What Is a Pillar Page & How to Create One (+ Examples)

What Is a Pillar Page?

Pillar pages—also called pillar posts oregon content pillars—are pieces of contented that service arsenic the cornerstone of a taxable cluster—a radical of pages created to found a website’s authorization connected a circumstantial subject.

They supply a broad overview of a wide taxable and nexus to related contented pieces.

For example, let’s accidental you privation to make a taxable clump connected SEO.

Your pillar leafage could beryllium a implicit nonfiction covering SEO basics. Among different topics, you’d notation method SEO, nexus building, and section SEO.

From your pillar page, you would adhd links to clump pages. These would dive deeper into the subtopics mentioned connected your pillar page.

Your pillar leafage acts arsenic a content hub. And guides users to much circumstantial contented pieces. 

How Pillar Pages Can Help Your SEO 

Pillar pages payment your SEO rankings by helping you:

Build Topical Authority

Pillar pages assistance successful gathering topical authority by forcing you to comprehensively screen a topic. First, arsenic an overview connected the pillar leafage itself, and past successful much item connected clump pages.

As portion of SEO, pillar pages and accompanying clump contented let you to showcase your expertise and supply a wide awesome to hunt engines that you’re an authorization connected the topic.

Simplify Navigation

Pillar pages assistance operation your contented and marque it easier for some visitors and hunt engines to navigate.

This helps visitors find the accusation they’re looking for much quickly. And improves the wide user experience (UX), which is thing Google aims to reward.

Avoid Keyword Cannibalization

Structuring your contented with pillar pages and taxable clusters successful caput tin assistance you debar keyword cannibalization—multiple website pages competing to fertile for the aforesaid keyword.

Here’s how: 

If you’re not utilizing taxable clusters, you’re apt creating contented based connected a database of keywords derived from keyword research. And immoderate of the keywords from your database mightiness person akin (or the same) search intent.

With pillar pages and taxable clusters, you instrumentality a antithetic attack and program retired your pages based connected the accusation they request to see and the topics they request to cover. Instead of starting with keywords.

This helps you forestall keyword cannibalization due to the fact that you tin debar getting into a concern wherever you’re creating 2 pages connected the aforesaid topic.

Improve Your Internal Linking Structure

Planning retired taxable clusters and pillar pages requires you to beryllium intentional astir however your website pages volition beryllium connected.

If you bash it right, the pillar leafage volition nexus to each the pages wrong a taxable cluster. And each the clump pages volition nexus to the pillar page. And some—if not all—of the clump pages volition nexus to each other. 

This results successful a much logical interior linking operation which is easier for hunt engines to understand.

Generate Backlinks

Since pillar pages are in-depth takes connected a topic, they often pull much backlinks compared to little broad pieces of content.

Pillar pages get shared much often. And they get cited much often, too. All of this results successful much backlinks for the website.

How to Create a Pillar Page

To make a pillar page, travel these steps:

1. Brainstorm Topic Ideas

Start by reasoning astir which halfway topics are astir applicable to your website and audience. For example, the pursuing mightiness beryllium halfway topics for a fittingness blog:

• Strength training
• Weight loss
• Fitness supplements

All 3 could beryllium imaginable pillar pages.

Let’s instrumentality the archetypal taxable arsenic an example. To make a pillar leafage connected spot training, you’ll privation to screen each facet of it. Here are immoderate imaginable subtopics you could screen connected this pillar page:

• Benefits of spot training
• Strength grooming exercises
• Strength grooming equipment
• Advanced spot grooming techniques

All of the above, isolated from being sections successful your caller pillar page, could besides beryllium standalone clump pages.

Use the Topic Research instrumentality to get ideas for what accusation to see connected your pillar page. Here’s how:

Start by entering the taxable of your pillar page. Then click “Get contented ideas.”

The instrumentality volition past make a report. Here, you’ll beryllium capable to spot a database of subtopics related to your halfway topic.

You tin click connected “Show more” astatine the bottommost of each paper to larn much astir a peculiar subtopic.

