Keyword mapping is the assignment of topics and queries to specific addresses on the website so that each topic is covered by exactly one page. This produces a simple table: query, user intent, target address, main heading and a note on whether the page already exists or needs to be created. The benefit is twofold. It reveals overlap, where you target the same topic with multiple pages that then compete with each other, and it reveals gaps, that is, queries without a corresponding page. The map also becomes a brief for content creation and a basis for internal linking, because it shows which pages are related to each other. It is done thoroughly once and then maintained, especially with every new article – without that, the website reverts to its original chaos within a year.
See also: Content cannibalisation, Content gap in retrieval, Topical authority.
