There are 8.5 billion searches happening every day on Google alone. How do you make sure your website isn't falling through the cracks?
Pillar pages are a great way to improve your sites authority and relevance, which helps it rank higher in the search engines. With quality website design and relevant content, you can generate more website traffic, resulting in more MQLs and quote requests for your sales team.
Below, we dive into the different types of pillar pages and how this website structure can help. Keep reading to find out how you can improve your content offerings.
A pillar page is a comprehensive, in-depth guide or resource that covers a specific topic in detail. It is designed to be the "go-to" resource for information on that topic, and it is often used as the foundation for a website's content strategy. Pillar pages that we build for our clients at Highway 9 are typically around 5,000 words in length and are organized into sections, making it easy for users to find the information they need. They can include text, images, videos, and other types of media to make the content more engaging and informative.
Think of it as a treatise on your solution, or a chapter book on the problem that you help customers solve.
Pillar pages are used in conjunction with topic clusters to create a clean organization of content that is appealing to both marketers and Google. Topic clusters are built around specific long tail keywords that provide more detail about the overall pillar page subject. A pillar page is like the table of contents in a book, with each topic cluster representing a chapter. Each topic cluster links back to the pillar page so the reader can continue researching the topic across multiple "chapters."
HubSpot has a great blog article that defines a pillar page and provides some examples to follow.
Pillar pages are important for SEO because they provide a clear structure for your content and make it easy for search engines to understand the main topic of your website. They also help to establish your website as an authority on a specific topic, which can help to improve your search engine rankings.
One of the key benefits of building a pillar page is that it allows you to create a large amount of content around a single topic. This can be extremely beneficial for SEO as it allows you to target multiple long-tail keywords (longer phrases with less search volume) which can help to increase your website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERP). Additionally, pillar pages can also be used to create internal links, which can help to boost the authority of your website and improve your search engine rankings.
Another benefit of building a pillar page is that it can help to improve the user experience on your website. By providing a comprehensive guide or resource on a specific topic, you can make it easy for users to find the information they need. This can help to reduce bounce rates, increase the amount of time users spend on your website, and improve the overall user experience.
To create a pillar page, you first need to choose a topic that you want to focus on. This topic should be relevant to your business and something that your target audience is interested in. Once you have chosen a topic, you can start to create your content. It's important to make sure that your content is well-researched, informative, and engaging. You can include text, images, videos, and other types of media to make the content more engaging and informative.
When creating your content, it's important to focus on a specific keyword or phrase that you want to rank for, and to optimize your content for that keyword. This includes including the keyword in the title, throughout the body of the text, and in the meta tags. Additionally, you should also use subheadings and sections to break up your content and make it easy for users to find the information they need.
Once your pillar page is complete, you can then use it to create internal links to other related content on your website. This can help to boost the authority of your website and improve your search engine rankings. Additionally, you can also share your pillar page on social media and other platforms to drive traffic to your website and increase visibility for your business.
At Highway 9, we routinely build pillar pages for our clients as part of our content strategy and demand generation plan. We combine this with downloadable content that support the pillar page to increase qualified sales leads.
Here are two examples:
The Panther Companies specializes in Drilling Fluids Management. We authored a seven chapter Guide to a Total Fluid Management Service pillar page that helps a prospect understand the benefits of a systems approach to drilling fluids, the equipment required and how Panther can help. Internal links take the reader to blogs that drill down into specific topics. A rigsite tour video lands at the bottom of the last chapter to tie things together. The guide has helped Panther obtain first-page rankings for key drilling fluids keywords.
In another example, United Poly Systems manufactures and sells High Density Polyethylene Pipe (HDPE). For United Poly Systems, Highway 9 developed a Guide to HDPE Pipe pillar page. Beginning with the history of HDPE, the pillar page teaches what it is, how it is manufactured, where it is used and how it is installed. This is complemented by blog articles and a PDF download for lead generation.
If you are looking to increase your website presence - through improved search engine rankings, relevance and authority we can help.
Contact us today to get started!