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Spoke Pages & Cluster Content: The Complete Guide for Law Firms

How to build the supporting content network that turns a single hub page into a dominant topic authority — for both search engines and AI platforms.

The stakes are higher now than when topic clusters were purely an SEO play. With Generative Engine Optimization becoming essential for law firm visibility, spoke pages serve a dual purpose: they boost your traditional search rankings through strategic internal linking, and they create the kind of comprehensive, citable content that AI platforms use when recommending attorneys to potential clients. This guide — part of our Complete Guide to Website Page Types for SEO, GEO, AEO & AI Visibility education series — covers everything you need to know about building spoke pages that perform across every search surface.

Whether you are a solo practitioner building your first content cluster or a managing partner evaluating a comprehensive AI content creation strategy, the principles here apply. We will walk through what spoke pages are, why they matter for law firms specifically, how to structure them, and how to measure their impact on both organic search and AI platform citations.

What Are Spoke Pages?

A spoke page is a piece of focused content that explores one specific aspect of a broader topic in depth. In the topic cluster model, every spoke page serves three structural purposes: it provides comprehensive coverage of its own subtopic, it links back to the central hub page with consistent anchor text, and it cross-links to related spoke pages within the same cluster. The result is an interconnected content network that search engines and AI platforms can traverse to understand the full scope of your expertise.

The terminology can be confusing because different organizations use different names. HubSpot calls them “cluster content.” Semrush refers to them as “cluster pages.” Some SEO practitioners use the term “pillar supporting content.” In this guide, we use “spoke pages” — a term that emphasizes the structural relationship to the hub, much like the spokes of a wheel connect to a central hub and reinforce the entire structure.

The Hub-Spoke Relationship

Think of the relationship this way: the hub page broadly covers a topic — say, “Personal Injury Law in California” — touching on multiple subtopics at a high level. Each spoke page then takes one of those subtopics and goes deep. A spoke might cover “Motorcycle Accident Claims in California,” another might address “Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury in California,” and a third might explore “How to Calculate Pain and Suffering Damages.” Each spoke has enough depth to stand alone as a valuable resource, but its connection to the hub multiplies its authority.

This architecture directly mirrors how both search engines and AI systems evaluate topical authority. When Google’s crawlers follow internal links from a hub page to multiple spoke pages covering related subtopics, the algorithm recognizes that site as having comprehensive expertise on that topic. The same principle applies to AI platforms: when ChatGPT or Perplexity encounters a well-linked cluster of content covering a topic from multiple angles, it has more material to synthesize into accurate, authoritative recommendations.

Spoke Pages vs. Standalone Blog Posts

Not every piece of content on your website is a spoke page. The distinction matters because spoke pages have specific structural requirements that standalone blog posts do not. A standalone blog post about “5 Things to Do After a Car Accident” might be useful content, but unless it links to a hub page and participates in a broader cluster structure, it is not functioning as a spoke. The difference is architectural, not qualitative — a great blog post becomes a great spoke page when it is intentionally woven into a topic cluster with proper internal linking and GEO optimization.

Why Law Firms Need Cluster Content

Law firms operate in one of the most competitive search environments online. Personal injury keywords routinely cost $100–$250+ per click in paid search, and organic rankings for head terms like “car accident lawyer” can take years to achieve. Cluster content changes the competitive equation by enabling firms to accumulate topical authority incrementally — each spoke page strengthens the entire cluster, making the hub page progressively more authoritative for its head term.

SEO Benefits of Topic Clusters

The SEO case for topic clusters is well documented. When HubSpot restructured their content into topic clusters, they observed domain authority growth from 49 to 60 and target keyword clicks increasing by more than 500% (HubSpot, “Topic Clusters: The Next Evolution of SEO”). The mechanism is straightforward: internal links between hub and spoke pages distribute link equity efficiently, creating what SEO practitioners call a “rising tide” effect where one high-performing spoke lifts the rankings of the entire cluster.

For law firms specifically, this is significant because legal content tends to attract high-authority backlinks — bar association references, court resource pages, legal education sites. When one spoke page in your cluster earns a backlink from an authoritative source, the internal linking structure distributes that authority across the hub and every other spoke. A research study of over one million websites by Authority Hacker found that proper internal linking boosts rankings by up to 40%, with pages within three clicks of the homepage generating nine times more SEO traffic than deeper pages.

