Pillar pages are the instauration of an effectual hunt motor optimization (SEO) strategy.

At Backlinko, we usage pillar pages to unafraid precocious hunt rankings for thousands of keywords.

Case successful point:

Our pillar leafage for the taxable “Link Building for SEO.”

This pillar leafage appears astatine the apical of Google Search results for its people keyword, “link gathering for SEO.”

As you tin see, fantabulous pillar leafage contented helps boost your website’s visibility connected Google.

That’s wherefore creating it should beryllium an integral portion of your content selling strategy.

That’s what you’ll larn astir today. We’ll cover:

• • What pillar pages are
  • How they assistance with SEO
  • How to make pillar pages, measurement by step
  • Examples of effectual pillar pages

What Are Pillar Pages?

Pillar pages—or pillar posts—contain contented that comprehensively covers a wide topic. They service arsenic a cardinal hub that provides an in-depth overview and, importantly, links to much elaborate pages known arsenic clump pages. These clump pages screen subtopics related to the pillar page.

Together, the pillar leafage and its clump pages signifier a taxable cluster. The taxable clump organizes accusation logically. And guides users done the taxable successful a structured manner.

Plus, the enactment of the taxable clump helps hunt engines recognize the narration betwixt the antithetic pieces of content. Which should assistance amended the pages’ hunt motor rankings.

Pillar pages are ever portion of a taxable cluster. Their powerfulness lies successful connections to related clump pages, forming a broad web of interlinked content.

To illustrate:

Let’s accidental you person a pillar leafage connected “organic gardening.”

The taxable cluster’s operation would look similar the 1 below, with the pillar leafage lasting arsenic the “pillar” holding each the pages together.

• Topic cluster: Organic gardening
• Pillar page: “Organic Gardening for Urban Spaces: A Complete guide”
  (topic clump superior keyword: “organic gardening”)
• Cluster pages:
  • “Starting an Organic Garden successful Small Spaces”
    (topic clump secondary keyword: “organic plot tiny spaces”)
  • “Balcony Gardening: Tips for Organic Growth”
    (topic clump secondary keyword: “balcony gardening tips”)
  • “How to Do Natural Pest Control for Urban Gardens”
    (topic clump secondary keyword: “natural pest power municipality gardens”)

How Pillar Pages Benefit Your SEO

Pillar pages assistance boost your SEO rankings successful respective businesslike ways. Here are the apical reasons wherefore they’re truthful effective:

1. They Help Search Engines Find Your Content

Pillar pages nexus to assorted related subtopic pages, creating a wide and logical way for hunt engines to follow.

This interconnected operation helps hunt engines observe much of your contented and recognize its discourse and relevance.

2. They Optimize Link Structure

By linking the pillar leafage to clump pages and vice versa, you make a strong web of interior links. This helps users navigate the site. And helps hunt engines recognize which pages are astir important.

3. They Target Keywords Efficiently

Pillar pages people the taxable cluster’s broader superior keyword. While clump pages people the taxable cluster’s long-tail, secondary keywords. This dual attack helps you fertile for some wide and circumstantial hunt presumption connected a fixed topic.

4. They Improve the User Experience

Pillar pages connection broad sum of a topic, providing users with a invaluable resource. This keeps users engaged. Reduces bounce rates. And increases dwell time. All of which are affirmative signals to hunt engines.

5. They Build Your Topical Authority

By covering a taxable in-depth, you awesome to hunt engines that your tract is simply a broad resource. Plus, strategically linking the pillar leafage and clump pages, boosts the credibility of each the articles—creating a web of high-quality, authoritative content. This strengthens your site’s topical authorization and establishes it arsenic an adept source.

6. They Provide a Chance to Earn Backlinks

Pillar pages—with their broad and invaluable content—are premier candidates for earning backlinks. Other websites are much apt to notation and nexus to these in-depth guides, perchance boosting your wide authority.

How to Create Pillar Pages: A Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these steps to make effectual pillar pages.

Step 1: Pick Your Topic Cluster Idea

Begin by selecting a taxable for your taxable cluster.

Ultimately, you’ll privation an thought that aligns with the topics you privation your blog to beryllium known for. Piques the involvement of your people audience. And is associated with a broad, high-volume keyword that’s applicable to your niche. (More connected that successful measurement 2.)

