Should I Use Pillar Pages In My Content Marketing Plan?

With so much content available online, it can be difficult for your brand’s message to be heard. That’s where pillar pages come in, a popular content marketing strategy that can help boost your online visibility, enhance your SEO efforts and generate more leads. In this article, discover the benefits of using pillar pages, what they are and how they can help you create a more powerful content marketing strategy.

What are Pillar Pages and How Do They Work?

Pillar pages are long-form content pieces that provide an overview of a particular topic or industry. They should incorporate long-tail keywords and link to other pieces of related content, such as blogs, eBooks, case studies, videos, etc. This type of page serves as a foundation for the rest of your content and should be optimised to drive SEO and attract organic traffic.

Pillar pages are a highly effective content marketing tool that enables organisations to curate comprehensive and high-quality information hubs relating to a particular topic. Such informational hub pages offer a range of different sections, including:

Introduction to the Topic: A brief overview of the topic and why it’s important to the reader.
Detailed Explanation: A more in-depth explanation of the topic and its components.
Tips and Advice: Strategies for getting started, best practices, etc.
Resources Links: Links to other related content, tools, and resources.

5 Ways Pillar Pages Can Help with SEO

Pillar pages are an essential element of an effective SEO strategy. They provide a centralised hub for content related to a particular topic, which can help establish your brand as an authority on that topic. This can help to increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), attract more organic traffic to your website, and ultimately generate more leads and conversions.

Here are a few ways that pillar pages can help with SEO:

1. Improve Site Structure

By creating a pillar page and linking to other related pieces of content, you’re creating a more organised and structured website. This can help search engine crawlers understand the relationships between your pages, which can improve your overall search engine rankings.

2. Boost Keyword Rankings

Pillar pages should be optimised for long-tail keywords related to your industry or niche. By using these keywords strategically throughout your content, you can help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for those keywords.

3. Attract Backlinks

High-quality pillar pages that provide valuable information can attract backlinks from other websites, which can improve your website’s overall authority and search engine rankings.

4. Increase Dwell Time

Dwell time is the amount of time that visitors spend on your website after clicking through from a search engine results page (SERP). By providing comprehensive and engaging content on your pillar page, you can increase dwell time, which can signal to search engines that your website provides valuable information and should be ranked higher in search results.

How Pillar Pages Simplify Your Content

Creating a centralised hub of information related to a particular topic is one of the key benefits of using pillar pages in your content marketing strategy. It streamlines your content and makes it easier for your audience to navigate your website. Pillar pages provide a comprehensive overview of a particular topic or industry, making it easier for your audience to understand complex subjects.

By linking to related content, you can create a more organised site that is easy to navigate and reduce the amount of repetitive content that you need to create. This improves the user experience, resulting in higher engagement and more conversions.

4 Ways Pillar Pages Can Increase Conversions

Pillar pages can be a powerful tool for increasing conversions on your website. By providing comprehensive and engaging content on a particular topic, you can establish your brand as an authority, build trust with your audience, and drive more conversions.

Here are a few ways that pillar pages can increase conversions:

1. Establish Authority

Pillar pages can help to establish your brand as an authority on a particular topic. By providing valuable and comprehensive information, you can build trust with your audience and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. This can make it more likely that visitors to your site will convert into customers.

2. Educate Your Audience

Pillar pages are designed to educate your audience about a particular topic. By providing detailed and engaging content, you can help your audience understand complex topics and make more informed decisions about your products or services. This can lead to higher conversion rates, as your audience will be more likely to see the value in what you offer.

3. Drive Traffic to Your Site

By creating high-quality pillar pages that are optimised for search engines, you can attract more organic traffic to your website. This can increase the number of potential customers who are exposed to your brand, which can lead to higher conversion rates.

4. Provide a Clear Call to Action on Pillar Pages

A well-designed pillar page must have a precise call to action (CTA) that motivates visitors to take action. This call to action can be in the form of filling out a contact form, downloading an eBook, or subscribing to a newsletter. When properly positioned, a call to action can effectively boost conversions and transform visitors into loyal customers.

Step-by-Step Guide on How to Create an Effective Pillar Page

When creating a pillar page, there are several steps you should take to ensure your content is effective:

Step 1: Research Your Topic

Before you start writing, take some time to research the topic and become an expert on it. This will make it easier for you to create comprehensive and engaging content that resonates with your audience.

Step 2: Determine Your Audience

It’s important to understand who your target audience is before you create a pillar page. This will help you create content that is tailored to their needs and interests.

Step 3: Conduct Keyword Research

Once you have a topic in mind, you should conduct keyword research to identify the long-tail keywords that you want to target. These keywords should be incorporated throughout your pillar page to help improve its SEO and attract organic traffic. We recommend using a tool like Semrush or Surfer SEO to conduct your keyword research and monitor your online ranking.

Step 4: Create Quality Content

When creating your pillar page, make sure to create high-quality content that is comprehensive and engaging. This will help establish your authority in the industry and encourage visitors to take the desired action.

Step 5: Organise and Structure Content

Once you have the content written, it’s time to organise and structure it. This can include breaking up text into sections, adding images and videos, and linking to related content.

Step 6: Link Out to Other Resources

Please ensure to provide links to relevant content and resources that visitors can explore for additional information on the topic.

Step 7: Promote Your Pillar Page

Use social media, email marketing, or other channels to promote your pillar page and increase your reach and number of visitors to your website.

Why is Keyword Research Important for Pillar Pages?

While keyword research is an important part of any content marketing strategy, it’s especially important when creating pillar pages. By targeting long-tail keywords related to your topic, you can help ensure that your page is visible in search engine results and attract more organic traffic.

Additionally, by incorporating these keywords throughout the content on the page, you can improve its SEO and ensure that visitors are able to find the content they’re looking for. This can lead to higher conversion rates and a more successful content marketing strategy.

How to Integrate Pillar Pages into Your Content Marketing Strategy

Once you’ve created your pillar page, it is important to integrate it into your overall content marketing strategy. This will help you maximise the benefits of the page and increase visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs). There are several ways to do this, including internal links, using social media to promote your content and encourage engagement, and including pillar pages in your editorial calendar so you can stay on top of the content.

By taking the time to properly integrate your pillar page into your overall content marketing strategy, you can ensure that it is making a positive contribution to your website’s performance and ROI.

Do Pillar Pages Help With Lead Generation?

Pillar pages can certainly be a valuable tool for lead generation. Since they provide comprehensive information on a particular topic or theme, they can attract a wide range of potential leads interested in learning more about that subject. By engaging users with content that matches their interests, it’s possible to convert them into leads by offering additional resources or sign-up options.

Additionally, as pillar pages are highly shareable, they can potentially increase your brand’s visibility and attract more leads organically.

Final Thoughts

Pillar pages are an effective content marketing tool that can help boost your online visibility, enhance your SEO efforts, and generate more leads. By providing comprehensive information on a particular topic, pillar pages simplify your content and create a more powerful content marketing strategy.

If you need help with your online reputation management strategy or want to build significant brand trust and credibility online, WSI-eMarketing can help. Our team of experts specialises in online reputation management, SEO, social media, PPC, content marketing, and web development.