SEO How-To

SEO Hubs and Spokes Using AI

Matt Scyoc
Cofounder

Challenges in Building Hub and Spokes for SEO Keyword Research and Content Planning

Most SEO tools like SEMrush group keywords based on "keyword phrase similarity" and URL similarity, but this method is often inaccurate. Instead, using AI to understand and organize ranking pages into Hubs and Spokes, as a human would, is more effective.

Key Issues:
  1. Clustering Accuracy: Organizing clustered keywords is crucial. Without clustering, you end up with duplicates and waste time. Foxscript’s Hub and Spoke tool uses only clustered keywords, streamlining the process and saving time.
  2. Current Workflow Limitations: Typically, tools like SEMrush and Keyword Insights require manually selecting the main keyword from each cluster based on search volume. This method is time-consuming and often results in irrelevant keywords that don't align with your site’s structure.

Foxscript's Solution:
  • Human-Like AI Organization: Our tool mimics human organization by generating Hub and Spoke names and groups from the text of current ranking pages. We use embeddings to compare and group pages based on text similarity, not just URL or keyword similarity.
  • Efficient Content Planning: Quickly build and present keyword and content plans with pivot tables and graphs—something other tools can't achieve.
  • Long-Tail Keyword Optimization: Our solution automates the analysis and grouping of long-tail keywords, eliminating the manual effort of determining relevance and value. This advanced text similarity analysis unlocks valuable keyword opportunities that other SEO tools miss.

With Foxscript’s Hub and Spoke generator, you can effortlessly organize and target hundreds or thousands of high-converting long-tail keywords, saving significant manual effort and improving your keyword strategy.

Foxscript vs. SEMRush vs. Keyword Insights
Feature/Tool SEMrush Keyword Insights Foxscript
Keyword Grouping Method Keyword phrase similarity SERP URL similarity Keyword phrase similarity AND SERP text similarity, mimics human organization
Duplicate Keywords High None None
Time Efficiency High manual effort required High manual effort required Mostly automated, low manual effort
Parent Keyword Selection Manual selection based on search volume Manual selection based on search volume Automated spoke grouping, based on SERP text and URL similarity
Handling Irrelevant Keywords High number of irrelevant keywords High number of irrelevant keywords Lowest total irrelevant keywords with SERP text similarity
Content Planning Basic Basic Advanced, turn hubs and spokes into pivot tables and graphs
Long-Tail Keyword Optimization Requires hours of manual review and organization Requires hours of manual review and organization Automated hubs and spokes generated based on SERP text similarity

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating New SEO Pages with Foxscript’s Hub and Spoke Builder

Step 1: Review Your Hubs and Spokes Output

Now that you have your hubs and spokes output from Foxscript’s hub and spoke builder, it’s time to decide which new SEO pages to create. This involves several key decisions to maximize the effectiveness of your content strategy.

Step 2: Identify Target Parent Keywords
  • Analyze Columns: Start by reviewing the “Parent Keyword,” “Spoke Relevancy,” and “Keyword Volume” columns.
  • Evaluate Spokes: Read each “Spoke” name to determine which pre-generated spokes are relevant to your website’s existing content, current customer needs, or business goals.
Step 3: Prioritize High-Volume and Valuable Keywords
  • Keyword Volume: Focus on Parent Keywords that have high search volume and are valuable to your business. By default, keywords are sorted by highest “Keyword Volume” per spoke, which represents the sum of the total monthly search volume of all keywords in that spoke.
  • Clustered Keywords: Check the “Clustered Keywords” column to see the keywords grouped in each spoke.
  • Scan and Select: Scan the “Parent Keyword” column, focusing on the highest Keyword Volume to identify the best candidates for new content.
Step 4: Review Similar Parent Keywords
  • Compare Keywords: Once you identify a valuable, high search volume Parent Keyword, review similar Parent Keywords in the same spoke to find additional keywords for creating new pages.
  • Examine Relevance: Use the “Score” column to check the text similarity between the current top-ranking pages for the Parent Keyword and the highly relevant, current ranking URLs from your original input file.
Step 5: Analyze Spoke URLs
  • SERP Similarity: The URLs in the “Spoke URL” column are analyzed for text SERP similarity to generate spokes. These URLs are selected from high search volume, highly relevant pages based on your keyword file.
  • Generate Embeddings: We generate text embeddings from these URLs and compare them with the top SERPs for all input keywords to create the spokes. The final spokes in your Hub and Spoke output result from this text similarity analysis.
  • Score Interpretation: A high Score in the “Score” column indicates high relevancy between the top-ranking page for the Parent Keyword and the spoke candidate.
Step 6: Evaluate and Select Parent Keywords
  • Determine Relevance: If a Parent Keyword has a satisfactory Keyword Volume, a high Score, and a relevant SpokeURL, it is likely a good target for a new page.
  • Expand Content: Select additional Parent Keywords within the same spoke to create more related content.
Step 7: Organize Keywords into Hubs
  • Create and Organize: Decide which Parent Keywords and Spokes to create and organize them into a new or existing Hub on your website.
  • Folder Structure: Arrange multiple Spokes and Parent Keywords into a clear folder and sub-folder structure within a Hub. For example, an "SEO Tools" Hub could contain the spokes “Keyword Research for Websites” and “Keyword Position Tracking.”
Step 8: Implement and Build Out Content
  • Content Creation: Use the selected Parent Keywords and Spokes to create hundreds of valuable, relevant SEO pages.
  • Hub Development: Build out these spokes on your site within the designated content hub, ensuring they fit into your overall SEO strategy.

By following these steps, you can effectively use Foxscript’s hub and spoke builder to create new SEO pages that drive traffic and enhance your website’s visibility.

Matt Scyoc