Method 01 · Relationships
Search relationship
mapping.
A keyword list tells you what people search. A relationship map tells you how Google groups those searches into topics, which of your pages should win each group, and where nobody is answering well. It's the difference between a spreadsheet and a map of your market.
Written by Dan Picken, founder. Last checked 27 October 2026.Topic A · Road running
- running shoes
- best running shoes
- wide fit runners
- shoes for flat feet
Bridge search
trail running shoes
In both groups. Usually the gap worth owning.
Topic B · Hiking
- hiking boots
- waterproof hikers
- hiking shoes
- hiking socks
Example. Searches are grouped by how many of the same pages Google shows for them.
The problem with
keyword lists.
Most keyword research ends with a spreadsheet sorted by search volume, and each row gets treated as its own thing.
Google doesn't see it that way. It groups searches into topics. Two searches that look different can be one topic to Google, and two that look alike can be completely separate.
Get the groups wrong and you build the wrong pages, split your effort, or end up competing with yourself.
What Google
actually ranks.
Your own data is the best place to start. Search Console's Performance report shows the searches you already appear for, though Google leaves rare searches out of the table to protect privacy, so the list is a sample, not the whole market.
Google ranks pages, one search at a time, after it has found, understood and stored them. There's no single score for your website. Each page wins or loses its own searches.
That's why the grouping matters. When several of your pages say much the same thing, Google tends to pick one to show and treat the rest as near-copies. Its guidance on duplicate and canonical pages describes how it chooses. Splitting one topic across three pages usually means none of them gets the backing it needs.
Grouping by shared results, rather than shared words, catches the cases word lists miss: 'physio cost' and 'how much is a physio session' are one topic to Google, even though they share almost no words.
The raw material matters too. Search Console is the best free record of how people find you, but it leaves out rare and anonymised queries, so the map combines it with Google Ads search terms and keyword tools.
How it
works.
- 1
Collect every search
From keyword tools, your Search Console and your Google Ads search terms. Real searches, not guesses.
- 2
Connect them
If Google shows the same pages for two searches, it treats them as the same topic. I measure that overlap for every pair.
- 3
Find the shape
Groups become topics. Then the bridges between topics, and the gaps nobody covers well, stand out.
- 4
Test a hypothesis
Each gap becomes a testable idea, like 'one page can win both groups'. Build it, then measure it.
Try it
Sort your
searches.
Paste a list of searches, one per line: from Search Console, your Google Ads search terms or a keyword tool. It groups them by the words they share, and shows the searches that don't fit anywhere. Those loners are often your gaps.
A first pass using words only. The full method groups searches by which pages Google actually shows for each one, which catches searches that mean the same thing in different words.
Groups
0
Paste some searches, or load the example.
Didn't fit a group
Either a gap worth its own page, or a search to ignore.
A worked
example.
A Central Coast physio's searches, grouped. It's about shape, not volume, so search counts aren't shown.
| Group | Searches in it | What the one page should do |
|---|---|---|
| Physio nearby | physio gosford, physio near me, sports physio gosford | Be the location page: hours, booking, map, who you will see. |
| Back pain | physio for back pain, lower back pain physio, back pain exercises | Explain the problem, what treatment involves, and when to book. |
| Cost | how much does a physio cost, physio cost without private health | Give real fees and what health funds may cover. |
| Dry needling | dry needling physio, dry needling side effects | Explain what it is and the risks, honestly. |
| The bridge | physio vs chiro for back pain | Connect the back pain page to a fair comparison. Often nobody covers this well. |
Thirteen searches, five pages. A list sorted by volume would have suggested thirteen.
In my experience
The pattern I find most in audits: three pages on the same site all chasing one group of searches, each stuck on page two. Google can't tell which one you mean, so it doesn't back any of them properly. Merging them into one strong page is rarely exciting work, but it's often the fastest ranking win on the whole site.
When it's
not worth it.
- Very small markets with a handful of searches. A simple list is enough.
- Sites Google can't index properly. Fix that first, or the map describes pages nobody sees.
- It shows where to compete, not whether you'll win. That still comes down to what each page says.
What you get
- Your market's map, as a picture and a spreadsheet
- Every topic group, sized by real search demand
- The bridge searches and gaps worth owning
- Which page should target which group
- Hypotheses ranked by size of the prize and effort
The technical bit
- SERP overlap
- How many of the same pages Google ranks for two different searches.
- Clustering
- Grouping searches by that overlap, so each group is one topic.
- Entities
- The things Google knows about (brands, places, products) that tie topics together.
- Cannibalisation
- Two of your own pages fighting for the same group of searches.
Where it's used
Questions
people ask.
How is this different from normal keyword research?
Normal keyword research gives you a list sorted by volume. This groups that list the way Google does, by which searches show the same pages, so you know how many pages to build and which one should target what.
Do I need this if my site is small?
Small sites benefit most, because there is less room for pages that compete with each other. A map of 200 searches often comes down to a handful of pages that matter.
What is keyword cannibalisation?
When several of your pages target the same group of searches and end up competing with each other. Google usually backs one and the rest go nowhere. The map shows exactly where it's happening.
What is a topic cluster?
A group of searches Google treats as one subject. Usually one main page answers it, with supporting pages linked to it for the narrower questions.
How do you know which searches Google groups together?
By checking which pages Google shows for each search. When two searches share most of the same results, Google treats them as one topic. Grouping by shared words, like the sorter on this page, is a quick first pass.
How many pages should my site have?
One strong page for each group that matters to your business, plus a few bridge pages where groups connect. Usually fewer than people expect.
The other methods
Want the whole market mapped, not just the top 3 fixes? See the Market Blueprint.
Want your market
mapped?
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.