---
title: "Blog, categories and topic clusters"
description: "Set up your blog, create pillar categories and link your posts into a topic cluster with Éclair, using a step-by-step method and a complete example."
url: "https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/blog-categories"
lang: "en"
author: "Thierry Gustin"
published: "2026-11-02"
updated: "2026-11-02"
---

# Blog, categories and topic clusters

> **Key takeaways** — A topic cluster groups your posts around pillar categories and connects them with internal links. In Éclair, each category is a real page with its own description and SEO title, related posts are added automatically and the editor suggests your content when you create a link. Set up the blog in Settings › General, then build your pillars.

A topic cluster organizes your blog like a library: pillar categories, posts that each answer a specific question, and links that connect them. Éclair provides everything you need: categories with a description and an SEO title, assisted internal links, automatic related posts, author pages and an RSS feed. Here's how Atelier Nova builds its own.

> **Before you start** — Duration: 35 minutes, not counting the time to write the posts. Prerequisites: knowing how to publish a post ([write and publish your first post](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/first-article)) and knowing the SEO analysis ([SEO with Éclair](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/seo)).

## What you'll be able to do

### 📚 Set up your blog

URL, title, description and number of posts per page.

### 🎯 Create pillar categories

A real page for each topic, with a description and an SEO title.

### 📈 Build your topic cluster

Plan, link and schedule your posts methodically.

## Posts or pages: what should you publish where?

|  | Post | Page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Date and author shown | Yes | No |
| Category | Only one | None |
| In the blog, the RSS feed and the “Latest posts” block | Yes | No |
| URL | /blog/your-post | /your-page, with possible subpages |
| Best for | Advice, news, answers to a question | Offer, services, contact, legal pages |

At Atelier Nova, “Wheel-throwing classes” is a page: it's the offer, and it doesn't age. “Which clay should you choose to start wheel throwing?” is a post: it answers a specific question and feeds the blog.

## Set up the blog

Everything happens in **Settings › General**:

- **Blog enabled**: “Posts, categories, RSS feeds and author pages.” Uncheck it for a business website without posts.
- **Blog URL**: /blog by default. If you change it, the old URLs are redirected.
- **Posts per page**: from 1 to 48, 9 by default.
- **Blog title** and **Blog description**: shown at the top of the list of posts; the description is also used as the meta description.
- **Homepage**: “Latest blog posts”, or one of your pages. In the second case, the blog lives at its own URL, /blog.

![The General tab of the settings, with the home page and the blog settings](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-settings-general-en.webp)
*The blog is set up in Settings › General*

## Create pillar categories

Open **Categories** in the admin menu. The **New category** form asks for:

- **Name**, for example “Wheel throwing”;
- **Slug (URL)**: automatic, or short and explicit like `wheel-throwing`;
- **Description**, “shown at the top of the category page: 2 to 4 sentences rich in topic vocabulary”;
- **SEO title (optional)**, such as “Wheel throwing in ceramics, tips for beginners”.

If your shop is open, the **It contains** field lets you choose between **Posts (blog)** and **Products (shop)**. Click **Save**: the category becomes a real page, at /blog/wheel-throwing, with its breadcrumbs. It enters the sitemap as soon as it contains a published post, and llms.txt with an excerpt of its description.

Each post then gets its category in the editor: **Document** tab, **Classification** section, **Category** list. If you change a category's URL, Éclair redirects the old one; if you delete the category, its posts stay published, without a category.

> **A description that really helps** — For the Wheel throwing pillar, Atelier Nova writes: “Wheel throwing means raising a piece on the potter's wheel: centering the clay, opening it, pulling up the walls, trimming. Here you'll find our tips for getting started, choosing your clay and making progress session after session.”

