Pillar Pages & Topic Clusters: How They Enhance Your Website

In today's digital landscape, having a strong online presence is crucial. Did you know that one of the most effective strategies for achieving this is through the use of pillar pages and topic clusters? Pillar pages are comprehensive, authoritative articles serve as the foundation of your content strategy, significantly boosting your website's SEO. Discover how pillar pieces not only attract more traffic but also improve your site's credibility and ranking in search engine results page (SERPs).

Time and time again, we’ve expressed the value and success of coming up with pillar content strategies to our clients. With our expertise and real-world examples, we aim to demonstrate the immense benefits of these in-depth content pieces.

What Is A Pillar Page?

A pillar page is a long-form piece of content created completely around one main topic, service or product related to your industry or business. It usually includes SEO topic clusters that give in-depth information and resources about the chosen topic. Pillar pieces are typically 2,000 words or more in length, and they can significantly improve organic traffic through strategic SEO efforts.

While the primary goal of every content piece is to help readers find the helpful information they’re looking for, pillar pieces are also excellent tools that can guide users to related pages (aka topic clusters) on your website. This helps improve your site’s behavior metrics and potentially lead them down a path to convert.

What Is A SEO Topic Cluster?

SEO topic clusters are a way to organize your content where you have a main "pillar" page covering a broad topic and several "cluster" pages diving into specific details of that topic. While a pillar page provides a broad overview of a core topic, a topic cluster dives into specific subtopics. These cluster pages are interlinked with the pillar page, creating a cohesive network of content.

Below is a snippet of our SEO pillar page. We designed it with a comprehensive focus on SEO marketing services. This page is the cornerstone of our SEO capabilities, providing a deep dive into the importance of SEO and our audit services, including technical and on-page SEO. Each section covers various aspects of our services, highlighting the benefits of good SEO and why hiring SEO experts can help a website. Our pillar page includes links to our related blogs and other services, like digital marketing and web design and development (some of our topic clusters), enhancing its role as an information hub with internal linking for users to continue to read related content on our website.

This structure helps search engines understand the depth and breadth of your coverage on a particular subject, improving your site's authority and rankings. Additionally, it creates a more user-friendly experience, making it easier for visitors to find relevant, detailed information on your site.

Pillar Content Strategy: The 3 Types Of Pillar Content

There are a few different types of pillar pieces you can choose from depending on your industry, the topic you want to cover and how you expect your target audience to view the content. They are:

10x Content Pillar Page

A 10x pillar page is a single page on your site that covers the main topic of your brand and its subtopics. This type of pillar piece is the most common. It acts as a guide containing your own proprietary content which focuses on your main topic along with subtopics. Our experts implemented a 10x pillar page for a pest control company, specifically about bed bugs. They wanted to educate their audience on the pest, so we created a pillar page that’s a complete guide to bed bugs. From their appearance and behaviors to how to get rid of them, readers can use the page to learn more about the company and bed bugs, and to navigate to other bed bug related pages on the site that go into more details on specific bed bug topics.

Resource Pillar Page

Resource pillar pages are very similar to 10x pillar pages in that both have the same purpose to provide information on a main topic and its subtopics. But, 10x pillar pages provide in-depth information, while resource pillar pages are a collection of links and resources with only enough content to support them. Each link and resource of a resource pillar page is related to the same topic and subtopics, and can be internally or externally focused depending on your goal.

Product Or Service Pillar Page

If your business offers multiple products or services, this type of pillar piece might be the most beneficial option for your website. It allows you to create a pillar piece around a particular product or service your brand offers, and to provide your audience information and easy-to-access resources about that product or service. Our content marketing team created this type of pillar page for a heating and cooling company. The company sells many different products including furnaces, air conditioning systems, heat pumps and more. By creating a pillar piece entirely focused on answering common questions and concerns about air conditioners or furnaces, we were able to give their target audience valuable information about regularly-searched topics for that particular product.

How Pillar Content Can Improve SEO

Pillar pieces create excellent opportunities to boost SEO and help your website establish top positions on SERPs. By serving as comprehensive guides on key topics, pillar pieces not only attract more traffic but also enhance user engagement and retention. This interconnected network of content signals to search engines that your site is an authoritative resource on the subject, increasing the likelihood of ranking higher for relevant keywords. Furthermore, pillar pieces can drive sustained organic traffic by providing evergreen content that remains valuable and relevant over time. Something to be aware of, and what we tell our clients, is that SEO is a long-term digital marketing strategy. Improving your website’s SEO is an ongoing strategy that will gain momentum and produce results over time. So, when integrated with topic clusters, these cornerstone articles can:

Maximize Your Link Building Efforts

Link building improves SEO by enhancing your site's authority, boosting search engine rankings, increasing organic traffic, broadening your reach, improving user experience and giving you a competitive edge. Your pillar page should link to and from the other topic-related pages on your website that cover the various top clusters within the main idea of your pillar piece. This will establish a strong SEO connection and create an easy-to-navigate site structure.

