Build authority on subjects,
not scattered one off pages
Ranko groups raw keywords into clusters: one pillar topic plus five to fifteen supports, the shape Google and answer engines reward.
From raw keywords to real authority in 4 steps
Drop in any raw keywords. Ranko finds each group's pillar topic, attaches five to fifteen supports, and wires cross links.
Raw Keyword Input
Drop in your raw keywords
Bring whatever you have: a discovery keyword list, questions Ranko mines from ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, an export from another tool, a brain dump. It takes raw input in any shape.
- Any Source
- Any Format
- No Cleanup Needed
- Existing Lists Welcome
Pillar Detection
The pillar topic emerges
Ranko identifies the central pillar topic a group of keywords belongs to, the broader subject you want to be known for. Project management software is what an authority writes a page about. Rename or merge it.
- Pillar Named
- Rationale Shown
- Editable Pillars
- Merge & Rename
Supporting Topics
5–15 supports attach to each pillar
Five to fifteen supporting topics attach to every pillar, the questions an authority would cover. For project management software, supports might include how to choose a tool. Five is the floor, fifteen the cap.
- 5 Minimum
- 15 Maximum
- Authority Shape
- Auto Split When Over
Cross Links
Cross links wire the cluster together
Once pillar and supports are settled, Ranko maps the internal linking that turns the cluster into topical authority. The pillar links to every support, each links back up, and overlapping supports link sideways.
- Pillar to Supports
- Supports to Pillar
- Sideways Links
- Wiring Done For You
Six reasons authority compounds instead of scattering
Once a team groups raw keywords into clusters around one pillar with five to fifteen supports, one-off articles stop.
Authority compounds, scattered pages don't
A hundred articles across forty unrelated topics look like a brand that owns nothing. Five clusters of twenty look like depth, which engines reward.
Pillar plus supports is how both Google and AI engines rank now
Modern search is no longer keyword by keyword. Google ranks the site showing topical authority; answer engines cite the most complete source.
No keyword left orphaned
The keyword that fits no cluster used to get dropped. Ranko fits it into the closest cluster, holds it for later, or seeds a new pillar.
Internal linking that's actually right
Internal linking is one of content strategy's highest-leverage signals and most neglected. Ranko generates the map with every cluster.
Briefs that practically write themselves
A cluster is also a writing plan. The pillar becomes the brief for a reference page; each support a focused article. The scope is already settled.
The team finally publishes around a strategy
The shift from what should we write this week to we are working through this cluster this quarter changes a team's culture and gives it a roadmap.
7400+
Teams building subject authority instead of publishing scattered pages
Built for teams who want to own subjects, not chase keywords
Founders building content that compounds, marketers who refuse one-off articles, specialists shifting to topic ownership, and agencies all use Ranko's clusters to turn keyword lists into authority.
Pillar
Supports
Linked
Authority
Groups raw keywords into pillar plus supports
Ranko takes raw keyword input from any source, your own list, the Mining stream, another tool's export, and finds the pillar topics inside. Each gets five to fifteen supports.
Everything the cluster engine ships with
A topical authority toolkit in your AEO platform: keyword grouping, pillar detection, cross linking.
Pillar Topic Detection
Ranko identifies the central pillar topic a group of keywords belongs to, the subject your brand wants to be known for.
Supporting Topic Discovery
Five to fifteen supporting topics attach to every pillar, the questions a real authority would cover.
Raw Keyword Grouping
Bring any keyword list from any source: an export from another tool, a brain dump, the questions Ranko mines. All become pillars.
Cross Cluster Internal Linking
Ranko generates the internal linking map for every cluster automatically: pillar to supports, supports to pillar, and sideways.
Authority Depth Scoring
Every cluster gets an authority depth score showing how complete its coverage is and how it compares to competitors who rank.
Cluster to Brief Pipeline
Every cluster turns into a writing pipeline ready for Content Forge. The pillar becomes a page brief, each support an article.
Everything you need to know
Pillars versus supports, where keywords come from, why five to fifteen, and briefs.
What makes a pillar different from a supporting topic?
A pillar is the broader subject a brand wants to be known for; a support is a specific question inside it. Project management software is a pillar, the kind of subject a real authority writes a reference page about. How to choose a tool for a five-person team is a support that lives inside it. The pillar page is the deep reference; supports are focused articles that link back. Both Google and answer engines reward the structure because it signals real depth.
Where can the raw keywords come from?
Why is the support range 5 to 15 and not 20 or 30?
How do clusters become article briefs?
What happens when a keyword fits more than one cluster?
How is Topic Clusters different from Topic Planner?