Many content marketers use pillar pages on their websites as a key part of their marketing strategy. They help with search ranking and SEO because they take advantage of the natural language search patterns people use today.
Pillar pages are developed to link to and support other content. They are overview or cornerstone pages about a dedicated topic. Think of them as the anchor or foundation about a subject. Pillar pages take some planning to do well. They are not a one-and-done kind of strategy.
In this article, we’ll go through a quick reminder of what pillar pages are, go over their benefits for B2B, look at some examples, and discover ways to find the right topics to write about in your pillar pages.
First, a quick refresher on what pillar pages are. They are a high-level piece of content that covers all aspects of a topic on a single web page and they contain links out to in-depth articles about a variety of connected subtopics.
Think of them as an overview page or a hub, with the topic being covered in more detail by the cluster blog posts that link off from the core pillar page.
For example, your pillar page might be about B2B content marketing, and your cluster posts are about blogging, case studies, and technology tools that can help with it all.
A pillar page should answer high-level questions about the topic and leave room for more detail about it in subsequent cluster content. The idea is to write about the topic to be highly linkable to other resources, such as internal posts or pages on the same site, relevant external pages, etc.
Pillar pages increase search engine ranking and authority, make it easier for you to structure content on a website, and deliver a better user experience to visitors. And that’s not all…
Pillar pages satisfy search intent
Most people don’t always have a specific intention or action they will take right away when searching online. That’s especially true for the B2B market since there are usually 6-10 people involved in every buying decision. A comprehensive pillar page can satisfy a searcher’s intent to learn since it’s often the best place to get answers and find out more about the topic from every angle. Search engines reward helpful content by ranking it higher on results pages and letting it appear more often.
Pillar pages enhance the user experience
User experience (UX) “describes how a user feels when they interact with a product or service.” Having great website UX means reducing the friction people experience when navigating or using the site.
Pillar pages make it easier for people to find the information they need when searching and consume it once they land on the web page. A well-formatted pillar page that’s separated into sections and subsections with bulleted lists and images allows readers to skip to the section they most want to read.
Pillar pages with links increase engagement with visitors
A pillar page filled with valuable information keeps people reading. Internal links to other pages keep them engaged and learning on your website. People trust the page and your site, leading them to bookmark it and share it as a great resource on the topic. That means others in the B2B industry and market will share it too, increasing the trust and reputation factor for the industry, and also search engines.
Pillar pages help structure your content strategy
Creating topic clusters centered around pillar pages takes planning and homework. You’ve got to analyze your existing content to identify the most relevant B2B topics for the site and business. You can see which topics need more content, which might need revising, and which you can drop. Use them to structure your content development, so you’re always creating engaging and interesting assets for B2B readers.
Pillar pages make your content easier to crawl
A well-organized pillar page is easy for search engines to crawl because of the thoughtful organization. It’s easier for them to analyze and determine what topic and subtopics the pillar page covers. They’re more likely to recommend it in search results when they know what topic and subtopics your pillar pages cover. And when you add in semantic keywords for the topic, you increase the chances the search engines will make subtle connections between search topics and your pillar page across the Web.
Now that you’ve got a better understanding of pillar pages, let’s look at some of the types of pillar pages.
This pillar page typically contains links to internal content on the same website. It gives readers the information for free while still encouraging them to engage deeper with the topic through the internal links. Readers can get all the info they need right now by skimming the page. People will likely feel more positively towards the B2B brand because of the helpful nature of the content and the ease of accessing it.
Mailshake, an email outreach tool, created a master class on cold emails for its pillar page. It’s a resource hub for the series, making it a valuable bookmark for future reference. The page comprises eight lessons that link to other pillar pages and cluster pages, each one with a table of contents on the side that links the series together. They also offer a practical pocket guide for the topic and short videos so readers can consume the content in shorter chunks if they wish.
This is the most popular type of pillar page as it’s easy to compile and publish. It’s an effective way to bring together all content related to a single, broad topic. This pillar page attempts to address the large number of subtopics related to the main one while linking to internal resources that expand on the subtopics.
The customer service software company Help Scout covers the broad topic of customer acquisition on their pillar page. Then, they break down each subtopic in the same format: information, insights, links to more detailed info, and recommended reading. They alternate between internal links to their own content and links to helpful external articles and sites.
Help Scout’s pillar page on Customer Acquisition
B2B companies that offer multiple products and services might benefit from individual pillar pages for each one. They can answer questions regularly asked by prospects and customers, such as the types of services, business benefits, onboarding process, pricing scheme, and more.
This type of page is useful for the decision stage of the B2B buying funnel as it answers the second-level questions buyers look for. They share information and build brand awareness while pitching you as the solution.
This is how OptinMonster, a lead generation software company, uses its Beginners Guide to Email Marketing pillar page. It covers all aspects of email marketing while promoting OptinMonster as the best email conversion tool in the market.
And these are just a few of the pillar page types. You can mix and match any of them or create your own. As long as it’s comprehensive and links to other pages about the same topic, you’re good to go.
Pillar pages are a great content marketing strategy for B2B companies. They consolidate information, establish thought leadership, and increase engagement rates with readers. Plus, they’re a great way to repurpose existing content into an even more valuable resource for readers.
Take a look if you’re serious about accelerating your skills and income potential.
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