How do I read a topic scan's Map and List?
On this page
After a topic scan in Track, Topic gaps, the clusters show as a Map or a List; switch with the buttons at the top right of the results. The Map is a wheel with your topic in the middle, a branch for each cluster and a dot for each search, coloured by where you rank. The List shows the same clusters as rows you open into a table of searches.
The Map
- The topic sits in the middle; each branch is a cluster of related searches.
- Each search is coloured by where you rank: Top 3, Page 1, Positions 11-20, Beyond 20 or Not ranking. Bigger searches carry more weight.
- A cluster you do not rank for at all is drawn greyed out.
- Click a cluster to open it out, and Back to all clusters to return.
- Click a search to see how to improve it: your position, clicks and the page Google shows, with Track this search and the Act on this buttons.
Very small clusters are not drawn; a note under the wheel says how many are left off. They are all in the List.
The List
Each cluster row shows its name, how many searches it holds, their combined monthly volume (or volume unknown) and how many you rank for, or you are not in this yet. Open a row for a table:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Search | The search people type |
| Volume | Searches a month, from Google's Keyword Planner where we have it |
| Difficulty | From easy to very-hard, where known |
| You | Your position, or a dash if you do not show |
Track on a row adds the search to your tracked keywords.
Act on a search
Act on this gives four buttons:
- Add to blog plan: puts a post for it on your calendar.
- Write the post: adds it and opens the Writer (Entrepreneur and Enterprise).
- Turn the questions into FAQs: when the cluster holds questions, writes an FAQ section ready to paste, 1 AI use (Entrepreneur and Enterprise).
- Add to my to-do list.
Plan a whole cluster
Plan this cluster adds one guide for the cluster plus a post for each of its searches to your blog plan. A message says the dates they cover and how many later posts moved along to make room. The Other ideas cluster is a mix of leftovers, so it cannot be planned as one. You need a blog plan first; if you have none, we take you to Blog Plan to set one up. See plan and write blog posts.
Questions people ask
Why are some volumes missing?
Google publishes no volume for some searches. Where your project has Google Ads connected, we fill in what we can after the scan opens. See search volume.
What do Open, Contested and Dominated mean?
They mark who owns page one for a cluster. They appear only once competitor rankings are switched on, which the page shows as coming soon.