Here, you’ll beryllium capable to see:

• The full hunt measurement for that subtopic
• How hard it is to fertile for related keywords
• Headlines utilized by pages covering that subtopic
• Commonly asked questions astir the subtopic
• Related searches

You tin reappraisal this accusation for each idiosyncratic subtopic. Or export each information for each subtopics by clicking the “Export taxable to XLSX” button.

2. Organize Your Pillar Pages and Subtopics

Your website volition person aggregate pillar pages. And each pillar leafage volition person aggregate subtopics.Use Semrush's Keyword Strategy Builder to signifier everything. Here’s how:

Start by entering 1 oregon much effect keywords representing your website’s halfway topics and click “Create list.”

The instrumentality volition past make a database of pillar leafage topics and their imaginable subpages.

You tin spot a ocular overview of each the pillar pages and taxable clusters successful the “Topical Overview” conception astatine the top.

If you scroll down to the “Pages Details” section, you’ll spot a database of pillar pages. Under each pillar leafage volition beryllium a database of subpages associated with it.

For each pillar leafage and subpage, you’ll beryllium capable to see:

• The hunt intent associated with it
• The keyword trouble score
• The search volume
• The full fig of associated keywords

From here, you tin prime circumstantial pillar pages and subpages you’d similar to see successful your content plan by clicking connected the checkbox adjacent to each page.

And past click “Send keywords,” prime "Other keyword list," and click “Apply.”

Next, from the drop-down box, prime the keyword database to which you privation to adhd the keywords. Or click connected “Create caller bare list” to make a caller list.

Choose whether you privation to transcript oregon determination the keywords to the 2nd list. Finally, click “Send keywords.”

Then click “Go to each lists” astatine the apical of the leafage to spot each your keyword lists. 

Click connected the 1 you’ve conscionable created to reappraisal a database of each the keywords associated with your pillar pages and subpages.

From here, you tin export each the keywords by clicking the “Export” button.

Use the database to commencement creating your pillar pages.

2. Create Your Content

Pillar posts are intended to holistically screen a taxable and see internal links to clump pages. Other than that, determination isn’t a fixed acceptable of rules to follow.

However, astir large pillar pages stock the pursuing traits:

• They’re hunt motor optimized. Optimize your pillar leafage conscionable similar immoderate different page. Check retired this SEO penning guide to larn how.
• They’re evergreen. Evergreen content stays “fresh” longer. You don’t request to update it each month, oregon perchance adjacent each year, depending connected the taxable and however the contented performs. 
• They’re casual to read. Pillar pages are content-heavy due to the fact that they screen galore aspects of a topic. Simplify navigation and amplify UX utilizing elements similar tables of contents, images, and bulleted lists.
• They incorporated antithetic types of content. Most pillar posts are text-based. But you tin besides see different formats, specified arsenic videos oregon infographics.
• They see utile links. Pillar pages enactment arsenic contented hubs and often see galore internal links. Only see applicable links with optimized anchor text. 
• They usage applicable CTAs. Use compelling calls to enactment (CTAs) to promote users to execute an action, specified arsenic creating an relationship oregon downloading an ebook. 

Dive deeper successful the content instauration process to larn however to make the champion taxable clusters. 

3. Upload It to Your Site and Add Internal Links

You don’t person to make a customized plan oregon marque your pillar leafage look antithetic from different pages connected your site. Upload it similar immoderate different portion of contented connected your site. 

If you haven’t done truthful already, adhd interior links.

Make definite the pillar leafage contains links to each the clump pages. And that each the clump pages nexus to the pillar page.

Ideally, you’ll privation to usage the superior keyword arsenic the anchor substance erstwhile linking to some the pillar leafage and the clump pages. This volition marque it wide to hunt engines what each leafage is about.

If your clump pages aren’t published and acceptable for interior links, you tin people your pillar station without them. 

As you people caller clump pages, edit your pillar station and adhd links to the precocious created URLs.

This process is indispensable to gathering a logical website architecture. 

Types of Pillar Pages (+ Examples)

Not each pillar posts are created for the aforesaid purpose. Below, we research antithetic types of pillar posts. And pillar leafage examples to animate you. 

Remember that the divisions betwixt these categories are not absolute. Some pillar pages mightiness person elements of each type.

