01Four objects, one model
A semantic SEO strategy rests on four conceptual objects: the central entity, source context, the query network, and the topical map.
These aren’t sequential steps — they’re interlocking parts of a single model. The central entity defines what a site is about; source context defines what standing the site has to speak on it; the query network defines the full space of demand around it; and the topical map is where all three come together into an executable structure. Understanding each as a distinct object — rather than blending them into one vague idea of “topic” — is what makes the strategy work built on top of this framework precise instead of guesswork.
02Central entity
The central entity is the specific, unambiguous “thing” a site (or a defined section of it) exists to be the authority on — a category, a discipline, a product type, a person. It’s the anchor every other object in the framework refers back to. A site without a clearly defined central entity produces content that’s individually fine but collectively incoherent — nothing reinforces anything else, because there’s no shared reference point.
03Source context
Source context is the standing a domain has already earned to speak credibly on its central entity — its history of coverage, its established expertise signals, and the trust a retrieval system has accumulated in it through prior content and corroboration. Source context is not something a single page can create; it’s inherited from the whole domain’s track record, and it’s why an established, focused site can outrank a larger but topically scattered competitor on a subject it clearly owns.
04Query network
The query network is the full web of questions, comparisons, and related searches that surround the central entity — not a flat keyword list, but a network where queries relate to each other (prerequisite questions, comparison queries, edge cases, follow-up questions). A framework-level view of the query network asks: what would a real expert on this entity expect to be asked, across every angle, by every type of person who has a reason to ask?
05Topical map
The topical map is where the other three objects converge into structure: the central entity anchors it, source context determines how ambitious it can credibly be, and the query network populates it with specific sections — split into core (commercial) and outer (supporting) content. The map is the object that turns the framework from theory into something buildable.
This page describes what these objects are. For the step-by-step process of actually building a map and executing against it, see Semantic SEO Methodology and the more tactical How to Build a Semantic SEO Strategy. For the complete flagship treatment of this model, see the full Semantic SEO guide.