I often get asked how I identify the exact topics that send my competitors their best organic traffic — and how to rip those opportunities (ethically) for my own site. One of my favorite tools for this is Ahrefs. It’s not magic, but used the right way it’s surgical: you can map a competitor’s topical clusters, find the highest-value pages, and then build a content strategy that targets the same user intent — often faster and with much less guesswork.
Why map competitor topical clusters?
Before diving into Ahrefs, let me explain the why. A topical cluster is a group of related pages around a central theme — for example, “local SEO” could include guides, checklists, tool reviews, local schema pages, and service pages. When competitors have clustered content well, they often dominate SERPs for a wide set of related queries and capture valuable long-tail traffic.
Mapping those clusters helps me:
- Spot content hubs and pillar pages that attract the most links and authority.
- Identify pages that drive the most organic traffic and their supporting pages.
- Find topical gaps where I can publish better or more comprehensive content.
- Plan internal linking and pillar content to outrank them efficiently.
Step 1 — Pick the competitor and gather the “big picture” data
I start in Ahrefs Site Explorer. Enter the competitor’s domain, then go to the Organic search > Top pages report. This shows pages that receive the most organic traffic. Export the top 100–500 URLs depending on how big the site is.
What I look for immediately:
- Pages with high organic traffic estimate and many keywords.
- Pages that seem to target informational queries (guides, how-tos) vs. transactional pages.
- Patterns in URL paths (e.g., /blog/seo-local/ or /resources/).
Step 2 — Identify topical signals using keywords and titles
Once I have the top pages list, I use the Export and bring it into a spreadsheet. For each URL I pull:
- Primary title and meta description (from Site Explorer > Top pages).
- Top organic keywords for that URL (Site Explorer > Organic keywords for the URL).
- Traffic estimate and keyword count.
These signals help me group URLs by topic. If a URL ranks for a cluster of related keywords — e.g., “local seo checklist,” “local seo tips,” and “how to rank in Google Maps” — it’s likely a pillar or cluster page for local SEO.
Step 3 — Use Content Explorer to validate intent and discover more pages
Ahrefs Content Explorer is great for surfacing pages across the web for a given topic. I search for the main topic (e.g., “local SEO guide,” “best productivity tools”) and filter by Domain Rating and organic traffic to find the highest-performing pages outside the single competitor.
This helps me:
- Confirm that the topic is competitive and valuable.
- Find subtopics that are frequently covered across multiple sites (signals of important cluster pieces).
- Spot formats that perform best — long-form guides, comparison pages, calculators, etc.
Step 4 — Create topical clusters in a spreadsheet
I build a simple cluster map in a sheet. Typical columns I use:
| URL | Primary Topic | Supporting Keywords | Traffic Est. | Notes (format / intent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /local-seo-guide | Local SEO (pillar) | local seo guide, local seo tips, google maps seo | 8,400 | Long-form guide, lots of internal links |
| /local-seo-checklist | Local SEO (supporting) | local seo checklist, local seo audit | 2,100 | Checklist, downloadable asset |
Grouping like this reveals clear clusters: one pillar with multiple supporting posts. I tag intent: informational, commercial, navigational. That informs how I’ll structure my content and CTAs.
Step 5 — Prioritize high-value opportunities
Not every cluster is worth copying. I filter by:
- Estimated traffic (priority to pages bringing meaningful visitors).
- Keyword difficulty vs. my current domain authority — where I have a real shot to win.
- Monetization potential (does it convert or drive leads?).
- Topical relevance to my brand and content calendar.
For low-competition, high-intent keywords with decent traffic, I’ll often target the supporting pages first — they are quicker wins and support a future pillar page.
Step 6 — Analyze backlinks and internal linking patterns
Traffic isn’t everything; links matter. For top-performing competitor URLs I run the Backlink profile in Ahrefs. I look for:
- Which pages have the most referring domains.
- Anchor text patterns that indicate topical relevance.
- Internal links from other pages on the competitor’s site (use the Linked domains and Best by links reports).
If a supporting page has more backlinks than the pillar, that’s a signal: the supporting content may be the actual driver of authority. I replicate internal linking patterns on my site — linking from supporting pieces to the pillar and vice versa — while improving content quality and coverage.
Step 7 — Content gap and keyword reuse
Ahrefs has a handy Content Gap tool (Site Explorer > Organic keywords > Content gap). I input competitor domains and my domain to see keywords they rank for and I don’t. This quickly surfaces target keywords across the mapped clusters.
I then categorize gaps by:
- High-volume, low-difficulty keywords to go after first.
- Topical sub-questions that can be answered via subpages, FAQs, or schema-enabled snippets.
- Opportunities for updated, better content formats (videos, downloadable resources, calculators).
Step 8 — Build your cluster smarter (not just copy)
Once I’ve mapped clusters and gaps, I plan a content rollout. My approach:
- Create a stronger pillar page with clear hierarchy, updated data, and better UX.
- Publish improved supporting content that addresses unanswered subqueries and includes unique assets (templates, tools, visuals).
- Execute an internal linking strategy that signals topical authority to search engines.
- Launch a small outreach campaign for the new pillar and its best supporting assets — replicate the backlinks the competitor has and add unique linkable assets to attract new links.
Step 9 — Track, refine, and expand
I monitor rankings and traffic with Ahrefs Rank Tracker and Google Search Console. Early wins usually come from supporting pages and featured snippets. If a supporting page picks up traffic, I reinforce it with updates and internal links to the pillar. If the pillar gains, I double down on related subtopics and build out adjacent clusters.
One last practical tip: export everything. Ahrefs allows you to export large datasets — URLs, keywords, backlinks. I import these into a project management tool and assign tasks: rewrite X page, create Y guide, build outreach list. Structure makes the difference between a one-off post and a cluster that actually steals high-value traffic.
