Q: What do I do when two of my clusters overlap on a shared sub-topic?

Q: What do I do when two of my clusters overlap on a shared sub-topic?

Short answer: give the shared sub-topic one home page and link to it from both clusters, rather than writing it twice. Duplicating an overlapping topic in two clusters creates internal competition and splits the authority that page could have earned as one strong URL.

Think of the shared page as a bridge. It lives in whichever cluster it fits best, and the other cluster links to it instead of cloning it. That cross-cluster link is a feature, it signals to the engine that your topics connect, which is how broad subject authority is built.

The anti-pattern is two near-identical pages, one per cluster, quietly cannibalizing each other for the same query.

In practice: when planning a new cluster, check your existing pages first. If a sub-topic already has a good home, link to it; only create a new page if the angle is genuinely distinct.

Got an overlap to untangle? Send it in.