What It Is
Hub-and-Spoke (also called Pillar-Cluster) architecture is a content organisation pattern where a comprehensive hub page (3,000-5,000 words) covers a broad topic and links to multiple spoke pages (2,000-2,500 words each) that cover specific subtopics in depth. All spoke pages link back to the hub and to related spokes. This creates a tightly-knit topical cluster that search engines recognise as authoritative.
Why It Matters for Your SEO
Google's understanding of topical authority is structural. A site with 50 unlinked blog posts is seen differently from one with 5 hub pages, each connecting to 10 focused spoke pages. The hub-and-spoke pattern:
- Concentrates link equity through the hub
- Creates clear topical signals through consistent internal linking
- Helps Google understand your content hierarchy
- Maximises the Connection axis of the Three Axes framework
How Korvex Measures It
Korvex analyses your site architecture to identify:
| Element | Target | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Hub pages | 3,000-5,000 words | Comprehensive overview of the topic cluster |
| Spoke pages | 2,000-2,500 words | Focused subtopic coverage |
| Hub→Spoke links | Every spoke linked from hub | Authority flows down to subtopics |
| Spoke→Hub links | Every spoke links back to hub | Reinforces the cluster relationship |
| Spoke→Spoke links | Related spokes cross-linked | Creates network density within the cluster |
Architecture Health Indicators
- Cluster completeness: Percentage of identified subtopics that have spoke pages
- Link coverage: Percentage of spoke→hub and hub→spoke links that exist
- Content gaps: Subtopics in competitor clusters that you haven't covered
How to Improve Your Score
- Identify your topic clusters — use the Architecture Blueprint page to see your natural content groupings
- Create hub pages — comprehensive pillar content covering the cluster's core topic
- Build spoke pages — focused 2,000+ word pages for each subtopic
- Implement cross-links — every spoke links to the hub; related spokes link to each other
- Plan new clusters — the Content Opportunities page identifies gaps in your topical coverage
Architecture Analysis
The Site Architecture analyser identifies hub-and-spoke patterns by:
- URL structure analysis: Grouping pages by URL path hierarchy
- Semantic clustering: Grouping pages by embedding similarity (all-MiniLM-L6-v2)
- Link graph analysis: Identifying pages with high in-degree (potential hubs) and their connected subgraphs
- Content classification: Distinguishing pillar content (broad, long) from cluster content (focused, medium)
Linking Engine Integration
The Semantic Internal Linking Engine uses hub-and-spoke awareness:
- Pillar pages: 3,000-5,000 word target
- Cluster pages: 2,000-2,500 word target
- Bridge similarity threshold: 0.70 (for cross-cluster links)
- BOFU target multiplier: 2× (hub pages linking to conversion pages)
Funnel Mapping
Hub-and-spoke clusters map to the marketing funnel:
- TOFU hubs: Educational pillar content → spoke guides/tutorials
- MOFU hubs: Comparison/evaluation content → spoke case studies/reviews
- BOFU hubs: Product/service pages → spoke feature pages/testimonials
Related Concepts
- The Three Axes — hub-and-spoke maximises the Connection axis
- Semantic Networks — the linking strategy that builds the spoke connections
- Content Opportunities — discovers missing spoke pages