The taxable shouldn’t beryllium truthful wide that it becomes unmanageable. But it should beryllium expansive capable for you to make aggregate related pieces of contented astir it.

We know. It’s a gangly order, particularly if you’re caller to this contented instauration process.

So wherever bash you get ideas?

Consider:

• Topics your assemblage is already showing involvement in
• Themes your competitors person covered that you haven’t
• Topics that people pb to income oregon conversions
• Topics foundational to your niche

If you cognize your niche well, uncovering taxable clump ideas whitethorn travel easily.

But, sometimes you mightiness request a small assistance to get ideas flowing. One mode to get large contented ideas is by spying connected your competitors.

For example, if you person an affiliate niche tract that promotes a gardening store, here’s what you tin do:

Go to The Spruce website. Look astatine their gardening and plants conception for taxable inspiration. You’ll find they screen a assortment of topics specified arsenic perennials, landscaping, plants, flowers, gardening basics, and shrubs.

These marque large taxable clusters due to the fact that they entreaty to a wide scope of readers. And you tin make respective related subtopics for clump pages.

If manually researching for topics feels similar excessively overmuch work, usage keyword probe tools similar Semrush to streamline the process.

Here’s how:

Sign up for a free 14-day Semrush trial.

Navigate to “Content Marketing” > “Topic Research.”

This instrumentality gives you ideas for wide topics that should beryllium cleanable for creating taxable clusters.

In the hunt bar, participate a taxable related to your blog specified arsenic “plants.” And click “Get contented Ideas.”

Semrush volition supply a database of high-potential topics that are apt to thrust postulation to your site. A metric they telephone “Topic Efficiency.”

Pick immoderate of the wide topics suggested—or make a caller hunt for much taxable suggestions—until you find an thought for your taxable clump that you like.

Step 2: Research Keywords to Target

Next step. Identifying the keywords for some the pillar leafage and the clump pages.

But first, let’s get thing straight.

Before you probe circumstantial keywords to people successful your content, marque definite to prioritize taxable clump ideas that volition really assistance readers recognize the taxable better.

While pairing your taxable clump contented with keywords that person steadfast hunt measurement and achievable keyword trouble are important, your superior extremity should beryllium to amended your readers’ knowing of the covered topic.

A reader-first approach—rather than focusing solely connected numbers—will people pb you to the close keywords. And guarantee your contented aligns with what your assemblage finds valuable.

Given that Google’s caller algorithm updates prioritize adjuvant contented and idiosyncratic experience, this attack is much important than ever.

Pillar Page Keyword

Choosing the keyword for your pillar leafage is usually straightforward since it’s intimately tied to your chosen taxable cluster.

The keyword should person a precocious hunt volume. And it should connection opportunities for aggregate subtopics.

Say your taxable clump is “outdoor plants.”

Start by listing related keywords utilizing tools similar Google Keyword Planner, Answer the Public, oregon Semrush.

On Semrush, you tin usage the “Keyword Magic Tool” tool.

Enter your wide topic. Then click “Search.”

This volition springiness you a database of keyword ideas and variations.

Look for a keyword with precocious hunt measurement (indicating popularity) and manageable keyword trouble (indicating however pugnacious it is to fertile for).

For example, the keyword “outdoor plants,” has a hunt measurement of 22.2K and a keyword trouble of 39, indicating it’s feasible to fertile for.

Great. You’ve got a keyword for your pillar page. That was easy, right?

You’re not finished yet.

Now that you person your keyword, you request to determine connected the cardinal taxable for your pillar page. The cardinal taxable volition pass the absorption of your article. Guides, how-to articles, oregon eventual resources are each bully options.

Let’s look astatine immoderate examples.

Here are immoderate pillar leafage titles targeting the keyword “outdoor plants.” Each represents a antithetic benignant of pillar leafage with a unsocial cardinal theme:

• How to Grow Outdoor Plants, Step-by-step
• Best Outdoor Plants: The Beginner’s Guide
• Caring for Outdoor Plants: Your Ultimate Resource

Each of these titles targets the keyword “outdoor plants” but approaches it from a antithetic perspective.

