Keyword Clusters

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Keyword Clusters

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Keywords and Clusters

Keyword clusters are the foundation of Adaptify’s content planning. They help Adaptify understand related topics, plan articles, identify internal linking opportunities, and decide which content should be created first.

What are Keyword Clusters

Keyword clusters are groups of related words or phrases around the same topic.

For example, if the topic is “dog care”, the cluster might include keywords like:

dog breeds
puppy care
best dog food

Grouping related searches together helps Adaptify create a strategy around a topic, instead of treating every keyword as a separate isolated idea.

Where can I manage my Keyword Clusters?

You can manage clusters in Manage Keyword Clusters.

This page shows:

the list of keyword clusters
the keywords inside each cluster
content plan status
potential, difficulty, and combined volume
pillar page settings
article links, where relevant

From this page, you can:

add clusters
add keywords
upload keyword data
reorganise keywords
set pillar pages
export cluster data
refresh the content plan after making changes

Clusters in the content plan

Clusters in the content plan are eligible for automated content planning.

These clusters are part of the active strategy and can be selected by Adaptify when deciding what articles to create next.

The keyword manager keeps at least a small set of high-potential clusters active. If there are not enough active clusters, Adaptify can automatically activate eligible clusters based on potential, so the content plan has enough topics to work from.

Clusters not in the content plan

Clusters not in the content plan are paused from automated planning.

They stay in the keyword manager, but Adaptify will not prioritise them for upcoming automated content until they are moved back into the content plan.

This is useful when:

a topic is not relevant right now
you want to delay a topic
you want to keep keyword data without letting it affect upcoming articles

Adding keywords and importing an existing strategy

You can add more keywords to any cluster. When you add a keyword, Adaptify can use it as a seed and suggest more related keyword opportunities.

If you already have a keyword strategy, you can import keywords using CSV. Imported keyword data can then be organised into clusters and used as part of the content strategy.

Primary and secondary keywords

Inside a cluster, a primary keyword is the main keyword an article should target.

Secondary keywords are related terms that support the same intent and can often be covered inside the same article.

This helps avoid keyword cannibalisation. Instead of writing separate articles for every similar keyword, Adaptify groups related terms and uses one primary keyword as the main direction.

In the keyword manager, secondary keywords are nested under their primary keyword.

You can drag keywords between groups to change whether a keyword is:

a primary keyword
a secondary keyword
part of another cluster

How keywords become articles

High-impact primary keywords can become articles.

Sometimes multiple similar keywords are combined into one article when they share the same search intent.

This is why primary and secondary keyword grouping matters. The primary keyword usually defines the article direction, while secondary keywords help broaden the article coverage without creating duplicate content.

When an article exists or is planned, the keyword row can link you to the relevant article so you can review the content behind that keyword.

Automatic keyword top-ups

If a site starts running low on useful keywords, Adaptify can top up keyword opportunities at regular intervals.

The goal is to keep the content plan looking ahead, so there is enough time to review and adjust the strategy before content is created.

Potential, difficulty, and combined volume

Adaptify uses several metrics to help prioritise topics.

Potential

Potential is Adaptify’s score for how attractive a keyword or cluster is.

It is calculated from signals like:

search volume
difficulty
the domain authority of the website

Higher potential is better.

Difficulty

Difficulty estimates how competitive the keyword or cluster is.

Higher difficulty means the topic may require more authority, more supporting content, or backlink building to rank well.

Combined volume

Combined volume shows the total monthly search volume across the cluster.

It helps explain the size of the opportunity, but it should be read together with potential and difficulty rather than used alone.

Ordering and prioritisation

Clusters are sorted with active content-plan clusters first, then by potential.

If you manually drag clusters into a different order, Adaptify stores that order as a user override. This means your chosen priority stays in place even when backend scores are recalculated.

Dragging a cluster higher in the content plan can activate it for planning.

Moving a cluster lower can pause it when it falls outside the active streak.

This lets you guide the strategy without needing to manage every article manually.

Refresh or create the content plan

When you make cluster changes, Adaptify can update the content plan automatically, but this may take time.

