What it solves
Most category pages are either thin grids or long, unfocused essays. Grids don’t answer intent; essays don’t help people choose. Crawlers see ambiguity; users pogo‑stick. A category hub fixes this by pairing a clear information model with intentional navigation and links that distribute authority.
Listen to this short conversation explaining the key ideas from the Category Hub Layouts, generated with Google Labs Illuminate.
Why hubs matter
- They win head terms – hubs target broader, parent intents while spokes handle specifics.
- They route choices – visitors land on hubs from generic queries and need fast, opinionated pathways.
- They compound authority – every spoke you ship plugs into the hub, raising the whole cluster.
- They survive updates – structure and intent mapping outlast tactic‑of‑the‑month tweaks.
Goal – a hub should answer “Am I in the right place?” within 5 seconds, and “Where should I go next?” within 10.
The blueprint – anatomy of a rankable hub
Use this structure as a base. Add modules as needed, but keep the order intentional.
- H1 + Promise (90–160 words)
Frame the topic, scope, and who it is for. Define success and set expectations. Why: Orientation beats fluff. This text also gives crawlers high‑quality summary content near the top. - Quick‑start choices
3–6 prominent tiles or buttons linking to your primary spokes or sub‑categories (with 1–2 line descriptions).
Why: Fast routing reduces bounce and clarifies the hub’s map. - Navigator
Filters or sub‑topic tabs that change what is listed without changing the page’s core intent. Persist state in the URL (e.g., ?type=guide).
Why: Users scan by need; crawlers need crawlable links, not JS‑only state. - Featured module
One opinionated pick – “Start here”, “Editor’s choice”, or “Best for [use case]” – linking to a spoke.
Why: Authority is shown by curation, not by dumping everything. - Definition + Buying/Selection checklist (250–400 words)
Define the thing, when to use it, how to choose, and common pitfalls.
Why: Helpful context turns a grid into a guide and earns snippets. - List or grid of spokes
A scannable list of the main spoke pages with stable anchors. Include short blurbs and badges (guide, comparison, how‑to).
Why: Internal links are the hub’s engine. - FAQ (4–6 real questions)
Short, precise answers that link to spokes for depth.
Why: Disambiguates adjacent intents and earns FAQ rich results when appropriate. - Proof row
Case studies, testimonials, or brand logos.
Why: Social proof supports both people and AI ranking systems that look for evidence of trust. - CTA band
Primary conversion for the intent of this hub (contact, quote, template download).
Why: Intent without action is wasted traffic. - Related hubs
One level up to the section hub and sideways to neighbor clusters.
Why: Keeps users in the cluster and clarifies topical adjacency.
Keep above‑the‑fold clean: H1, promise, quick choices, and a single featured action. Push heavy copy below the first link path.
Copy modules people actually read
- Promise paragraph – define scope, audience, and outcome. Avoid slogans; use specific nouns and verbs.
- Short answers – 3–6 two‑sentence answers that link deeper. They reduce pogo‑sticking and power featured snippets.
- Checklists – selection criteria or “what to prepare” lists. People save and share checklists.
- Comparisons – when “A vs B” is common, include a pivot table with a link to the full comparison.
- FAQ – real questions from sales, support, and People‑Also‑Ask. Keep answers under 80 words; link to the spoke.
Facets, filters, and pagination – SEO-safe patterns
Filters are for users. They should not explode your crawl space.
Rules - The base hub URL (no params) targets the head intent and is indexable. Allow one or two indexable curated views if they represent distinct high‑value intents (e.g. /category/guides/). Build them as dedicated spokes, not as faceted URLs. - Treat most filtered combinations as noindex, follow with canonical to the base hub. - Persist filter state in the URL (e.g. ?type=guide&level=beginner) for shareability, but keep canonical clean.
Pagination - Use classic ?page=2 links – do not rely on infinite scroll alone. Progressive enhancement is fine, but keep crawlable <a> links. Each page keeps self‑canonical (not canonical to page 1). Provide unique title and h1 if content meaningfully changes; otherwise keep consistent but avoid duplicating long intro text on pages. Offer internal links to pages 2–4 near the grid footer. rel="next/prev" is no longer used for indexing – good internal links and clear canonicals matter more.
Internal linking policy
- From hub to spokes – every spoke gets one prominent link above the fold and one contextual link.
- From spokes back to hub – first screen includes a short definition with a hub link; anchor uses the hub’s exact term.
