How Content Hubs Work

What is A Content Hub?

A content hub is a centralized, highly-curated page that organizes content on a specific topic, making it easily accessible and interconnected.

It serves as a structured internal linking system where various articles and resources link back to a main hub page and, ideally, to related content.

This approach helps users find all the information they need about a particular subject in one place, offering a cohesive and seamless experience.

Content hubs are larger and more comprehensive than a single blog post but smaller than a full website, often occupying a dedicated section within a site.

While they share some characteristics with pillar content, they are distinct in their purpose and scope, focusing more on content organization and user navigation than on being a single authoritative piece.

By combining strategic structure, relevant content, and a tailored user experience, content hubs can increase traffic, boost authority, inspire engagement, and provide valuable insights for improving future content strategies.

The Different Types of Content Hubs

Content hubs come in several types, each serving a unique purpose based on the structure and organization of the content.

Here’s a breakdown of the main types, what sets them apart, and how they differ from one another:

#1. Content Database

A content database is a central hub that organizes large volumes of content on various topics and in multiple formats, often supported by an information architecture (IA) or discovery tools like search forms or filters.

These databases are usually hosted on a separate site from the main website to avoid overloading it with complex content.

The defining feature is their sheer size, containing an extensive range of materials, making them ideal for companies with vast content collections.

For example, Adobe's Experience Cloud resource center functions as a comprehensive database that centralizes guidance on using their products.

#2. The Main Hub

A Main Hub serves as a parent page or "library" that connects all related content on a website.

Often referred to as the “hub,” this page organizes links to “spoke” pages, which are individual resources or posts related to the central topic.

Unlike content databases, Main Hubs are typically smaller and focus exclusively on content from the same website.

They act as an organized navigation system but generally don’t include much text themselves.

Backlinko’s SEO Hub, which offer step-by-step SEO guidance, are a prime example of this type.

#3. Content Library

A content library is similar to a Main Hub but classifies its links into detailed categories and subcategories.

Unlike a Main Hub, it often features content that spans a broader range of subjects while still being tied to the core theme of the website.

For instance, Coinbase Learn is a content library that organizes educational content about cryptocurrency into distinct sections like beginner guides, advanced trading strategies, and financial regulation topics.

#4. Topic Gateway

A Topic Gateway builds upon the Main Hub concept by incorporating descriptive text and additional resources to provide a more robust user experience.

These hubs often include not just links but also supporting tools, cheat sheets, or worksheets to help users comprehensively understand the central topic.

They are more sophisticated in structure and depth compared to Main Hubs.

A great example is the "How to Start a Blog" hub on our website, which guides users through every step of launching a blog.

It combines detailed textual explanations with tools, video tutorials, and links to related lessons such as choosing a niche, selecting a tech stack, and designing a blog.

This Topic Gateway goes beyond basic navigation, offering actionable advice and additional resources to ensure users have all the support they need to build their blogs successfully.

#5. Topic Matrix

A Topic Matrix organizes content into categories and subcategories, ensuring consistent information architecture and hierarchy across all levels.

Unlike a Topic Gateway, where the layout and structure might vary depending on the content, a Topic Matrix maintains uniformity in how information is presented.

If the hierarchy differs across sections or includes extensive text on the hub page, it would instead be categorized as a Topic Gateway or Content Library.

An example of a Topic Matrix is the Mayo Clinic’s site, which systematically organizes medical content into clear categories for easy navigation.

What Makes a Good Content Hub?

A good content hub possesses three essential qualities: organization, appealing aesthetics, and usability.

First, it must be well-organized, presenting information systematically to make it easy for visitors to navigate and learn.

Properly arranging articles, videos, and links ensures a seamless user experience, which is critical for educating potential leads effectively.

Second, the content hub should have visually appealing aesthetics.

While content is key, an uninviting design can discourage users.

A thoughtfully designed hub—whether created by a graphic designer or using pre-designed templates—makes the experience engaging and keeps users interested.

Lastly, a strong content hub helps readers easily find what they are looking for.

This requires thorough keyword and market research to understand user needs, questions, and challenges.

By addressing these points and providing relevant, well-organized information, a content hub becomes a powerful resource for its audience.

How Do I Create A Content Hub?

You can take 3 different approaches to create your content hub. They include:

• Creating a new website
• Creating the hub on your existing website
• Repurposing an existing piece of content as a content hub.

Here’s how to go about each of them.

Method #1. Create a New Website for Your Content

You can create a new website for your content hub if you want to keep it separate from your main website.

There are several reasons why someone may want to do so, which include the following:

Better Access Management

One of the main advantages of having a separate content hub is better and simpler access management.

