A Comprehensive Guide on Content Pillars
Content pillar includes major content built with a proper structure and effective content strategy.
Pillar content highlights core areas of your brand. These contents lay foundation of long-form content such as blog articles, videos, social media posts, podcasts, and more.
What is a Content Pillar?
Content pillar caters to different groups of audiences. By focusing on different types of content pillars, brands can establish their unique identity in their industry.
Content writers create an entire content map to streamline content creation process. They create pillar pages to focus on a wide range of topics and subtopics to make a separate identity from their competitors.
Different Types of Content Pillars
There are different types of content pillars for different brands. However, we are going to discuss only three types of content pillars that are useful in many ways.
- The Guide Pillar:
The guide pillar page provides complete knowledge of topic. The content shelf life for guide pillar page is mostly evergreen. Such a topic covers a comprehensive guide on any topic.
For example, a fitness brand can create a diet chart for different fitness enthusiasts. Content generated under this pillar can give detailed knowledge of food items.You could even incorporate same in your daily diet to achieve desired result.
- The What Is:
As name suggests, a What Is page describes, defines, and explains topic in depth. What Is page is beneficial for audience at the beginner level, here, you get a chance to explain the topic in detail.
You can group topics into subtopics and different chapters to simplify any complex topic. For example, when you are searching for a comprehensive guide, it takes you to pillar page defining every concept related to topic.
- The How-To:
How-To pillar page provides how a task can be accomplished. Any tutorials and step-by-step guidelines can provide enough details to carry out a task with in-depth insights. Such guidelines cover broad topics with search intent.
For instance, a digital device brand can leverage on the how-to topic focusing on different key areas like how to use the special features on device.
Importance of Content Pillars in Content Strategy
Content pillars provide an encompassing view of content clusters. It helps writers narrow down topic into different sub-groups. Such sub-topics are there in relevant pages.
Here are a few points to understand why the content pillar is essential –
- Focus
Content pillar pages give an overall framework of the topic. It helps in the overall creation and organisation of the content. Pillar pages define minute aspects of the topic that serve a purpose of creation. It helps in conveying key message of brand effectively.
- Consistency
The pillars help in maintaining consistency in all content platforms and channels. Consistent creation can help in setting a tone that matches with brand’s reputation.
- Increased Traffic
Pillar content helps in increasing brand awareness and website traffic. Having robust pillar content would help your website fetch organic traffic. Thus, brand gets better visibility and awareness.
- Relevant Audience
Content pillars need to be aligned with interests of the target audience. Here, content personalisation comes into play. Choosing a topic that would serve the specific audience would help in establishing the credibility of brand.
- SEO Optimized Content
To stay ahead of the curve, the brands often choose relevant keywords to improve brand’s visibility. Consistent content would accelerate brand’s growth in digital landscape.
Developing a Pillar Content Strategy for Your Website
Das Writing Services, a leading content service provider, provides pillar pages that will ensure that your brand gets better visibility. Following are the steps that help in strategizing pillar content for the website –
- Select Pillar Topics
First, you need to select which topic would go best for your brand. Once selection is done, you can choose the keywords from SEMrush and Ubersuggst to find out relevant keywords.
- Conduct Competitor Research
Conducting a competitor analysis before finalising the topic is essential. You need to observe content strategies of your competitors such as the format, type of the topics, and keywords.
- Evaluate the Existing Content of Your Website
Evaluate the existing content and how they are performing. Try to identify gaps in content which you can replace with new pillar content. This is how you can optimise your existing content.
- Craft Pillar Content
Craft high-quality pillar content that would serve audience. Each content has to be well-researched and engaging. It should at least give some value to the readers.
- Develop Cluster Topic
Cluster topics are related content to the pillar pages. They provide additional information on the same topic. Thus, you can link your pillar content to this cluster topic.
- Promote Your Pillar Topic
After publishing your pillar content, you can connect with influencers of your industry to improve the online presence of your brand.
Takeaway
Curating content pillars for your website can enhance brand’s value. These type of authoritative content which would help establishing your brand’s name. You can learn in details how to write pillar content.