GEO & AI Citability Benefits

The traditional SEO benefits of topic clusters are amplified in the context of Generative Engine Optimization. AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity do not simply match keywords — they synthesize information from multiple sources to construct comprehensive responses. When your website offers a well-linked cluster of content that covers a topic from multiple angles, AI systems have richer material to draw from, increasing the likelihood that your firm is cited in AI-generated recommendations.

Research published in the Proceedings of the 30th ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD ’24) in Barcelona, Spain (August 25–29, 2024) demonstrated that content optimized with specific structural and citation techniques receives up to 115% more visibility in generative AI responses compared to traditionally optimized content (Aggarwal et al., 2024; DOI: 10.1145/3637528.3671900). Spoke pages naturally incorporate several of these optimization techniques: they provide focused, factual depth on specific subtopics; they include structured data and clear information architecture; and their internal links create semantic relationships that AI systems use to assess topical authority.

According to Pew Research Center (survey of 5,123 U.S. adults, February 24–March 2, 2025; published June 25, 2025), 34% of U.S. adults have now used ChatGPT, with 58% of adults under 30 and 52% of those with postgraduate degrees having used the platform. For law firms targeting educated, digitally engaged potential clients, AI platform visibility is becoming as important as traditional search rankings. Spoke pages are the content type that most directly supports AI citation because they provide the specific, verifiable detail that AI platforms prefer to reference.

Anatomy of an Effective Spoke Page

Not all spoke pages are created equal. The difference between a spoke that drives traffic and AI citations and one that sits idle comes down to structure, depth, and intentional linking. Based on analysis of high-performing legal content clusters, effective spoke pages share several structural characteristics.

Content Depth and Specificity

A spoke page should cover its subtopic thoroughly enough that a reader — or an AI system — does not need to look elsewhere for answers. For law firms, this means going beyond surface-level definitions. A spoke page about “comparative negligence in California” should explain the legal standard, cite the relevant statute (California Civil Code § 1714), walk through how percentages of fault are determined, include examples of how courts have applied the standard, and address common misconceptions. The target word count for most legal spoke pages is 1,500 to 3,000 words, though the content should be driven by completeness rather than arbitrary length targets.

Direct-Answer Lead

Every spoke page should open with a 30- to 50-word direct answer to the primary question the page addresses. This serves two purposes: it satisfies users who need a quick answer (reducing bounce rate), and it creates a concise, extractable passage that AI platforms can cite in their responses. Think of this lead as the answer to a featured snippet query — factual, specific, and immediately useful.

Structured FAQ Section

Including a dedicated FAQ section at the bottom of each spoke page serves both SEO and GEO objectives. The FAQs should address long-tail questions related to the spoke’s subtopic — questions that potential clients actually ask. Implementing FAQPage schema markup on these sections makes the content directly parseable by both Google (for featured snippets and AI Overviews) and AI platforms (for direct question answering).

Citation and Source Standards

Spoke pages should include at least one authoritative citation per 500 words. For legal content, authoritative sources include state bar statistics, court decisions, government databases, peer-reviewed research, and recognized industry reports like the Clio Legal Trends Report. These citations serve double duty: they build trust with human readers and they provide the kind of verifiable, factual anchors that AI platforms rely on when deciding which sources to cite in generated responses.

Internal Linking Architecture for Clusters

Internal linking is the mechanism that transforms a collection of individual pages into a topic cluster. Without deliberate linking, spoke pages are just blog posts. With proper linking architecture, they become a semantic network that search engines and AI platforms can traverse to understand the depth and breadth of your expertise.

The Three Types of Cluster Links

Effective topic clusters use three distinct types of internal links, each serving a different purpose in the overall architecture:

Hub-to-spoke links are placed on the hub page pointing to each spoke page. These signal to search engines that the hub is the central authority on the broad topic, and that each spoke covers a recognized subtopic. The hub page should include a contextual link to every spoke in the cluster, typically embedded within the relevant section of the hub content rather than listed in a sidebar or bottom section.

Spoke-to-hub links appear on every spoke page, pointing back to the hub with consistent anchor text. This is the link that tells search engines “this spoke belongs to that cluster.” For a personal injury cluster, every spoke would link back to the hub using anchor text like “complete guide to personal injury law” or “personal injury practice overview.” Consistency in anchor text reinforces the semantic relationship.