## How does a topic cluster work?

A topic cluster connects three levels: a **pillar page** (the category) that presents a topic, **satellite posts** that each answer a question, and a **conversion page** (your offer, your contact page). Links go both ways: each post leads to its pillar, to two neighboring posts and to the offer. Your readers always find what comes next, and search engines follow links that clearly outline your topic.

| Pillar (category) | Satellite posts | Conversion page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wheel throwing | Which clay should you choose to start? · How many sessions to center the clay? · Electric wheel or kick wheel? | Wheel-throwing classes |
| Glazing | Glossy or matte glaze, which one to choose? · How do you avoid glaze runs? | Glazing workshop |
| Firing | Earthenware, stoneware or porcelain, what are the differences? · How does a firing go? | Firing your pieces |
| Care | Can a handmade piece go in the dishwasher? · What should you do with a chipped piece? | Made-to-order pieces |

Éclair helps you at every level:

- **Assisted internal links**: as you type a link, or with `Ctrl+K`, the editor suggests your pages and posts;
- **Read next**: below each post, 3 related posts, chosen first from the same category, then from the most recent ones;
- **Breadcrumbs**: “Atelier Nova › Blog › Wheel throwing › post” when the home page is a page;
- **“Latest posts” block**: on an offer page, from 1 to 12 posts, filtered by category if you like;
- **SEO analysis**: it asks for at least 2 internal links per post.

## Build your topic cluster in 7 steps

1. List your customers' questions: messages received, calls, questions asked in class. Aim for 15 to 30 questions.
2. Group them into 3 to 5 topics: these will be your pillar categories.
3. Create each category with its description and its SEO title.
4. Write one post per question, with the question as the keyphrase and Key takeaways that answer it.
5. In each post, place a link to the category, two to neighboring posts and one to the offer page.
6. On each offer page, add a “Latest posts” block filtered on the matching pillar.
7. Publish at a steady pace, for example one post a week, thanks to scheduling.

![The content list with its filters, and the status and SEO and GEO scores of each item](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-content-list-en.webp)
*The Scheduled filter shows your upcoming posts*

## Author pages, RSS feed and scheduling

- **Author pages**: each author has a page that lists their posts, at a URL like /blog/author/camille-martin. The information in **My profile** (job title, bio, photo, online profiles) also appears in the “About the author” box below each post and in the structured data: a plus for E-E-A-T.
- **RSS feed**: /feed.xml publishes your last 20 posts, full text, category and author included. Feed readers and newsletter tools can read it directly.
- **Scheduling**: in **Document › Publishing**, choose a future **Publish date**, then click **Publish**. The post carries the “Scheduled” badge, appears in the **Scheduled** filter of **Content** and publishes itself at the planned time.
- **Contents**: this table of contents appears automatically on posts with 3 or more subheadings.

## Key points

- A page presents your offer; a post answers a question and feeds the blog.
- Each category is a real pillar page: take care of its description and its SEO title.
- In a topic cluster, each post leads to its pillar, its neighbors and your offer.
- “Read next”, breadcrumbs and the “Latest posts” block strengthen internal linking with no extra work.
- Schedule your posts to publish at a steady pace.

## Going further

- [SEO with Éclair](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/seo): the analysis that checks your internal links and your structure.
- [GEO: getting cited by AI](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/geo-ai-search): author pages, E-E-A-T and content that's easy to quote.
- [40 MCP use cases, with prompts](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/ai-mcp/mcp-use-cases): have Claude or ChatGPT prepare a cluster plan and drafts.
- Source: [Google's link best practices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable), especially for anchor text.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a post belong to several categories?

No, only one. That's intentional: one pillar per post keeps a cluster readable. To connect neighboring topics, place internal links in the text.

### How many posts do I need per category?

There's no technical minimum: a category enters the sitemap as soon as it contains a published post. For a pillar page to make sense, wait until you have 3 to 5 posts before adding it to your menu.

### What happens to the posts if I delete a category?

They stay published, without a category. Assign them another pillar, then redirect the category's old URL to the new pillar in **Redirects**.

### Is the blog mandatory?

No: uncheck **Blog enabled** in Settings › General for a business website without posts. Post categories, the RSS feed and author pages then disappear along with it.