The growing industry of blogging is changing the way how content is served to readers nowadays. Not to mention search engine crawlers from companies like Google are reducing their crawling cost by avoiding thin content on the internet.
This makes it clear that creating useful and in-depth content is a requisite if anyone wishes to grow as a successful blogger. The same concept applies to business websites as well. A lot of website owners deal with this problem by creating pillar content(aka cornerstone content).
Without a doubt creating Pillar content is the right way to get your cluster content indexed quickly. But understanding what it is and how it works is necessary to make the most of your efforts. Therefore we are going to discuss pillar content in detail with some pro tips to help you!
What Is Pillar Content?
Pillar content is one of the most important pieces of content available on your site. It is the content that has A to Z information about a specific topic. Including every query and possible question, a reader may have, Pillar content is a pile of organized information loved by both the people and search engines.
To put it simply, think of pillar content as a whole building that leads to different rooms. So whenever a person visits to get information regarding that building, they might be looking for rooms(more information) which may come in handy later.
Therefore, if you can create a wonderful building structure, the rooms inside the building are more likely to be explored soon enough. In the same way, if you are successful in creating in-depth content that leads to other cluster content, you can expect some significant growth in both the SERP rankings and interlinking.
Difference Between Pillar & Evergreen Content
Knowing how to create Evergreen content is a plus point for every blogger. However, we often get confused between the terms Pillar & Evergreen content because they sound alike. Especially for those people who are creating either of those for the first time.
Differentiating between Pillar content and Evergreen content is not that difficult. As you already know Evergreen content means, ‘A piece of content that is created for providing factual data. Such articles can keep providing value to your visitors for years to come without any major changes.
Whereas, if we talk about the pillar content it is a type of content that works as a supportive base for your other articles as well. Not to mention pillar content is normally created in a way to drive more traffic and solve every single query related to a particular topic.
Top 5 Tips To Create High Performing Pillar Content
Now you know which things are important for creating pillar content. But jumping straight into the process can leave you confused about where to start and what to do. Hence, we have mentioned some tips to help you get started with creating your first successful pillar content.
1. Create a mind-map before writing
Creating pillar content that will guide your visitors for years to come requires decent planning. And the best way to plan for writing a pillar article is by creating a mind map. Start with laying out the main elements of the topic you are targeting.
Now think about the possible questions people may ask related to those elements. Note down this information to make sure you add content and possible queries for them. Finishing this process will give you an exact idea of how to get started with creating your pillar content.
2. Focus on linking back to your previous posts
If you already have some content on your site, then taking interlinking into account is a must. By doing so you can help the visitor to get complete information on each term available within your post. In addition, interlinking will improve your overall on-page SEO at the same time.
Try to include the keywords in different variations to help your content rank for new keywords. You can target such keywords and link back to them for building an easy-to-navigate site structure for web crawlers.
3. Be as descriptive as possible
The length of the content plays an essential role in the process of pillar content creation. Thus, the more detailed your content is, the more effective your pillar content will turn out. Try to include your personal experience and suggestions if applicable. It will help the reader better understand the concept with examples.
Above all, pour every last drop of information you have regarding that topic. However, creating long-form content does not mean you start building a pile of words that are difficult to read. Hence, you need to work on readability as well to ensure that reader interest is maintained throughout the post.
4. Utilize related media files
Media files are a great way to attract readers and encourage them to read further. Creating visually stunning graphics may seem like a tough job but it is quite easy with free tools like Canva. However, the usage of different media depends on the topic of your choice. Because using visual elements is not possible with every topic.
For instance, if you are writing about the “Revolution of blogging in the past 5 years”, including data in the form of charts may help both readers and search engine crawlers. Whereas, displaying statistical data with images and short videos can help you keep the reader stay longer on the page.
5. Promote your pillar content regularly
The next step to building your first successful pillar content is promoting it extensively. You can utilize different ways of interacting with your audience. Especially your social media accounts and newsletter subscribers.
For more exposure to your pillar content, you can mention it within the new blog posts in the future. Moreover, you can mention it in your online communities and groups or use influencer marketing to get targeted traffic on it. But make sure to update your pillar content on a regular basis to deliver the best user experience with accurate information.
Final Thoughts
Creating powerful pillar content can push you way too ahead of your competitors if done right from the start. But the majority of newcomers tend to avoid creating pillar content. As the process requires extensive research, in-depth writing, and pre-planning it is more lengthy than writing a normal post.
In conclusion, we can not neglect the fact that creating pillar content is difficult. But if we take a look at the benefits of having pillar content on the site, they are worth the effort. Do share the information if you found it useful and feel free to ask questions if you have any.