How a Pillar Page Works
SEO has people at its heart. SEO should begin with analyzing user behaviors. Think of it this: Keyword research is about understanding what people are seeking. Google's algorithms change as soon as they become available, simply to reflect changes in user behavior.
I have written about user personas of Quora and here
Topic groups don't differ much.
How should I determine the content strategy for my website?
How do people understand themselves?
Map Out Topic Clusters and blog post ideas with Keyword Research
Let's put together our list of the most important buyer problems — the topic clusters can be organized into two parts. Eventually, you can write the pillar pages.
So let's say we are running a shoe store. What type of customer do we want to attract? Maybe we have two personas - for sake of brevity and my fingers typing.
One persona is the super jock and the second is the businesswoman. Just simply think of what they would want in a shoe, or shoe store. Likely they want convenience and low hassle. The super jock would want athletic only shoes. The businesswoman would want well fitting shoes for the office. I am vastly simplifying things of course. But you get the picture that you make a list of ideas and wants the individual buyer would want from a shoe store.
Once you have defined the buyer persona then you make a list of characteristics of each persona and also start thinking of keywords around those personas. The most obvious and broadest keyword would be your main topic or key pillar. Then create content pointing to the main pillar page for each user persona. Such as
how to pick the right shoe for fit, and comfort
how to choose the right running shoe for your kind of running
what are the coming trends in office fashion
And so on.
How long should a pillar page be?
Pillar posts are usually more than the usual blog articles. The rules are not strictly enforced but typically 2,000 words. Remember that they have a very rich history. This should be noted because pillar pages cannot be used in isolation.
Similar to a bicycle's spoke wheels, a page on a column draws its strength from its clusters. If you are not familiar with topic clustering here is one brief overview.
Refining your topic phrase
Topic expressions describe topics in a general sense. The topic for this example is free-lanking billing from our list of customer personality issues. How do I find topical phrases useful? Use keywords to determine what people are looking for. How should I explain a business to its customers when their search results show that it is "free"? Naturally, you should employ "freelancers". To reduce possible errors like these, use keywords in your search engine to validate the choice.
Is my topic broad enough for a pillar page?
A pillar page can make an enormous amount of cash so you should not take the opportunity lightly. When thinking about what topic should be used on your pillar pages, make sure you have one question to answer if it says "yes." Take a step-by-step into a decision tree. Site. After going through it yourself, you can start making your own decisions.
Build Internal Links Between Pillar Pages
Cluster Content for Higher Search Engine Rankings
The link in each column should include your subject line. Our topic maps example for chapter 2 focused on this topic phrase “Freelance invoices“. Each topic group posting must link back to its own page and use an anchor text “freelance billing.” The use of clean links in websites helps Google find the right topic.
How to Promote and Maintain Pillar Pages
It is written for each of the columns. Create topic clusters. We need a promotion! Generally, a promotional effort has to increase traffic to your pages and your website. Although you can have excellent clustering content, you want your pages to be authoritative sources for the subject. You should clean your internal links before promoting. Pin your sites for upcoming promotions. You can also submit your site for review by Google. Without these steps, the searchers will probably never see all your extensive changes.
Add chapters, headlines, and a table of contents to allow for easy skimming
Make it easy for the reader to find the pillar pages. Encourage chapter headings or table of contents. Remember that most people on this site will be able to locate your webpage by searching a longer query. You must be sure that the user will find exactly what he/she wants quickly and accurately. Don't worry about integrating navigation into website design.
Use Content to Promote Your Pillar Page
And you may use this information for the promotion of our pages as well! Ensure that your pillar pages remain relevant when writing. You will also be asked for suggestions for possible ideas. They are very good blogs for future reference. Keep a bookmark in mind when writing something new on your topic. As a result, you should update your pillar site to keep it up to date. We suggest revisiting a pillar site once a quarter and checking for links to appropriate cluster pages and offers.
Use Pinterest, or Google ads to build traffic when SEO alone does not cut it.
Adding a Pinterest business account and creating pins around your content will also help drive traffic to your website. Here is a guide on using Pinterest for your business.