Pillar pages are a content marketing strategy designed at providing comprehensive content around a central topic. As the term portends, they serve as ‘pillars’ of information and cover the topic extensively. They include links to specific subtopics, which is the only part marketers keep in mind.
However, it is crucial that pillar pages display valuable content, first and foremost, as they serve as a starting point for visitors. Marketers tend to forget this part and focus on internal links, but that’s a huge no-go!
Let’s dive a bit deeper into the topic!
Elements of Pillar Pages
Think of pillar pages as a content marketing strategy rather than a simple content piece with a slew of internal links.
Pillar pages should enhance user experience and SEO and establish a website’s authority. Hence, ideas for pillar pages come in all shapes and sizes; rely on niche-specific tips only.
Pillar pages serve diverse roles in content marketing and can be formulated in three ways, as follows:
- Hub Pillar Pages - consolidate key topics into a single centralized location, offering a hub for readers to access primary subjects.
- 10x Content Pillar Pages - extensive, detailed pages designed as guides, providing comprehensive insights on the central topic.
- Hybrid Pillar Pages - a combination of the two aforementioned types.
Evergreen content is at the core of a pillar page. The information must remain relevant over time and be organized logically and systematically.
Generally speaking, the most notable specifics of pillar pages include:
- Comprehensive content
- A central theme
- Long-form content
- Authority building
- SEO benefits
- Internal linking
- Enhanced user experience
- Educational value
- Hierarchy of information
- Visual enhancements (typically, images, infographics, and video content)
- Responsive design
- Lead generation (strategically placed CTAs)
- Topic clusters
- Semantic keywords
- Evergreen content
- Updates
- Social sharing
- Brand awareness
Crafting stellar pillar pages is not an easy feat but it certainly is rewarding. If you manage to incorporate all of the elements mentioned above, you can be sure your website’s authority will skyrocket in no time.
Next, let’s take a look at the anatomy of a pillar page.
Anatomy of Pillar Pages
A masterfully crafted pillar page is a monument to a comprehensive user experience. Since they revolve around one central topic, it is crucial to devise their architecture in a way that makes navigation seamless.
The central topic of your choice should be the core of your organizational efforts — the subject matter at its finest. Being “central,” the topic should pull together all other components of the pillar page — target subtopics, which form cluster content.
Basically, pillar pages are libraries of sorts, just better organized than most of them. They should feature clear headings and subheadings and display a hierarchical layout that can easily guide visitors through your website.
As mentioned above, elements that boost user experience include images, infographics, embedded videos, and so on. This is very important, so don’t skip this part. Mountains of text won’t engage the reader no matter the expertise they showcase.
Choosing the Right Topic for Your Pillar Page
Since pillar pages serve to establish your brand as an expert in the field (among other purposes), the central topic should be carefully chosen. However, you should make sure that the topic is aligned with the target audience’s interests and your business objectives.
Research into your audience’s needs and pain points can prove helpful in this regard. Look into trending topics, common inquiries, and overall preferences. Once you have your answer, align it with your objectives.
Remember that the topic you choose will become the cornerstone of your marketing strategy, so take your time deciding on the pillar page architecture.
Crafting Cluster Content
While the pillar page is the central spot, the linked pages act as cluster content.
The term refers to a series of interconnected articles that cover target subtopics. Each of these articles should expand on their respective subtopics and feature specific keywords.
Each of these pages should link back to the pillar page (and vice versa), enhancing navigation and overall user experience in the process.
Structuring Your Pillar Page
Your pillar page should feature a library layout, which will easily guide visitors through cluster content. This layout helps visitors to digest information in an engaging way.
Typically, pillar pages begin with a concise introduction that communicates the essence of the central topic. Apply all strategies that make articles engaging from there: use headers, subheaders, visual elements, and CTAs.
Mind the hierarchy and the specifics listed above and make sure to break up the text regularly.
Pillar Page SEO Best Practices
Deploy a holistic approach to SEO, which basically translates into using additional approaches on top of keyword usage.
Keyword optimization is certainly the first step, so take your time researching and make sure to place them strategically (so that they add value instead of ruining the content).
Next on, focus on semantics. Incorporate related concepts that add value to your content. Optimize your website, add internal links, and monitor performance metrics (traffic, engagement, and conversion rates in particular).
Instead of a conclusion, we’ll leave you with one pro tip: the best-performing pillar pages focus on a keyword based on search intent.
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