- Across spokes – 2–4 sibling links where the reader naturally pivots (alternatives, vs, next steps).
- Anchor taxonomy – anchors reflect page purpose (Guide, Checklist, Comparison, Template). Avoid keyword‑stuffing. Keep anchors stable.
- Caps – hubs can link broadly; spokes should be selective to avoid dilution.
Schema and data model
Keep it lean and coherent.
- BreadcrumbList – mirrors your visible path.
- WebPage with @type: CollectionPage (editorial hub) or a standard WebPage for e‑commerce categories.
- ItemList (optional) – when listing a stable set of internal articles, you can expose a curated ItemList of 3–10 key spokes.
- FAQPage (optional) – only if your visible FAQ meets the Q&A pattern.
Example – editorial hub
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"@id": "https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/#breadcrumb",
"itemListElement": [
{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Guides","item":"https://example.com/guides/"},
{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Cats","item":"https://example.com/guides/cats/"},
{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Breeds Hub Layouts","item":"https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/"}
]
},
{
"@type": "CollectionPage",
"@id": "https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/",
"url": "https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/",
"name": "Breeds Hub Layouts",
"isPartOf": {"@id": "https://example.com/#website"},
"breadcrumb": {"@id": "https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/#breadcrumb"},
"about": [
{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Cat breeds"},
{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Breed profiles"},
{"@type":"DefinedTerm","name":"Care and temperament"}
],
"mainEntity": {"@id": "https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/#list"}
},
{
"@type": "ItemList",
"@id": "https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/#list",
"itemListOrder": "https://schema.org/ItemListUnordered",
"numberOfItems": 2,
"itemListElement": [
{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"url":"https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/maine-coon/"},
{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"url":"https://example.com/guides/cats/breeds/how-to-choose-a-breed/"}
]
}
]
}
</script>
Avoid dumping dozens of Products or Articles into schema from a dynamic grid – curate a short ItemList or skip it.
Performance and UX constraints
- LCP under control – prioritize a light hero and server‑rendered nav. Delay heavy grids below the fold.
- Stability – avoid layout shifts when filters apply; reserve space for cards.
- Accessibility – semantic headings, focus states on filters, and visible skip links.
- Mobile first – quick‑start tiles must fit a single screen; avoid endless carousels.
Implementation steps
- Define the parent intent – write the hub promise in one sentence.
- Select spokes – choose 6–12 high‑intent spokes the hub will route to first.
- Design the layout – use the anatomy above; sketch the fold and the first two scroll screens.
- Write modules – promise, short answers, checklist, FAQ; keep blurbs concise.
- Build filters – UX first, then decide which states are indexable; wire canonical and noindex,follow for the rest.
- Wire links – hub → all spokes, spokes ↔ spokes, spokes → hub. Use consistent anchors.
- Add schema – BreadcrumbList, optional CollectionPage and curated ItemList, optional FAQPage.
- Ship and validate – Rich Results Test; manual crawl of pagination; Core Web Vitals check.
- Govern – assign an owner; schedule content refreshes and link audits.
Common mistakes
- Treating the hub as a blog post – walls of text above the fold.
- Facets that generate thousands of crawlable URLs with no added value.
- Infinite scroll with no crawlable pagination links.
- Duplicated FAQ schema on pages that are not Q&A.
- Anchors that say “learn more” for everything.
- Canonicals pointing all pages to page 1 of pagination regardless of unique content.
QA checklist
Metrics to watch
- Hub CTR from generic queries.
- Click‑through to spokes and to conversions from spokes.
- Coverage – number of spokes ranking in top 10.
- Indexing latency for new spokes.
- Scroll depth and time to first meaningful click.
- Assisted conversions attributed to hub and spokes.
Launch plan – first 60 days
Week 1 – ship hub with 4–6 spokes and basic schema. Request indexing.
Week 2 – add FAQ and checklist; improve quick‑start tiles based on early clicks.
Week 3–4 – publish 2–4 more spokes; add curated ItemList of the best 6 articles.
Week 5–6 – prune overlap, tighten anchors, and test a stronger featured module. Review metrics and iterate.
Put this blueprint to work
Need a category hub that wins broad queries and routes visitors fast? We’ll turn your taxonomy into a rankable template – lede, spoke grid, quick answers, internal-link routes, schema, and governance – and deliver a wireframe + copy modules you can ship.
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