Topical Map Template and Generator Based on the EAV Model (Google Sheets)

This template builds a topical map from one central entity, its attributes and the values those attributes take. It follows the entity-attribute-variable (EAV) model, which I use as a planning lens: a structured way to list what your audience wants to know about a topic, decide which combinations deserve a page and spot the gaps in your coverage.

You fill in three short tabs and the sheet generates the map: a pillar page, one cluster page per attribute and one supporting page per value, each with a suggested title, slug, intent, format, internal links, coverage status and priority. It’s the practical companion to my posts on the EAV model and on what a good semantic keyword universe looks like.

Who it’s for

Content strategists and SEOs who want an entity-first plan for topical authority instead of another keyword list, and anyone who needs to show a team how topic clusters connect.

How to use it

1. On Entity, name your central entity and adjust the three title patterns.
2. On Attributes, list every attribute your audience cares about and mark it finite, finite with a cutoff, or infinite. Set business relevance and choose which to include.
3. On Values, add one row per value. Mark sub-entities, answer whether a real person would benefit from the page, and add the existing URL where you already cover it.
4. Read the Topical Map tab. Gaps are highlighted, and you can sort by priority to plan the next quarter.
5. Copy the map and paste it as values into a new tab once you’re happy, then edit titles there.
6. Use Combinations to cross two finite attributes for long-tail ideas.

What you get

• A generated pillar, cluster and supporting structure with titles and slugs from your own patterns.
• Internal-link suggestions: up to the parent hub, across to the next sibling, and down to child pages.
• A coverage column against your existing URLs, coverage per attribute and a dashboard.
• Guardrails from the EAV post: infinite attributes are flagged, and values with no real user benefit drop out.
• A worked sample for a fictional running shoe shop.

Limits

The map is only as good as the attributes and values you list, so research them first. The free Knowledge Graph and autocomplete notebooks help. Titles and slugs are suggestions. The EAV structure helps you plan; it isn’t a ranking factor in itself. Capacity is 50 attributes and 500 values.

Read what the EAV model is and how knowledge graphs work, and learn the full workflow in the Semantic ML-enabled Keyword Research course.