Identify the cardinal taxable of your pillar leafage from the get-go. Your clump leafage subtopics volition beryllium connected it.

Keywords for Cluster Pages

Once you’ve identified your pillar leafage keyword and its cardinal theme, it’s clip to find subtopics and keywords for your clump pages.

Great clump leafage keywords are usually long-tail keywords. They expound connected and enactment the pillar leafage topic. And are subtopics of the pillar page.

Wondering however to find them? Google is simply a large starting point.

Go to Google. Enter your pillar leafage keyword positive its cardinal theme.

Scroll to the “People besides ask” section. Here, you’ll find questions related to the topic.

You tin besides cheque the “Related searches” conception for much keyword ideas.

Use the “People besides ask” questions and related searches arsenic inspiration for your clump leafage topics.

For example, you mightiness person a database of topics similar this:

• What’s the easiest works to turn outdoors
• Outdoor plants for beginners afloat sun
• Small outdoor plants for beginners

These marque large clump leafage topics. They’re long-tail keywords with informational search intent. And they enactment the pillar leafage topic.

The occupation with this process? You don’t cognize if they’re viable keywords to fertile for.

Let’s spell to Semrush for that.

Navigate to the “Keyword Overview” tool.

Enter 1 of your chosen topics, specified arsenic “Small outdoor plants for beginners.”

In the model that opens, you’ll spot its keyword trouble (KD) and hunt volume. This keyword has a KD of 49%, which means it’s imaginable to rank. However, it has a hunt measurement of 0.

So, what should you do?

Here’s what we say:

You tin prime this keyword for your clump pages.

Even keywords with zero hunt volume, particularly those successful Google’s “People besides ask” section, tin beryllium invaluable for a clump page.

But, if you spot a broader keyword you tin target, widen your search. And look for related keywords with higher hunt volume.

For example, alternatively of “What’s the easiest works to turn outdoors,” hunt for “easiest plants to turn outdoors.”

This related long-tail keyword has manageable difficulty. And a hunt measurement of 50.

You mightiness privation to people this keyword instead.

This is the benignant of taxable and keyword you’ll privation for clump pages: Long-tail. Supports the pillar leafage topic. And fits successful the taxable cluster.

Many get stuck astatine this constituent with questions like: What if the keywords don’t person capable hunt volume? How important is keyword difficulty? Is it much important to absorption connected however the taxable supports the pillar page—and disregard keyword metrics altogether?

Here’s what Backlinko’s Head of Growth, Leigh McKenzie says:

Step 3: Create an Outline That Comprehensively Covers the Topic Cluster

Creating an outline for your nonfiction isn’t conscionable astir listing headings and subheadings.

You request to operation the full taxable cluster. For broad taxable sum and interlinking.

But earlier we speech astir specifics, let’s recap what you should theoretically person aft steps 1 and 2:

• A taxable cluster: Like, “growing outdoor plants”
• A pillar leafage keyword: Like, “outdoor plants”
• A pillar leafage title: Like, “Best Outdoor Plants for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide”
• Cluster leafage plans, like:
  • Title: “Outdoor Plants That Like Direct Sunlight: Guide for New Gardeners”
  • Keyword: “outdoor plants that similar nonstop sunlight”
  • Title: “Large Outdoor Plants: Top Choices for Your Garden”
  • Keyword: “large outdoor plants”
  • Title: “What Are the Easiest Outdoor Plants to Grow? A Beginner’s Guide”
  • Keyword: “easiest outdoor plants to grow”

Have this accusation acceptable earlier you constitute the outline. It volition pass the operation of your pillar page.

Key Points for Creating Your Outline

1. Focus connected the Target Keyword

For each leafage outline, support the keyword you privation to fertile for successful mind. Structure your outline to people incorporated this keyword. This volition guarantee that the contented stays relevant. Focused. And SEO-optimized.

2. Integrate Cluster Page Topics Into the Pillar Page Outline

Include each of the clump leafage subtopics successful your pillar leafage outline.

This helps screen the taxable comprehensively. And makes it easier to make links betwixt the pillar leafage and the clump pages.

