Content Pillars: What They Are and Why You Need Them
Posted on 30th January 2024
Content pillars form a structural foundation for your website, boost organic search engine rankings and help showcase your business’s expertise on particular topics. But what are content pillars exactly, and how can you create them for your website? Read on to find out…
What are content pillars?
Content pillars are detailed and authoritative pieces of content about a specific topic on a website. They act as an information hub on a key subject. Usually, the content is long-form and well-organised to give readers in-depth and trusted insights – so they don’t need to look elsewhere to get the answers they need.
How content pillars enhance organic search engine rankings
Content pillars are designed to offer readers high-quality, informative content. And this is precisely what search engines like Google look for as they crawl websites. A content pillar often includes links to other internal web pages about related subtopics – and these pages link back to the central pillar page (an interlinking strategy). Interlinking strategies are good for SEO because they help search engines determine the content's topical relevance and authority - a factor taken into account when ranking pages in search engine results.
Showcasing business expertise
By creating comprehensive, well-researched content for your website, you can position your business as a go-to, credible source for information about your specific industry or niche. In turn, web visitors will trust your site, and they’ll be more likely to engage, convert and become loyal customers.
How to craft engaging content pillars
Creating successful content pillars for your website requires some strategic planning, effort and time (but they're worth it). Here are five tips to help you get started:
1. Do thorough research
First, you need to understand your target audience, their needs, and the key themes relevant to your business that you want your audience to know about. For example, a vegan food brand might focus on creating pillar content on the vegan lifestyle, health benefits and recipes. And an animal insurance company could build a library of preventative healthcare tips for pets.
2. Cover the topic in full
Whichever topic you choose, think about the key questions readers might have. Answer those with detailed explanations, and include images and videos to enhance engagement (not everyone will want to receive the information via written text).
3. Incorporate keywords
Part of the goal of creating pillar content is to gain visibility with search engines. So, identify and include relevant keywords naturally into your content. Also, optimise meta details for each page to maximise SEO impact.
4. Link to relevant internal pages
Connect your pillar page(s) to related subtopics and articles within your website. This helps give your readers further information if needed and reinforces the topical authority of your content.
5. Update your pillar pages regularly
As authoritative content, your pillar pages must always be fresh, relevant and accurate! Check and update the content every few months with the latest information, trends, and insights. This tells search engines that your pillar pages are up-to-date and valuable.
Be a leading voice in your industry with content pillars
Content pillars can boost organic search engine rankings and establish your business’s expertise. They will also capture your target audience’s attention and demonstrate authority and credibility in your niche.
Although search engine algorithms are continually changing, one aspect remains constant – and that's all about satisying your web visitors with relevant, factual and engaging content. By doing that, you can win at SEO, too!
Need help creating pillar content for your business website? Ask us about our content creation services.
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