1. The Guide Pillar Page

A usher pillar leafage is simply a broad overview of a topic. It tin beryllium a 101 usher for beginners oregon an eventual usher for precocious users, for example.

The pursuing are bully examples of usher pillar content:

Hunter’s Cold Email Guide

Hunter is an email outreach level designed to assistance you find and link with imaginable clients, concern partners, and different radical important to your business.

Hunter’s cold email guide is simply a large illustration of a pillar leafage that covers each the important aspects of a taxable (in this case, acold email outreach).

It contains accusation on:

• Creating an outreach strategy
• Building a database of recipients
• Optimizing the method aspects of email outreach
• Writing effectual acold emails
• Scheduling and sending campaigns
• Analyzing the results of outreach campaigns

The supra is everything you mightiness request to get started with acold email outreach. This is wherefore it’s nary astonishment that this peculiar pillar leafage ranks for much than 600 keywords.

The Complete Guide to Time Tracking by Hubstaff

Hubstaff is simply a clip tracking and productivity monitoring instrumentality for distant and tract teams. Since clip tracking is 1 of the astir important topics for the company, they decided to make a broad pillar leafage connected the topic.

It covers everything you mightiness privation to cognize astir clip tracking, including:

• The benefits of clip tracking
• Time tracking methods
• How to take clip tracking software
• How to usage clip tracking information to amended performance
• How to get worker buy-in for implementing clip tracking

2. The What-Is Pillar Page

Users typically hunt for “What is + [topic]” erstwhile looking for information. A what-is pillar leafage responds to those hunt queries.

Below are 2 examples of coagulated what-is pillar pages:

What Is Dropshipping and How Does It Work by Shopify

For an e-commerce level similar Shopify, talking astir fulfillment models, specified arsenic dropshipping, makes a batch of sense. That’s wherefore the institution created a elaborate pillar leafage connected the topic.

It includes:

• What dropshipping is
• How it works
• Who it’s for
• Its benefits and drawbacks
• Frequently asked questions

At the moment, this pillar leafage ranks for 1,600 keywords and drives an mean of astir 58,000 visits each month.

What Is Artificial General Intelligence by Zapier

Zapier is simply a fashionable automation solution that integrates with thousands of apps.

The institution is afloat supportive of AI and has implemented respective AI features into its platform. Along with this, they constitute astir assorted AI topics connected their blog. And 1 of their pillar pages provides an in-depth overview of artificial wide quality (AGI).

It covers each the important aspects of the topic, including:

• What AGI is and however it works
• The quality betwixt AGI and artificial constrictive quality (ANI)
• Types of ANI, specified arsenic chatbots, ample connection models, and dependable assistants
• An estimation of erstwhile existent AGI volition beryllium developed

As of this writing, this peculiar pillar leafage ranks for much than 140 keywords.

3. The How-To Pillar Page

How-to pillar pages assistance your readers lick problems, often with step-by-step tutorials. 

Some examples of how-to pillar pages see the following:

How to Start an Online Store by Shopify

Another fantabulous pillar leafage from Shopify. This 1 details everything you request to cognize astir opening an online store.

It includes accusation on:

• Deciding connected a people audience
• Finding a concern thought and choosing products
• Choosing an ecommerce platform
• Designing a brand
• Determining the concern structure
• Setting up an ecommerce website
• Launching and selling an online store

The leafage ranks for 1,600 keywords and drives much than 18,000 integrated visits each month.

How to Use LinkedIn for Business by Buffer

Buffer offers societal media absorption bundle that helps businesses negociate their societal media beingness crossed a assortment of platforms, including LinkedIn.

One of their pillar pages is an extended usher to utilizing LinkedIn for business, which covers topics specified as:

• How to make a institution leafage connected LinkedIn
• How to optimize your LinkedIn presence
• How to get much LinkedIn followers
• The champion types of contented to station connected LinkedIn

The leafage presently ranks for much than 250 keywords.

Create Stronger Pillar Pages

Pillar pages tin go a instauration of your contented strategy if you travel these tips to physique them well. 

Use Semrush’s Keyword Strategy Builder to make a keyword strategy for your website based astir applicable pillar pages and taxable clusters successful minutes.