Without running the danger of unintentionally impacting the corporate website, the owner can make sure that only authorized people and not all content hub contributors have access to their official website.

The official website’s access will remain available only to your internal staff, while on the content hub, you can invite contributors from across the world.

Uninterrupted learning experience

By using separate and more robust server resources, it is also possible to offer an uninterrupted learning experience even in the extreme situations of your main website being hacked.

This also means that learners can access the content without any lag or downtime, even during periods of high traffic.

Easy Scalability

A different website provides for easier scaling of your content hub. Without affecting the corporate website, you can easily hire as many instructors or content producers as required.

You can also upgrade the server hardware without messing up your main website. These things collectively allow you to scale the operation of your content hub as it grows.

Now you must be wondering how to create a new website for a content hub. So, the process is the same as creating any other website, and here it is:

Step #1: Choose a domain/subdomain

First, you must select the right domain name for your content hub site that aligns with your brand name.

You can create a subdomain under your existing domain name if you don’t wish to purchase a domain name.

Step #2: Choose a host

Next, you need to select a hosting platform that can host your server software and content.

This platform should also come at a cost that’s within your budget while offering enough bandwidth and network resources for browsing your content.

Once you have acquired the server of your choice, you should map your domain or subdomain’s nameservers to it.

If you chose a subdomain, you may not have to do this step because it’ll be hosted on the same webserver where your main website is hosted.

Step #3: Choose and Install your CMS

Now that you have your website, you can install the CMS (content management system) of your choice for setting up your content hub.

In most cases, you’ll be good with WordPress. So install it and set up your site to manage the content that you are about to put in your content hub.

In our detailed tutorial on how to launch a WordPress site, you can read more about this process.

Step #4: Build your content hub

Once you have your website, you can build your content hub.

Either you can use any pre-designed themes or templates, or you can hire a graphic designer to do the same, and once you are done with the site setup, you can take your step towards creating a content hub by adding all the content pages that need to be created.

Method #2: Create A Section On Your Existing Website

If creating a new website seems like a headache, you can also create your content hub on your existing website.

Here are the benefits of doing so:

1. All your content remains accessible and editable from a single space
2. The traffic you receive on your hub comes to your existing website
3. Traffic analytics and data collection become easier
4. Reusing graphics and media assets becomes easier.

To add a content hub to your existing website, you can simply create a new page and then design your content hub in it as per your design preferences.

This becomes quite easy if you have a WordPress website because, in that case, you can easily create your content hub page without any coding knowledge using a Page Builder like Elementor.

Just create a layout and a design of your choice, add organization (i.e., headings, subheadings, categories, subcategories, etc.), and then you can start adding links to your content.

Once you’ve created your Content Hub page, you can publish it. Next, you need to find the best place to display it prominently on your website.

We advise including it in your website’s primary navigation, or you can also add it to your sidebar through a large button or eye-catching graphic element.

This kind of positioning will make finding it simple for users and search engines.

You might want to make several content hubs if your website contains a lot of content on multiple topics.

Personally, this is my favorite way to build a content hub, as I believe it to be best for SEO and user experience. Overall, I have found that this method increases engagement, dwell time, and clicks.

Method #3: Use An Existing Piece of Content

If you have an existing piece of content that contains links to many of your other articles or content pieces on any particular topic, you can also choose to repurpose that page into a content hub.

The main benefits of this approach are:

1. Minimal effort requirement;
2. Boost in search rankings, as Google prioritizes pages updated recently
3. Can help you in generating various ideas for articles and other content as you reorganize your content.

To repurpose one of your existing content pages into a hub, you first need to identify the topics that are already covered on the page. Then, you can select some subtopics whose links can be added to the main content and add those links in relevant places.

If some existing content on the page needs to be reorganized, then that should also be done. You may also have to change the format of your content to repurpose it into a content hub.

For instance, if it’s in the format of an article, then you may have to change it into a resource center or a knowledge center while republishing its content into multiple articles so their links can be included in it along with links to other topics and subtopics on the same subject.

And you must figure out what to write to create some new content on topics that are not covered already. Once you’ve arranged all this content properly, you’ll have your content hub in an existing piece of content.

Wrapping Up

Content hubs, when used right, can be very effective in boosting your traffic, brand authority, and lead generation.

We’ve tried to provide you with all the necessary information about them to ensure you do not get stuck anywhere while building your content hub.

If you still face difficulties, you can drop your questions in the comments, and we’ll try to answer them.

Also, you can bookmark this page to check it out again if you feel stuck somewhere while building your content hub.