What is a Pillar Page?

A pillar page is a page on your site that covers one topic very broadly, allowing for links to other pages that cover subtopics of your general overview.

The idea of a pillar page is that the content on the pillar page will be descriptive, meaning more words and general information. Another way to describe a pillar page is an umbrella page because it covers one topic in depth and houses links to other pages that answer specific questions about your topic, like an umbrella that is a canopy over many child pages. 

A pillar page can be a blog, article, product or category page. The type of page is not as important as the content. When creating a pillar page, you want to make sure it is as broad as possible for that topic, while it’s child pages (topic clusters) are as specific as possible for that topic. 

Learn how to create a Pillage Page HERE

What Are Topic Clusters?

Topic Clusters are groups of content pieces that center around a broad topic, but specifically answer or describe a subtopic within the broad topic they belong to.

The corresponding content piece for this broad topic is a Pillar Page so Topic Clusters will form child pages of a Pillar Page. For example, since we are a digital marketing agency we would write a 101 article about Content Marketing, generally describing what it is and how it’s done, but there are many specific questions a person might ask about Content Marketing that wouldn’t be covered in a 101 article. So Topic Clusters can be used to write content addressing specific subtopics of Content Marketing like blogging or copywriting. These content pieces can then be linked throughout the Content Marketing Pillar Page where applicable.

Example of Pillar Page & Topic Cluster Structure

A Dentist Website

  • Pillar Page (blog): Everything You Need to Know About Baby Teeth
  • 1,000 Words
    • Child Page (blog): What Are the Stages of Baby Teeth?
      • 500 Words
    • Child Page (blog): Baby Bottle Tooth Decay: What It Is & How To Treat It
      • 350 Words 

In this example, a dentist wrote a blog that covered all the important aspects about baby teeth like when they come in, what to expect, and things to avoid to keep them healthy, etc. When the blog covered information about the time baby teeth erupt, the dentist linked the first child page in that section which would go more into depth about the various stages of erupted baby teeth. When the blog covered things parents should avoid to ensure healthy baby teeth, the dentist linked the second child page in that section which goes more into depth of the issues that can come up with baby teeth when not taken care of properly. The reason the dentist linked these child pages in the pillar page is because they support the general topics in the pillar page and answer more specific questions a parent could have while reading those sections. 

How Are Pillar Pages and Topic Clusters Used For SEO?

Structuring content in this way provides two SEO benefits. The first is splitting up content into longer, broader pieces and shorter, specific pieces helps content rank for competitive keywords. The more search volume a keyword has the harder it will be to rank, so you will need a long, thorough piece of content to rank for competitive keywords. These long, thorough pieces of content are Pillar Pages. With Topic Cluster content, you have the opportunity to rank for long tail, less competitive keywords because they answer specific questions a user might type into Google. 

The second benefit is it will make crawling and ranking your pages easier for Google. A computer does not read human language in the same way, so giving Google linking signals will help with context. By having companion content pieces interlinked, Google will be able to understand topics better and how they relate to a user’s query, therefore you could have a better chance of ranking.

When starting a Pillar Page and Topic Cluster initiative proper keyword research is vital. You should plan for your Pillar Pages to be centered around a high volume, competitive keyword and your Topic Cluster pieces to be centered around a long tail, low competition keywords.

Learn how to do keyword research for Topic Clusters HERE [LINK]

Example of Using Pillar Page Structure & Topic Cluster For SEO

Digital Marketing Agency

  • Pillar Page (service page): Content Marketing
  • Target Keyword: content marketing agency
  • Search Volume: 750 searches per month
  • High Competition
  • 1,000 Words
    • Child Page (service page): Video Creation & Photoshoots
    • Target Keyword: video marketing agency
    • Search Volume: 590 searches per month
    • Low Competition
    • 350 Words

In this example, a Pillar Page about Content Marketing is used to try to rank for the keyword content marketing agency which has the most search volume. Because there is more competition for that keyword, the content piece needs to have more words and cover the topic broadly to have a chance to rank. The child page is trying to rank for a less competitive keyword (video marketing agency) so it can be a child page of Content Marketing that will be linked on that page to indicate to Google and readers that it is a sub-service of Content Marketing.