If you want the changes reflected sooner, use Refresh Content Plan. This will research the keywords again and update the plan.

If a cluster is not currently in the content plan, use Add to Content Plan. This will research the keywords and add the cluster to the plan.

If you do not do this manually, the cluster may still be added later when Adaptify decides it is the right next opportunity.

The only exception is when you have manually paused a cluster. In that case, Adaptify will not add it to the content plan until you manually activate it.

Creating new clusters

You can create a new cluster yourself.

Give the cluster a clear title that describes the topic, then add keywords or use AI feedback to expand it.

Adaptify can also create and organise clusters automatically based on:

the website
existing rankings
keyword opportunities

If auto-generated clusters are disabled in settings, Adaptify will stop creating new clusters for that site until it is re-enabled.

Pillar pages

A pillar page is the main page you want a cluster to support.

For example, if a cluster is about a service, the pillar page is usually the service page you want to rank.

[Insert diagram: pillar page internal linking]

Every article in this cluster will prominently link to the pillar page. This builds authority for the page and helps it rank higher in search results.

Previously created articles in the cluster are not updated automatically when you change the pillar page. The setting affects future content and planning.

What Is a Pillar Page? (And Why It Matters For Your SEO Strategy)

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When to change the pillar page URL

Change the pillar page URL when the current page is not the page you actually want to rank for.

You may also want to change it when the cluster should support a more commercial page, such as a service or product page.

Try to set the pillar page before a lot of articles are created, because it gives Adaptify the clearest linking target from the start.

Give AI Feedback

Give AI Feedback works across keyword clusters.

In the keyword strategy workflow, it lets you describe changes you want to make instead of manually editing every cluster and keyword.

For example, you can ask Adaptify to:

add new keywords
remove low performers
reorganise clusters
update priorities
pause clusters
activate clusters
find more location-based opportunities
find more question-based opportunities

Common AI feedback requests include:

Top Up Only This Cluster
Prioritise High Volume
Remove Low Potential
Add Location Keywords
Find More Question Keywords
Reorder by Intent
Long-Tail Keywords
Group Similar Topics
Pause Clusters
Activate Clusters

Uploading keywords vs searching for keywords

The Upload action is useful when you already have keyword data or a list you want Adaptify to consider.

Keep in mind that once keywords are uploaded, Adaptify treats them as important and may prioritise them over other keyword opportunities.

Search is useful when you know which keywords you want to add. It is a powerful way to find more keyword opportunities from scratch.

Email me when complete

The Email me when complete option is useful because larger AI feedback requests can take time.

When enabled, Adaptify can notify you when the feedback has finished processing.

Submitted AI feedback feeds into the keyword strategy workflow. Depending on the request, Adaptify may suggest new keywords, update cluster organisation, adjust priorities, or prepare changes for review before they are applied.

CSV Import

Use CSV import when you already have keyword data or an existing keyword strategy that you want Adaptify to use.

There are two CSV upload options:

1. Add to this cluster only

Use this when you are expanding one existing topic cluster.

The CSV should have one column only:

Keyword

Coffee Beans

Espresso Machines

Coffee Recipes

The first row must be Keyword or Keywords.

Only the first column is imported. Any content in other columns is ignored.

2. Import Keywords for Multiple Clusters

Use this when your spreadsheet contains keywords across several topic clusters.

The CSV should include these columns:

Cluster	Pillar-Page	Keyword
Coffee Beans	https://www.website.com/coffee-beans	Dark Roast Coffee Beans
Coffee Beans	https://www.website.com/coffee-beans	Light Roast Coffee Beans
Espresso Machines		Best Espresso Machines
Coffee Recipes		New Coffee Recipes

Cluster and Keyword are required.

Pillar-Page can be left blank, but the column still needs to exist.

Review Before Importing

CSV upload is a two-step process:

Select your CSV file.
Click Review & Upload.
Check the preview, which shows how many keywords will be uploaded and how they are grouped into clusters.
Expand clusters if you want to inspect the keyword list.
Click Confirm Upload.

Adaptify validates the file before upload. The file must be a .csv, under 10MB, include the required header row, and contain at least one valid data row.

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