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🎯 Your Baseline Technical Checklist (cont'd 39/43)
Step 5: Topical Maps
In this section, you will use the Topical Maps tool to generate structured, SEO-optimized content architectures powered by AI. This tool helps you turn a single seed keyword into a full content ecosystem, containing clusters, long-tails, and article ideas. You will configure AI settings, select ideas, and publish content directly from your topical map.
Your goal is to create a topical authority structure for your domain by generating pillar pages, supporting articles, and optimized content clusters.
This guide walks you through every part of the interface and tells you exactly what to enter.
🎯 Your Baseline Technical Checklist (cont'd 40/43)
1. Topical Maps Dashboard
When you arrive on the Topical Maps page, you will see:
- Existing topical maps in table format
- Pillar Page
- Keyword
- Folder
- Topic Count
- Ideas in Topic Map
- Content Created
- Published
- A View Topical Map button for each row
🎯 Your Baseline Technical Checklist (cont'd 41/43)
2. Creating a New Topical Map
Click Create Topical Map to begin the workflow.
You will see a two-step process:
🎯 Your Baseline Technical Checklist (cont'd 42/43)
Step 1: Choose a Topic
Choose whether to place this topical map inside an existing folder or create a new one.
What to enter:
If this is your first map for a domain, choose Create a new folder.
Then click Create & Continue
🎯 Your Baseline Technical Checklist (cont'd 43/43)
Step 2: AI Writing Settings
After Step 1, you will configure the AI settings to ensure your topical map is accurate, aligned with your brand, and SEO-ready.
This step contains several panels on the left:
- General
- Writing
- Default Refiners
- Terms to Exclude
- Image Options
- Links to Include
- Company Info
- WordPress
- Shopify
Below is an explanation of every panel.
GENERAL Panel
Folder Name
Pre-filled from Step 1. Adjust only if needed.
Domain
Your website URL.
What to enter:
Populate All Settings with AI
This automatically fills all General + Writing settings using the content and structure of your website.
Your Task:
Click Populate All Settings with AI.
Then review and refine the details manually.
Website Purpose
What role your website plays.
Examples:
- Service Provider
- Information Hub
- E-commerce Store
Niche
A high-level description of your topic area.
What to enter:
Example for dentists:
Pediatric dentistry, dental care for children and teens
Default Audience
Your primary audience.
Example:
Parents seeking dental care for children and adolescents
Geolocation
The location you serve.
Search Intent
Choose the type of intent behind the content.
Examples:
- Informational
- Navigational
- Transactional
For a dental practice, choose:
Informational + Transactional
Company Background
Describe your business so the AI uses your voice accurately.
Example:
“ABC Pediatric Dental Clinic provides specialized dental care for children and teens, focusing on preventive dentistry, orthodontics, and anxiety-free patient experiences.”
WRITING Panel
Language
Choose English (US) unless your content requires otherwise.
Voice
The tone of voice the AI should use.
Example for dental practices:
Professional, friendly, authoritative
Act as Who?
Defines the persona writing the content.
Example:
Experienced pediatric dentist and trusted advisor
Content Length
Choose optimized, short, medium, or long depending on your goals.
Writing Style
Describe the writing characteristics.
Example:
Informative, reassuring, clear, parent-focused
Content Intent
Explain the purpose of the article.
Example:
“To educate parents about pediatric dental care, orthodontic needs for teens, and evidence-based preventive treatments.”
Writing Options
- Generate Meta Data
- Bold Focus Terms
Enable both unless instructed otherwise.
DEFAULT MICROSEMANTIC REFINERS
These are optional extra outputs for each article:
- Generate Hero Image
- Generate FAQ
- Generate Conclusion
- Humanize
Enable all four.
TERMS TO EXCLUDE
Add words the AI should never include.
Example:
“adult dentistry”, “oral surgery for seniors”, “cosmetic veneers”
IMAGE OPTIONS
If you want AI-generated images, enter prompts here.
Example:
“Happy child at a dental clinic with a pediatric dentist, clean bright office, friendly atmosphere.”
LINKS TO INCLUDE
Internal Links
Add URLs from your own site you want included inside all articles.
Required links:
- Your main service pages
- Contact page
Optional links:
- Blog categories
- Related specialty services
External Links
Add authoritative external references.
Required example:
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (https://www.aapd.org)
Optional example:
Mayo Clinic pages on child dental care
COMPANY INFO
Enter your full business details:
- Company Name
- Website
- Google Business Profile URL
- Address
- Phone
This reinforces E-E-A-T for AI and improves SEO clarity.
WORDPRESS INTEGRATION
If your site is connected, you will be able to:
- Upload articles as Draft or Published
- Choose Blog post or Page
- Select a Category
- Auto-upload new articles generated in bulk
Task After Completing All Panels
- Review every field.
- Make sure values accurately reflect your business.
- Click Update Settings to save the AI configuration.
3. Viewing and Selecting Ideas
Once the Topical Map is created it appears listed.
Click View Topical Map.
Inside a topical map, you will see two views:
- Diagram (visual summary)
- Table (detailed breakdown)
Both contain:
- Categories
- Keywords
- Titles
- SEO intent
- Buttons for adding ideas, generating content, and publishing
Your Task
- Explore the diagram view to understand how topics relate.
- Switch to table view for detailed decision-making.
- Select the topics you want to turn into articles.
4. Adding Ideas to the Topical Map
When you click + , you will see:
Step 1 – Add to Topic Map
Once added, the button converts to:
Saved to Topic Map
Your Task:
Add all relevant ideas you want in your map.
5. Creating Content from Topic Ideas
After an idea is added:
You will see Step 2 – Create Content.
Click Create Content and choose:
- Full Article with AI
- Headings Outline with AI
Your Task:
Generate a first article using Full Article with AI.
6. Viewing and Editing Content
Once generated, the button becomes:
Step 2 – View Content
Click it to review, edit, and refine the AI-generated article.
7. Publishing Content
After reviewing, move to:
Step 3 – Publish
When publishing:
- Choose your connected WordPress website
- Choose Post Status (Draft or Publish)
- Choose Blog post or Page
- Add optional permalink, author, and parent page
- Click Publish Blog Post
If WordPress auto-upload is enabled, your articles will appear instantly on your site.
Continued in Part 7 →