Establish Website Authority For Your Pillar Page

Because you have multiple pages related to one industry-based topic on your website, Google and users will view your website and brand as a useful resource. When you create original content that covers all of Google’s check boxes — expertise, experience authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) — Google will give you primary real estate in SERPs. This may lead to many additional benefits like higher rankings, additional brand visibility and more organic traffic.

Moreover, as users find your content reliable and comprehensive, they are more likely to engage with your site, share your content, and link back to your pages, further enhancing your site's authority and link profile. The cumulative effect of these factors not only strengthens your position in search results but also fosters long-term credibility and trust with your audience, encouraging repeat visits and establishing a loyal user base. Ultimately, this strategic approach can significantly contribute to the growth and success of your online presence, positioning your brand as a leading authority in your industry.

How To Create Pillar Pages And Topic Clusters

Creating a well-structured and effective content strategy is essential for improving your website's SEO and user experience. One of the most powerful approaches is using pillar pages and topic clusters. By following these steps, you'll be able to choose your core topic, develop comprehensive content and build a robust internal linking structure that enhances your site’s visibility and establishes authority in your field.

1. Identify Your Core Topic: Choose a broad topic that is relevant to your audience and aligns with your business goals. This will be the focus of your pillar page.
2. Research Subtopics: Break down your core topic into smaller, more specific subtopics. These will form the basis of your cluster content.
3. Create Comprehensive Content: Develop a pillar page that provides an in-depth overview of the main topic. Ensure it is detailed, informative, and well-structured.
4. Develop Cluster Content: Write separate articles or pages for each subtopic. These should link back to the pillar page and to each other where relevant.
5. Internal Linking: Establish a robust internal linking structure. Each cluster page should link back to the pillar page, and the pillar page should link to each cluster page. Additionally, consider linking between related cluster pages to further strengthen the topic cluster.

Further Benefits Of Pillar Pages & Topic Clusters

We mentioned a few key benefits of pillar pages, but wait, there’s more! By understanding these extra benefits, you'll be better equipped to enhance your SEO, improve user experience, and streamline your content creation process.

Boost User Behavior Metrics

Pillar pages significantly boost user behavior metrics by enhancing user engagement, experience, and trust. They provide comprehensive content that encourages users to spend more time on the site and explore related cluster content, increasing page views and session duration. Personalized user journeys are created by addressing various aspects of a topic and strategic CTAs that guide users toward desired actions, enhancing conversion rates. Overall, pillar pages positively impact average engagement time, sessions, conversion rates and organic traffic, contributing to the website's success.

Increase Social Sharing

According to our digital media habits survey, from 2021 to 2023, the number of people who reported using social media to stay connected to community and local businesses increased by 8 percent! That positive trend is encouraging when writing a pillar page. Ultimately, the goal of a pillar piece is to be a comprehensive, authoritative resource on a specific topic that covers subtopics in depth.

If planned and well-written, users will find your pillar piece useful and likely share it with others via social media or other avenues. Pillar pieces also give your company the opportunity to build effective social campaigns around the topic. Moreover, the evergreen content can be used down the line for future remarketing campaigns, providing the opportunity to reach out to lost customers and re-engage with your site. Pillar pages not only provide immense value to readers but also enhance the overall shareability of the content. This leads to increased visibility, engagement, and traffic, creating a positive feedback loop that further amplifies the reach and impact of your pillar page.

Pillar Page And Content Marketing Specialists In Des Moines

Do you want to learn more about pillar pieces and SEO? Our team of digital marketing experts in Des Moines have created many pillar pages for our clients and have seen websites improve positions in SERPs, as well as increased business. Simply reach out to our experts at Blue Compass. Or, see how our content marketing team can help you write and implement top-notch pillar content on your website. We’re happy to help!

Kevin McMurray

Kevin McMurray is a Digital Marketing Specialist at Blue Compass. He enjoys spending time with his family, cheering on Cyclones sports and leisure sports.