What a semantic core is and why it matters
A semantic core is a structured list of search queries clients should find your business by. The core determines everything: site structure (one cluster — one page), content plan, meta tags, internal linking and even ad priorities. Without a core a site is built "by feel": pages duplicate each other, key topics stay uncovered, the promotion budget burns on scattered words. In our experience, a solid core for a mid-size business holds 500–3000 queries grouped into 30–150 clusters. What matters is not the row count but correct intent grouping: "create a website" and "how much does a website cost" belong to one page yet need different content.
How we build the core
Five steps. One — base: Yandex Wordstat suggestions and associations by niche markers, plus queries from your Metrica and Webmaster. Two — competitors: semantics of 3–5 niche leaders reveal clusters you miss. Three — cleaning: junk, zero-volume and irrelevant queries removed, minus-words set. Four — clustering: grouping by intent and page fit (commercial to services, informational to blog or knowledge base, branded to home). Five — metrics: volume, competition, seasonality and priorities: which clusters bring traffic fastest. The deliverable is a spreadsheet with a ready URL map.
Intent clustering — the heart of the work
Intent is the user's goal behind the query, and it decides which page should rank. Transactional queries ("order", "price", "services") need commercial pages with prices and forms. Informational ("how to choose", "what is better") — articles and definition pages. Navigational and branded — the home and company pages. A clustering mistake is the most common cause of "we have copy but no rankings": an informational query pushed by a commercial page loses to competitors' articles. We tag intent per cluster and distribute accordingly — the rule works in classic SERPs and neural SERPs alike.
Core, structure and content plan
A finished core is the structure of the future site: each cluster gets its page, extra pages are not needed, gaps are visible immediately. From the core flows the content plan: which pages to write first (high-volume and transactional), which clusters to merge into hubs, where FAQ blocks for AEO and definition pages for GEO are required. We deliver not just a table but a working system: a "Core" sheet with metrics, a "URL Map" sheet with mappings, a "Priorities" sheet with production order. If you build the site with us, the core turns into a structure and copywriting spec with no losses.
Core research cost and timelines
Pricing depends on niche size. Base core (up to 1000 queries, 20–40 clusters) — from 20 000 RUB, 5–7 working days. Mid (up to 3000 queries, 60–100 clusters) — from 35 000 RUB, 7–10 days. Large (3000+ queries, online stores, multi-region) — from 60 000 RUB, 10–14 days. Included: cleaning and clustering, metrics and seasonality, URL map, priorities and a review session. Rush build — a 30% surcharge, minus 2 days. Updating an existing core (after niche or assortment changes) — from 12 000 RUB: we do not rebuild what is already correct.
Why order a core from ZXY
We have built cores since 2014, like engineers: intent tagging, cannibalization checks at the map stage, seasonality and production priorities. Our cores work within a full cycle: if needed, the same pipeline writes content, builds structure and launches promotion — the core is never handed "into nowhere". We know Russian engines and neural SERPs: clusters are prepared for the AEO/GEO layer from the start, question long-tails tagged for FAQ. Reports in Russian, a review session included, free edits within 2 weeks after handover.
