terms, such as “makeup bags,” can be really hard to rank for.

Authority and the Google Algorithm

Authority is an important factor when it comes to ranking on Google. Google takes into account how long a brand has been established and how long a website has been active. A lot of this is related to age and appears on the Google knowledge graph. It’s important to note that not every business should be doing topical mapping yet. If you’re just starting out, focus on getting your website launched and claiming your social media profiles. Once you’ve maximized other opportunities, you can start focusing on topical mapping.

Why Do Clients Really Want to Do This?

Clients may want to do topical mapping for a variety of reasons. Some may want to rank for a single keyword, while others may feel that it’s the right thing to do because everyone else is doing it. Some clients may have a misperception of what Google SEO is and may want to test the waters before committing fully. However, it’s important to note that modern SEO relies on a wider business perspective, and everyone needs to think about SEO.

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