Content and Link Strategy with Pillar Pages

As an SEO consultant in Manchester, I’ve seen firsthand how the right content and link strategy can make or break a website’s performance. Today, I want to dive deep into the power of pillar pages and how they can elevate your overall content and link strategy.

Pillar pages are the foundation of a robust content ecosystem. They’re the comprehensive, in-depth guides that cover a broad topic from multiple angles. Think of them as the pillars that support the rest of your content – the blogs, resources, and other supporting assets that dive into the subtopics.

Building an effective pillar page is no easy feat, but the rewards can be immense. Not only do they help establish your authority on a subject, but they also create opportunities for internal linking that can boost your search engine rankings.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the process of planning and executing a winning pillar page and link strategy. We’ll cover everything from ideation to implementation, and I’ll share some real-world examples to inspire your own efforts.

Laying the Groundwork: Pillar Page Ideation

The first step in creating a successful pillar page is to identify the right topic. This isn
‘t something you can just pull out of thin air – it requires careful research and planning.

Start by identifying the broad, overarching topics that are most relevant to your business and your target audience. These should be areas where you have a deep well of knowledge and expertise to draw from.

According to Clariant Creative, the key is to choose a topic that is “broad enough to warrant a comprehensive guide, but narrow enough to be focused and valuable.”

For example, if you’re an SEO agency like ours, a pillar page on “Content and Link Strategy” would be a great fit. It’s a topic that’s relevant to our core services, and it’s broad enough to accommodate a detailed, in-depth exploration.

Once you’ve identified your pillar page topic, it’s time to start mapping out the subtopics. This is where you’ll want to leverage keyword research and competitor analysis to uncover the specific areas your audience is most interested in.

As the HubSpot community notes, the goal is to create a “comprehensive resource that covers the full breadth of the topic.”

For our “Content and Link Strategy” pillar page, some potential subtopics might include:

• The Importance of Pillar Pages
• Keyword Research for Pillar Pages
• Structuring Your Pillar Page Content
• Leveraging Internal Linking
• Measuring the Success of Your Pillar Page

By identifying these subtopics upfront, you can ensure that your pillar page is truly comprehensive and covers all the relevant bases.

Building Your Pillar Page

With your topic and subtopics locked in, it’s time to start the actual writing and content creation process. This is where the real work begins, but it’s also where the magic happens.

One of the key things to keep in mind when building your pillar page is that it needs to be long-form, in-depth content. As the HubSpot community member Allie notes, the pillar page should be a “collection of all those blogs” – a comprehensive resource that brings together all the relevant information on your topic.

This means that your pillar page should be at least 3,000 tokens (roughly 3,000 words) in length, with plenty of subheadings, visuals, and other multimedia elements to keep your readers engaged.

As you’re writing, be sure to incorporate your keyword research and subtopics seamlessly into the content. This will not only help with SEO, but it will also ensure that your pillar page is truly comprehensive and valuable for your audience.

And don’t forget to infuse your personality and writing style into the piece! Clariant Creative emphasizes the importance of creating “engaging, human-like content” that resonates with your readers.

One of the best ways to do this is to use a conversational, first-person tone and incorporate personal anecdotes, humor, and other narrative elements. This will help your pillar page stand out from the sea of dry, generic content out there.

Linking It All Together: Your Internal Linking Strategy

Once you’ve created your pillar page, it’s time to start building out the rest of your content ecosystem. This is where your internal linking strategy comes into play.

The key is to create a robust network of supporting content – blog posts, resources, and other assets – that seamlessly link back to your pillar page. As HubSpot notes, this “creates a content ecosystem where each piece of content supports the other and funnels users towards the pillar page.”

So, for example, if you’ve created a pillar page on “Content and Link Strategy,” you might have a series of blog posts that dive into specific subtopics like keyword research, internal linking best practices, and measuring the success of your efforts. Each of these blog posts would then link back to the overarching pillar page.

This not only helps to strengthen the connections between your content, but it also signals to search engines that your pillar page is the authoritative resource on the topic. This can have a significant impact on your search engine rankings and visibility.

At MCR SEO, we’ve seen firsthand how a well-executed pillar page and internal linking strategy can transform a website’s performance. By creating a comprehensive, engaging pillar page and then weaving it seamlessly into the rest of our content, we’ve been able to drive significant increases in organic traffic, conversions, and overall brand authority.

Measuring and Optimizing Your Pillar Page Strategy

Of course, the work doesn’t stop once your pillar page and internal linking strategy are in place. To truly maximize the impact of your efforts, you’ll need to continually measure and optimize your approach.

This means tracking key metrics like pageviews, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions. Pay close attention to how your pillar page and supporting content are performing, and use that data to inform your ongoing content and link strategy.

As the HubSpot community member Allie notes, it’s also important to keep an eye on your internal linking structure and ensure that your blogs are effectively guiding users to the pillar page.

By continuously refining and optimizing your approach, you can ensure that your pillar page and internal linking strategy are working as hard as possible to drive results for your business.

Conclusion

Pillar pages and internal linking are powerful tools in the world of content and SEO. By creating a comprehensive, engaging pillar page and then weaving it seamlessly into a robust content ecosystem, you can establish your authority, drive more traffic, and ultimately, boost your bottom line.

It’s a lot of work, to be sure, but the payoff is more than worth it. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start building your content and link strategy with pillar pages!