You’ve heard of a pillar blog post before, but can’t help but feel lost. You’ve been working on your marketing and you’ve nailed the use of keywords throughout your blogs. Or so you thought. That’s all it takes, right?
It seems simple enough, doesn’t it? Write relevant and engaging blogs and plug in the keywords as you go. But you’d be misinformed to think that blog posts with keywords are all you need to rank ahead of your competitors.
Now, you’re not entirely wrong. Blogging for SEO used to be an amazing way to boost your website traffic. However, content marketing has changed and requires a little more work than monthly blog posts.
Enter pillar blog posts. We’ll talk about what they are, and how you can create one that helps you make money.
Would you rather get pillar blog post assistance directly from the experts? Get started with FocusCopy.
What Is A Pillar Blog Post?
A pillar blog post is a long-form piece of content that is written covering a specific topic. It should be broad enough to offer a comprehensive look at the subject. Yet, it should also be definitive enough to get into some, but not all, of the nitty-gritty details.
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Collect Your Keywords
Before you sit staring at a blank page, you need to start with the keywords you’d like to target. Use whatever tools you normally would to narrow down some reasonably achievable keywords that apply to your business and what you have to offer.
When it comes to the keywords you’re aiming to target, make sure they:
- Are relevant to your business
- Can be combined in discussion with a service or product you offer
- Are interesting enough to pull in your target audience
Once you have your keywords rounded up, you’re ready to put together an outline. Putting together the foundation of your pillar post will help you (a lot). That way, you have something to go off of when you’re writing, and you don’t need to struggle to come up with the next topic as you go.
Define Your Topic Clusters
If you’re unfamiliar with topic clusters, they’re truly simple to understand. What your pillar page is about will be your broad topic.
As an example, this may be “Facial Plastic Surgery” if you’re a cosmetic surgeon. Or you may want to talk about “Air Conditioning Maintenance” if you own an air conditioning company. Both of these are broad enough to have the ability to discuss a bunch of other topics within them. These are called topic clusters and will consist of related topics you go a little more in-depth with. However, you shouldn’t worry about discussing each one in too much detail. You only need to talk about each topic enough to give a comprehensive view and why it’s essential.
Using our example as a cosmetic surgeon, you may want to discuss the following under your “Facial Plastic Surgery” pillar blog post:
- Rhinoplasty
- Chin implant
- Cheek enhancement
- Brow lift
- Lip fillers
For your “Air Conditioning Maintenance” pillar blog post, you may want to cover:
- HVAC definition
- Common problems resulting in AC failure
- DIY fixes
- Benefits of AC maintenance
As you can see, there are several things you can talk about. Each one of these things makes up a topic cluster. Flesh out your topic cluster based on the broad topic you’ve chosen. Then, you’re ready to move ahead with your pillar page.
Don’t Forget The Hyperlinks
Hyperlinks define your content – ultimately defining it as a pillar page. Adding hyperlinks into your content allows the reader to click and reach another page on your website. Whether it takes them to a more in-depth blog or service page, these links will help Google navigate your website, improving your ranking.
Another important element here is making sure that the linked page is also hyperlinked to your pillar page. This way, your reader can get right back to the pillar page without any trouble. It creates a sort of full-circle moment and helps Google understand what your website is about. Then Google can determine whether you’re offering valuable content rather than stuffing keywords into copy that isn’t well-written or helpful.
Is A Pillar Page A Blog Post?
Yes and no. This can be difficult to understand because pillar pages look like web pages but are longer than regular blog posts. The truth is, they’re a combination of the two with a purpose.
Your typical blog posts are pretty specific, and the reader knows exactly what to expect from it. This type of blog post is probably about 1,500 words. Its topic is narrowed, coming from the expert (you), and can contain many keywords to help your ranking.
However, you can think of a pillar blog post more as a what-you-need-to-know page. It’s full of topic clusters, which help organize your content as you go. You can talk about them all on your pillar page, but you wouldn’t go into as much detail as you would on a devoted blog. You can also use the space to answer commonly asked questions your clients are most likely to ask.
RELATED: 6 Essential Elements In A Blog You Need To Include Today
Can I Use My Page As A Blog Post?
Yes. As mentioned above, pillar pages have an interesting blend of blog and website components. Additionally, you can use them as blog posts for your business as long as they have the necessary aspects needed to serve as a pillar page genuinely.
How Long Is Too Long For A Pillar Blog Post?
Let’s start by saying pillar pages do need to be long. And they certainly need to be longer than your regular blog posts. However, there’s no need to go overboard and write 20,000 words on a single page. Your sweet spot will be at 2,000 words. It’s okay to go over a little bit, but you don’t want to overwhelm your readers and force the topic if you’re starting to lose your intention.
If you’re having trouble and don’t know where to start, talk to the team at FocusCopy.
Perfecting Pillar Blog Posts For Clients In All Industries
Google and its algorithm can be a nightmare to navigate, especially if you’re not too up-to-date in the digital marketing world. But that’s okay! As a business owner, you’ve already done so much and perfected your own craft. So, if you feel like you know where to begin, but don’t have the time and tools to do it yourself, allow the experts at FocusCopy to guide you.
We can not only walk you through the process, but you’ll have open communication every step of the way.
What do you say? Let’s grab a virtual coffee and get going on your digital marketing goals.
Need help writing pillar blog posts for your business? Contact FocusCopy for help.
