An important aspect of any website is content marketing. Content marketing when executed effectively can boost traffic and hugely increase discover-ability. There are many types of content marketing such as blogs, guests posts, and infographics. One of the most useful forms of content marketing is a pillar page. Pillar pages have proven to increase traffic, brand trust, and reduce bounce rates. In this article, let’s understand what is a pillar page, what are the benefits of pillar pages, and what makes for a good pillar page.
What is a pillar page?
Pillar pages are long forms of content based on a broad topic. Ideally, pillar pages cover all sections of the topic in a single page. These pages are built based on topic clusters. Topic clusters are groups of content that are based on a central topic. These topic clusters based pieces are interlinked on a pillar page. Pillar pages do leave some space for more in-depth content by interlinking other blogs that cover some sub-topics. For example, your pillar topic can be “PCOS” and you can use the page to interlink it to other relevant blogs such as “early signs of PCOS” which may not be covered in-depth on the pillar page.
Pillar pages are longer than normal blog pages. The main idea is to create a pillar page that answers queries briefly about a particular topic but leaves room for interlinking to related content from the topic cluster.
Some of the benefits are:
Greater content quality
As mentioned above, pillar pages are longer forms of content. Therefore, they require more research, analysis, and cover all subtopics, giving a more elaborate, complete understanding of the topic. For example, on this pillar page by online doctor consultation platform mFine, all of the 70 signs of pregnancy are mentioned. So, the user leaves the page with no doubts or misunderstandings. As the quality of your content improves, users will trust your content more, therefore building your credibility.
Better rankings
Pillar pages ideally have a minimum of 2,000 words. This leaves room for multiple keywords to appear organically. As the number of keywords increases in a page, the more chances it has to rank for the particular keyword provided it has been executed organically. Pillar pages increase your discover-ability, and once you start ranking, they also increase your domain authority.
Better navigation
As the main purpose of a pillar page is to have interlinks to various subtopics, the user or audience should be able to find most of the information through your pillar page. In case they need a deeper understanding of any aspect of the topic, they can click on the relevant links available on the pillar page. This way, your user needs to go through multiple pages of content to find their answer. Sometimes, upon a manual search too, they might not find it, and this can make the user exit the tab. Therefore, pillar pages also reduce bounce rates.
What makes a good pillar page?
A pillar page consists of the following elements:
● Relevant cluster topics: Name different subtopics as chapters and interlink these chapters to cluster blogs that cover them in detail. Each chapter needs to explain the concept in an easy, comprehensive manner. The chapters need to be diverse and have keywords which appear organically.
● Call-to-actions: Leads are so important for digital marketing and bring ROI. Maintain a track of visitors and by providing beneficial information to them, nurture them into clicking on call-to-action buttons like “sign-up” or “enquiry forms.”
● Share buttons: If the user enjoys your content, it is most likely that they will share it with their friends and family. Keep sticky share buttons readily available on the page to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or sites you deem fit for your brand.
● Simple design: The user experience is a top priority in such forms of content. Easy navigation through interlinking content can reduce bounce rates. Make sure the layout is simple and easily understandable. Make use of images and infographics are many visual learners will be able to retain information better through visuals.
In conclusion, pillar pages have great potential in the overall growth of the website. They reduce bounce rates, build trust, increase rankings and provide holistic knowledge to the user. The structure of a pillar page must contain relevant interlinks to subtopics, call-to-actions, share buttons and an easy-to-understand layout.