3. Make Sure Each Page successful the Topic Cluster Can Stand Alone

Structure your outlines truthful that the pillar leafage and clump pages each connection worth independently. Every leafage should thoroughly code its topic. So that readers tin recognize it without speechmaking the different pages.

Using ChatGPT to Create Your Outline

Now for immoderate bully news.

This portion of the process is cleanable for our friend, ChatGPT. Here’s a punctual you tin use:

Create a broad outline for a pillar leafage based connected the pursuing information:

• Topic Cluster: [TOPIC]
• Pillar Page Target Keyword: [KEYWORD]
• Pillar Page Title: [TITLE]
• Cluster Page Subtopics:
  • [LIST OF SUBTOPICS]

Guidelines for Writing the Outline:

1. Structure the outline to people incorporated the keyword [YOUR KEYWORD]
2. Structure the outline successful the discourse of the taxable cluster. And see each subtopic.
3. Make definite the outline includes accusation connected wherever to adhd a nexus to the clump pages
4. Organize the subtopics successful a logical manner

And voila! ChatGPT automatically generates an outline for you.

It’s a coagulated starting point. All that remains is for you to reappraisal and tweak this archetypal outline to amended lucifer your unsocial insights and circumstantial SEO needs.

Step 4: Write and Design the Pillar Page

When you constitute your pillar page, absorption connected creating broad contented that is utile for the reader. And marque definite to seamlessly incorporated the taxable clump keywords.

To assistance boost your hunt rankings, travel SEO champion practices arsenic you write.

Here are immoderate SEO penning tips to support successful mind:

Include the keyword successful your title. Which should usage an H1 tag.

Place the superior keyword aboriginal successful the article.

Add a array of contents for casual contented navigation.

And constitute high-quality contented that offers existent value. Solves problems for readers. And answers communal questions.

Apart from the content, bully plan is besides integral to pillar pages.

A well-designed leafage improves idiosyncratic experience. Which encourages readers to enactment longer and prosecute much profoundly with the content. It supports the contented by making it much accessible and appealing.

Here’s however to usage plan efficaciously connected your pillar page:

Use visuals to interruption up text: This helps with readability and illustrating cardinal points.

Format successful favour of achromatic space: Ample achromatic abstraction creates a clean, uncluttered look. And makes it easier for readers to work and navigate the content.

Keep blocks of transcript short: Break your contented into sections with wide subheadings (H2, H3 tags). They usher readers done the contented and marque it easier to scan.

Step 5: Write the Cluster Page Content and Interlink All the Pages

Now, absorption connected creating the clump pages that enactment your pillar page. One for each secondary keyword.

If you’ve chosen six secondary keywords, you’ll request to draught six clump leafage articles.

Now for a precise important portion of creating clump pages:

Make definite to nexus each the pages successful the taxable cluster. This is imperative. Links are the backbone of your taxable cluster.

From the pillar page, nexus to each of the clump pages successful antithetic sections of the article.

And. On each clump page, adhd a nexus backmost to the pillar page.

For example, connected 1 of our pillar pages, “Ecommerce SEO: The Definitive Guide,” there’s an interior nexus to the clump page, “Shopify SEO: The Complete Beginner’s Guide.”

And if you look astatine the Shopify SEO clump page, you’ll spot that it besides links backmost to the ecommerce SEO pillar page.

Step 6: Promote and Measure

After each the hard enactment and clip you’ve spent penning the pillar and clump pages, it’s clip to beforehand the content. And get it successful beforehand of your perfect customers.

Use some integrated and paid contented organisation strategies including:

• Email Marketing: Send retired a peculiar email oregon newsletter blurb highlighting the caller content
• Social Media: Share the contented crossed your societal media channels
• Guest Posting: Write impermanent posts connected different sites with links backmost to your pillar page
• Targeted Ads: Use targeted societal media ads and see paid promotions done platforms similar Google Ads. Or done influencer campaigns.

As you rotation retired this integer selling strategy, measurement the show of your pillar leafage and the clump pages.

Go to Google Search Console (GSC) to way however good these pages are performing.

In GSC explore:

• Are the pages ranking for the people hunt terms?
• Are they attracting a bully magnitude of integrated traffic?
• Are they getting earthy backlinks?

