Digital VikingzCentral entity definition
- Contains
- What the business is, for whom and where, plus the alias list and the predicate set every page reuses.
- Format
- Document
- Used by
- Everyone who writes or builds
Semantic SEO Strategy: The Topical Map and 12-Month Roadmap
Semantic SEO Strategy from Digital Vikingz is a fixed-fee project that produces a site's topical map and 12-month publishing roadmap. The project defines the central entity, maps its attributes and queries, and decides which queries earn a page.
What does Semantic SEO Strategy deliver?
Semantic SEO Strategy delivers seven documents with a fixed structure. Every engagement produces all seven.
Source term vector
- Contains
- One name per thing, the head terms and the banned synonyms.
- Format
- Spreadsheet
- Used by
- Writers and editors
Topical map
- Contains
- Core and outer sections. Each node carries its entity, attributes, predicate and page decision.
- Format
- Spreadsheet and diagram
- Used by
- Strategy, writers, developers
Entity-attribute matrix
- Contains
- The attributes of each entity class and the values to collect before writing.
- Format
- Spreadsheet
- Used by
- Writers and subject-matter contacts
Internal linking architecture
- Contains
- One canonical anchor per URL, outer-to-core link direction and the pillar pages.
- Format
- Spreadsheet
- Used by
- Developers and editors
Publishing roadmap
- Contains
- Twelve months of pages in dependency order, with milestones and a measurement checkpoint each.
- Format
- Spreadsheet
- Used by
- Project owner
Technical entity specification
- Contains
- Schema per page type, the identity block, author entities, rendering rules and the URL scheme.
- Format
- Document
- Used by
- Developers
How does Semantic SEO Strategy work?
Semantic SEO Strategy answers four questions before any content is written.
What is the site about, in one sentence? Which attributes and queries belong to that central entity? Which queries deserve a page, a section or a sentence? In what order do the pages go live?
How is the topical map built in Semantic SEO Strategy?
The topical map is built in six project stages, from entity sessions to a handoff workshop. The method behind them is set out in the seven steps of a topical map build.
- Entity and vocabulary sessionsTwo sessions with the founder or product owner. Output: the entity definition and the first vocabulary list.
- Query network collectionGoogle Search Console, site search logs, live results and AI query rewrites for each candidate query. Output: the full query set with demand.
- Page decisionsEvery query variation goes through the Query Deserves a Page test. Output: page, section or sentence per node, with the reason.
- Layout per nodeEach page node gets a page type and a main component. Output: the template list.
- SequencingPages are ordered by dependency and by expected first clicks. Output: the roadmap.
- Handoff workshopA recorded session walks your team through every document. Output: your team writes from the map, or Semantic Content Writing picks it up.
Which Google documents does Semantic SEO Strategy build on?
Semantic SEO Strategy builds on two Google patents, one on entity metrics and one on answer passages. Patents describe systems Google has invented, not confirmed ranking factors.
- US 10,235,423 B2: Ranking search results based on entity metrics (Google)The patent describes ranking results with entity metrics from a knowledge graph. The central entity definition makes those relationships explicit.
- US 9,959,315 B1: Context scoring adjustments for answer passages (Google)The patent describes adjusting passage scores by how well the heading path matches the question. The topical map sets each heading path.
Who is Semantic SEO Strategy for?
Semantic SEO Strategy fits teams that can write or build but lack a page plan.
B2B SaaS companies with an in-house writer
You have a writer but no plan that says which page comes next and why.
Ecommerce brands with a development team
Category and collection pages exist. The topical map decides which stay, which merge and what each one's main component is.
Sites rebuilding after a core update
Traffic fell after pages competed for the same queries. The topical map is the merge and prune plan.
Not the right fit
A site that has not had the Semantic SEO Audit. The audit decides whether strategy is the right next step, and its issue map becomes phase one of the project.
How is Semantic SEO Strategy priced and delivered?
Semantic SEO Strategy is a fixed-fee project.
- Shape
- Fixed-fee project
- Pricing basis
- Site size, query network size and language count
- What you receive
- All seven deliverables plus the handoff workshop
Scope is quoted in writing after the strategy call. See how semantic SEO is priced.
Which industries and terms connect to Semantic SEO Strategy?
Semantic SEO Strategy serves these industries and applies these knowledge entries.
Semantic SEO for SaaS and B2B SoftwareTopical maps for SaaS
Semantic SEO for Ecommerce and RetailTopical maps for ecommerce
Semantic SEO for Real Estate and PropertyTopical maps for real estate
What is a topical mapStrategy concept
Query Deserves a PageStrategy concept
What is topical authorityFoundations
White-Label SEO for AgenciesThis service under your agency's brand
Talk to usMessage the team on WhatsAppQuestions about Semantic SEO Strategy
Do our writers need semantic SEO training to use the documents?
No. Each document gives step-by-step instructions, and the handoff workshop is recorded for new hires.
We already have a topical map from another agency. Do you start over?
No. The audit checks the existing map for entity coverage, predicate consistency and dilution. The strategy keeps what passes and rebuilds the rest.
Does Semantic SEO Strategy include any content?
No page copy. The project includes the content brief format and three worked content briefs.
How does the topical map handle German, Spanish or Italian?
One topical map serves every language with the same page decisions and templates. A native editor builds the vocabulary per language.
What if we disagree with a page decision?
You can overrule any page decision. Each one states its reason, and the 90-day review tests every overrule.
Do you build the site as part of the strategy?
No. The technical specification tells a developer what to build. SEO Website Development is the service that builds it.
What does the strategy project need from our side?
The project needs read access to Google Search Console, analytics and site search logs where they exist. The founder or product owner joins two entity sessions, a subject-matter contact supplies the attribute values, and your developer reviews the technical specification. Nothing on the site is edited.
Does the strategy keep, merge or remove our existing pages?
Every existing URL gets a node or a keep, merge or remove decision. Pages that compete for one query are merged or pruned with a redirect.
Does the topical map change after launch?
Yes. The 90-day review tests page decisions against live data, starting with overruled decisions and new query demand.
Talk through the scope
A 30-minute call with the founder covers your site, the page decisions ahead and the scope that fits.