Spoke-to-spoke links connect related spoke pages to each other. These lateral links create additional pathways for search engines and AI systems to discover content within your cluster. A spoke about “motorcycle accident claims” might link to a spoke about “helmet laws and contributory negligence.” These cross-links should feel natural and contextually relevant — never forced.

Link Density and Distribution

For legal content, the target is 5 to 8 internal links per 1,000 words, distributed throughout the content rather than clustered in one section. This density allows for natural contextual linking without overwhelming the reader. The links should include a mix of hub-to-spoke, spoke-to-hub, and spoke-to-spoke connections, along with links to relevant service pages and tools.

InterCore’s own content architecture demonstrates this principle in practice. Our GEO services hub page links out to individual platform optimization guides — ChatGPT optimization, Google Gemini optimization, Perplexity optimization — each of which links back to the hub and cross-links to adjacent spoke pages. This creates the interconnected content network that signals topical authority to both search engines and AI platforms.

Anchor Text Best Practices

Anchor text — the clickable text of a link — should be descriptive and topic-relevant. Use the actual topic or keyword phrase the target page covers. Avoid generic anchors like “click here” or “learn more,” and never use naked URLs. For law firm content, effective anchor text includes phrases like “California comparative negligence rules,” “motorcycle accident claim process,” or attorney schema generator tool. Each anchor text variation should be slightly different to avoid over-optimization while remaining semantically relevant.

Law Firm Spoke Page Examples by Practice Area

The topic cluster model applies across every legal practice area, though the specific spoke topics will differ. Below are examples of how firms in different practice areas can structure their spoke content around hub pages.

Personal Injury Cluster Example

Each of these spoke pages addresses a specific question that potential personal injury clients actually ask — both in traditional search engines and in AI-powered conversations. The spoke about “How to Calculate Pain and Suffering Damages” is precisely the kind of content that ChatGPT synthesizes when a user asks “how much is my injury case worth?” Having a comprehensive, well-cited spoke page on that topic increases the probability that your firm is cited in the AI-generated response.

Family Law Cluster Example

For family law firms, spoke content must balance legal accuracy with sensitivity. The content should be informational and empathetic, avoiding either clinical detachment or emotional manipulation. AI platforms are particularly attuned to content quality in family law — they prioritize sources that demonstrate genuine expertise and appropriate tone over aggressive marketing copy.

Criminal Defense Cluster Example

Criminal defense content is time-sensitive by nature — potential clients are often searching immediately after an arrest or charge. Spoke pages in this cluster should prioritize clear, actionable information that AI platforms can surface quickly in response to urgent queries.

How to Build Your First Topic Cluster

Building a topic cluster is a structured process, not a creative free-for-all. The firms that see the best results follow a deliberate sequence: audit existing content, identify the hub topic, map spoke subtopics, create and interlink content, and measure performance over time.

Step 1: Audit Existing Content

Before creating anything new, inventory what you already have. Many firms have blog posts, practice area pages, and FAQ resources that can be repurposed as spoke pages with minimal additional work. Use a spreadsheet to catalog every content page on your site, noting its topic, word count, target keyword, and current internal links. Identify pages that cover subtopics of a broader theme — these are your potential spokes. A comprehensive SEO audit can accelerate this process by revealing which pages are already performing and which have untapped potential.

Step 2: Choose Your Hub Topic

Your hub topic should be broad enough to support 8 to 12 spoke pages but specific enough to align with your firm’s practice areas and target market. The test, as HubSpot’s content team has articulated it: “Would this page answer every question a reader searching this topic might have, AND is it broad enough to be an umbrella for 20–30 supporting posts?” For law firms, natural hub topics include practice areas (personal injury, family law, estate planning), geographic service areas (legal services in a specific city), or cross-practice themes (navigating the legal system as a small business owner).

Step 3: Map Spoke Subtopics

Once your hub is defined, brainstorm every specific question, subtopic, and long-tail keyword related to that broad theme. Keyword research tools help, but so does talking to your attorneys and intake staff — they hear the questions clients actually ask. Aim for 8 to 12 spoke topics per hub. Each spoke should target a distinct search intent; avoid creating two spokes that answer essentially the same question (this creates content cannibalization, where your own pages compete against each other in search results).

