A Guide to Content Pillars Part 1: Getting Started
A Shift in Search Marketing
Search trends have changed continuously over the years to keep up with Google’s frequent algorithm updates. What used to rely heavily on keyword placement and optimization has taken a more nuanced approach in recent years. Starting with the Hummingbird update in 2013, Google began analyzing phrases more than keywords, followed by a rise in voice search in more recent years—resulting in longer, more conversational search queries.
With all of this in mind, it is important for content marketers to realize that Google is optimizing results based on a user’s intent first, rather than a particular keyword ranking or search volume. So while it is still important to consider SEO as you create content for your website, it is more important that you are creating quality content that is relevant to your audience.
This is where content pillars come in. Building comprehensive content pillars around your brand’s personality and business goals is the shift your content marketing strategy needs. We’re taking a deep dive into what this means and how to get started—let’s jump into it.
Defining Key Content Strategy Terms
This article is one of several that will build your knowledge on developing content pillars. To set you up for success, familiarize yourself with the terms below. All of these terms work together under the umbrella of content pillars for your brand, positioning you as the expert on your chosen topic. This builds trust with your users as they look for content to achieve their goals.
Topic
In the context we’re discussing, a topic is generally a broad idea or discussion point that relates to the products or services you offer. In the simplest of terms, the topics you choose to focus on should reflect what you want to be known for by your audience.
For example, if you are a pet shop trying to sell more potty training products, you may choose a topic such as, “How to potty train your puppy.” As a searchterm, this phrase has 40,500 searches a month and has a 56% keyword difficulty. We’ll follow up on this example in part 2.
Subtopic
Subtopic keywords are more specific—they support the topic at hand and often address a question your audience may be asking. Subtopics are perfect content builders and often show up in various content styles such as blogs, in-depth articles, podcasts, and more.
In each subtopic-driven piece of content, aim to include a link back to the topic pillar page you’re supporting to drive traffic to the website and improve your link building strategy.
Topic Cluster
Combining what we’ve discussed, a topic cluster is the result of one topic and 8-12 subtopics, all aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding around an idea. HubSpot’s Vice President, Matthew Barby, explains it like this:
A topic cluster is a collection of semantically relevant content that individually covers smaller themes within an overarching topic.
In a way, topic clusters become a small, well-articulated army going to battle on behalf of your brand to compete in search rankings and arm your audience with the right information to make a decision.
Pillar Page
Putting it all together, a pillar page is the front-facing structure for your topic cluster. Think of it as a landing page filled with guiding questions and answers to propel your audience toward a conversion.
The content on a pillar page is typically 2,000+ words, using strategically placed content, CTAs, and photos. Filled with internal links back to subtopic page content, the pillar page is able to inform users, build a strong internal linking strategy, and gain page authority.
Choosing the Right Topics: A Crash Course
A strong content pillar always begins with selecting the right topics. Part 2 in this series will break down how to choose topics and subtopics that support your business goals while considering search trends, but here are three things to consider in the meantime.
1) Consider your audience
As a business, what are the main problems you aim to solve for your audience? Think through the questions they may have and provide solutions to what they are looking for. Other brands with similar goals will be fighting for their attention so be helpful and direct!
2) Consider your business
What are you experts in? What is your brand’s personality? What are your business goals for the year? When you start to identify these pieces of information that you know to be true, you can create content from a place of authority, trusting that it’s intentional and goal-oriented.
3) Consider your current content
Don’t stress about reinventing the wheel. Chances are, you’ve already developed content that supports the topics you want to highlight. Take an inventory and start identifying patterns or opportunities to group the content together in a way that makes sense. This is the starting point for creating topic clusters.
Get your list of topics ready & stay tuned in.
If it sounds like content pillars are missing from your current marketing strategy, don’t miss our next two blogs breaking down the topic even further. In the next post, we’ll help you narrow down your list of topics based on keyword research, and the final post will give you the building blocks to create a pillar page.
For more information on Reusser’s approach to content strategy, take a look at our process.
