Q: Inside a cluster, should the spoke pages link to each other or only to the pillar?

Q: Inside a cluster, should the spoke pages link to each other or only to the pillar?

Short answer: link siblings too, the gains are measurable. A recipe site had a 20-page "sourdough" cluster where every page linked only up to the pillar.

They added contextual sibling links between genuinely related spokes (the starter guide linking to the troubleshooting page, etc.), 2-4 per page.

Result in 6 weeks: spoke pages gained an average of 3 positions and average time-on-page rose because readers moved laterally through the cluster. Pillar performance held steady.

In practice: sibling links spread relevance across the whole cluster and keep users inside your topical neighborhood. Pillar-only linking leaves the spokes isolated and underpowered.

Got a cluster structure to check? Send it in.