Step 4: Create and Interlink

Build the hub page first, then create spoke pages one at a time. As each spoke is published, add a contextual link from the hub to the new spoke and ensure the spoke links back to the hub. Also add cross-links to any already-published spokes within the cluster. This incremental approach means the cluster grows stronger with each new addition — you do not need all 12 spokes published simultaneously to start seeing results.

Step 5: Optimize for AI Platforms

Once the cluster is taking shape, optimize each page for GEO alongside SEO. This means implementing comprehensive schema markup (Article, FAQPage, LegalService, BreadcrumbList), ensuring direct-answer leads are present on every page, and verifying that citations are properly sourced. AI platforms weigh factual accuracy, structural clarity, and source attribution heavily when determining which content to cite — spoke pages that meet these standards are significantly more likely to appear in AI-generated attorney recommendations.

Measuring Cluster Performance

Measuring the impact of spoke pages requires tracking both traditional SEO metrics and AI platform visibility. The combination gives you a complete picture of how your content cluster is performing across all search surfaces.

Traditional SEO Metrics

Track these metrics at the cluster level (aggregating all hub + spoke pages) rather than evaluating pages in isolation: organic traffic to the cluster as a whole, keyword rankings for both the head term (hub) and long-tail terms (spokes), internal link click-through rates (available in Google Search Console), time on page and bounce rate for spoke pages, and conversion events (form submissions, phone calls) originating from cluster pages.

AI Visibility Metrics

Frequently Asked Questions

Build Your Content Cluster Strategy with InterCore

Whether you are starting with your first hub page or expanding an existing content network, InterCore Technologies builds the topic clusters that drive both organic rankings and AI platform citations. Our AI content creation services handle everything — from cluster strategy and spoke page creation to schema markup and performance monitoring.

References

1. Aggarwal, P., Murahari, V., Rajpurohit, T., Kalyan, A., Narasimhan, K., & Deshpande, A. (2024). GEO: Generative Engine Optimization. In Proceedings of the 30th ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD ’24), Barcelona, Spain, August 25–29, 2024, pp. 5–16. DOI: 10.1145/3637528.3671900. https://doi.org/10.1145/3637528.3671900
2. Pew Research Center. (2025, June 25). “34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023.” Survey of 5,123 U.S. adults conducted February 24–March 2, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/25/34-of-us-adults-have-used-chatgpt-about-double-the-share-in-2023/
3. HubSpot. (2017; updated 2024). “Topic Clusters: The Next Evolution of SEO.” Research report by Mimi An with contributions from HubSpot content team. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/topic-clusters-seo
4. Authority Hacker. (2024). Internal linking study of 1,000,000+ websites. Findings: proper internal linking boosts rankings by up to 40%; pages within 3 clicks of homepage generate 9× more SEO traffic. https://www.authorityhacker.com/
5. Whitehat SEO. (2026). “Topic Clusters for SEO: Build Content That Ranks (2026 Guide).” Analysis finding clustered content holds rankings 2.5× longer than standalone posts. https://whitehat-seo.co.uk/blog/understanding-topic-clusters
6. Google Search Central. (2025). “Introduction to Structured Data Markup in Google Search.” Documentation on JSON-LD implementation and rich results eligibility. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/intro-structured-data
7. Clio. (2024). “Legal Trends Report.” Annual analysis of legal industry data including client acquisition patterns and technology adoption. https://www.clio.com/resources/legal-trends/

Conclusion

Spoke pages are the building blocks that transform isolated content into a competitive advantage. For law firms navigating both traditional search and the rapid adoption of AI-powered platforms, topic clusters represent one of the most efficient investments in content marketing — each spoke strengthens the hub, each hub anchors the spokes, and the entire structure compounds over time.

The firms that build comprehensive topic clusters now will establish the topical authority that AI platforms use when generating attorney recommendations. This is especially true as AI adoption accelerates — with more than a third of U.S. adults already using tools like ChatGPT, the question is not whether your firm needs AI-visible content, but how quickly you can build it. Start with one cluster around your highest-priority practice area, follow the structural guidelines in this guide, and expand from there.

For a broader view of how spoke pages fit into the full spectrum of page types your law firm needs, explore our Complete Guide to Website Page Types for SEO, GEO, AEO & AI Visibility. To see how InterCore builds content cluster strategies that drive measurable results, visit our GEO services page or Legal Marketing resource hub.