Alongside GSC, usage tools similar Google Analytics to way applicable metrics.

Pay attraction to the mean engagement clip connected the page. This indicates however agelong users enactment engaged with your content. A higher engagement clip usually means that the contented is relevant. And absorbing to your audience.

Additional metrics to see include:

• Scroll depth: This shows however acold users are scrolling down the page. Which tin bespeak however engaging they find the content.

  

• Links clicked: See if users are exploring the secondary pages linked from your pillar page
• Conversions: Track however good your contented is driving users to purchase.

Best Practices for Effective Pillar Pages

These are the elements that assistance you make an effectual and impactful pillar page.

Leave Content Ungated

Make pillar pages afloat crawlable by hunt engines. Don’t necessitate visitors to taxable idiosyncratic information, similar their email address, to entree the content.

If you privation to cod emails, see adding a contented upgrade. Such arsenic a downloadable checklist. This allows visitors to opt-in without gating entree to the main content.

Choose a User-Friendly Layout and Design

Poor plan tin undermine large content.

Make your leafage user-friendly to support readers engaged. And marque the accusation casual to digest.

Organize contented into clear, chiseled sections. And usage plan elements similar headings, slug points, and abbreviated paragraphs to marque the substance casual to skim.

Add applicable images to complement the text. And see a array of contents to marque it casual for users to navigate betwixt antithetic sections of the page.

Add Internal and External Links

Linking is the lifeblood of pillar pages.

Internally, nexus to each applicable clump pages wrong your taxable cluster. And marque definite these pages nexus backmost to the pillar page.

Externally, nexus to authoritative sites erstwhile you notation accusation that’s applicable to your taxable and audience. But not covered connected your ain site.

This adds worth for your readers. And is considered bully SEO practice.

Include Strong Call to Actions (CTAs)

CTAs punctual readers to instrumentality immoderate adjacent measurement aligns with your selling goals.

You mightiness invitation them to motion up for a newsletter. Read a blog post. Or click done to an affiliate partner.

Place CTAs passim your contented and astatine the bottommost of the page. To promote further enactment without disrupting the speechmaking experience.

Types of Pillar Pages (+ Examples)

There are respective types of pillar pages, each designed to service a antithetic purpose.

Here are 3 communal types.

1. The Ultimate Guide Pillar Pages

These pages supply an all-encompassing assets connected a peculiar topic. Often covering each facet of the taxable matter.

It is designed to beryllium the go-to assets for readers who privation extended and thorough information. Including in-depth insights, idiosyncratic experiences, applicable tips, and actionable advice.

Take a look astatine the illustration below: “Investing: An Introduction” by Investopedia. It’s a thorough usher for beginners to larn astir each the large plus classes.

By the end, caller investors should person a coagulated grasp of the antithetic types of investments.

2. How-to Pillar Pages

How-to pillar pages connection step-by-step instructions connected however to implicit a circumstantial task.

They marque definite readers recognize the taxable thoroughly. And usher them done each step.

Here’s 1 of our how-to pillar pages. It’s called: “SEO Strategy: How to Create an Effective Plan.”

This pillar leafage breaks down the strategical SEO process into 10 elaborate steps.

3. Resource Pillar Pages

Resource pillar pages enactment arsenic a cardinal hub with links to assorted pages that screen a fixed topic—including articles, tools, and notation material.

These pages are invaluable for users looking for consolidated accusation and tools. In a single, easy-to-navigate location.

An illustration is our “Best Free SEO Tools” blog article, which lists 41 SEO tools.

Drive More Traffic to Your Pillar Pages

Publishing robust pillar pages and a broad postulation of supporting clump pages is simply a large mode to physique tract authority. Get recognized for high-quality content. And amended your SEO for amended rankings successful integrated search.

But that’s lone the beginning.

Once your taxable clusters are live, you’ll privation to marque definite they’re pursuing each applicable SEO champion practices. That way, they’re much apt to fertile good connected Google Search. And pull a bigger assemblage to your site.

Get started with our implicit on-page SEO guide. It’s afloat of tips you tin use instantly to boost the prime of your pillar and clump pages.

The station Pillar Pages: How to Create One + Examples appeared archetypal connected Backlinko.