Hub and Spoke
Content MarketingAlso: Hub and Spoke Model · Content Hub Model · Topic Clusters
Quick definition
Hub and spoke is a content structure where one broad pillar page (the hub) covers a topic at a high level, and several narrower pages (the spokes) each go deep on a subtopic. Every spoke links back to the hub, and the hub links out to every spoke, forming a cluster search engines can read as a single body of expertise.
How it varies across Australia
Australian content teams that restructure existing posts into hub and spoke clusters tend to see ranking gains concentrate on the hub page rather than the spokes. The spokes do the work of proving depth, but it's usually the hub that climbs. Isolated blog posts without a cluster around them rarely compete for the same terms.
See content marketing performance across Australian industries →What it actually means
Picture a bike wheel. The hub sits in the centre and gives the wheel its shape. The spokes radiate out and give it strength. Take either one away and the wheel doesn't roll.
Content works the same way. The hub is a broad page covering a topic like 'email marketing' at a summary level, touching every subtopic without going deep on any of them. The spokes are individual pages that each go deep on one of those subtopics, like segmentation, subject lines or deliverability. Every spoke links back to the hub. The hub links out to every spoke.
Search engines read this structure as a signal of topical authority. A single 2,000-word post about email marketing tells Google you wrote about email marketing once. A hub with eight linked spokes tells Google you actually understand the topic in the round, which is a different kind of trust signal entirely.
The model also solves an internal problem most content teams have: cannibalisation. Without a clear hierarchy, ten posts on adjacent topics compete against each other for the same rankings. Hub and spoke gives each page a defined job, so they compound instead of cannibalising.
A hub without spokes is just a long page. Spokes without a hub are just a pile of blog posts.
How it shows up
Hub and spoke shows up in your internal link report as a clean hierarchy: one page receiving links from several others, all within the same topic. It shows up in Search Console as the hub page ranking for the broad head term while the spokes rank for the long-tail variants underneath it. It also shows up in your content calendar, where new posts get slotted into an existing cluster instead of standing alone.
The Australian context
Australian search volume for most B2B and niche topics is thin compared to the US or UK, which makes standalone long-tail posts hard to justify on their own. Hub and spoke changes the maths, because the spokes don't need to rank individually to be worth writing. They exist to strengthen the hub, and the hub is usually where the real search volume and the real conversions sit.
Where people get this wrong
Related terms
Common questions
How many spokes should a hub have?
There's no fixed number. Build as many spokes as the topic genuinely supports without repeating itself. Five to ten is typical for most business topics. If you're struggling to find a tenth distinct angle, stop at nine.
Should the hub page be the longest page in the cluster?
Not necessarily longest, but broadest. The hub should summarise every subtopic well enough to stand alone, then hand off depth to the spokes. Length follows from that job, it isn't the goal itself.
Can I turn existing blog posts into a hub and spoke cluster?
Yes, and it's often the fastest way to see results. Audit your existing posts on a topic, pick the broadest one to rework into a hub, then add internal links from the rest so they function as spokes.
Does hub and spoke only work for SEO?
No. The structure also helps readers navigate a topic and helps sales teams point prospects to a logical starting page. SEO is usually the reason teams adopt it, but the organisational benefit outlasts any algorithm change.
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About New Rebellion
New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.
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