Pillar Page

What is a pillar page?

Simply put, a pillar page is a web page that covers all aspects of a particular topic. It links out to all pages on the same domain that covers each aspect of said topic.

If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:

Question #1: Why do I need a pillar page?

You need a pillar page—and all the related pages linked to it—because Google’s search algorithm favours topic-based content, which, as the name suggests, is simply content that is organised by topics.

An example of this would be a pillar page that talks about guitars and links out to subpages that talk about the different types of guitars, such as:

• Acoustic guitars
• Electric guitars
• Acoustic-electric guitars
• MIDI guitars
• Bass guitars

In this situation, the pillar page could talk about guitars in general, going over things such as their history, their sound, and how they are made, while the subpages can go into more detail about the specific guitar type they are talking about.

For example, the page about electric guitars can talk about the different types of electric guitars and the different brands, histories, sounds, and prices of each one.

But why exactly does Google like topic-based content so much? Well, that is because topic-based content is much easier for Google to make sense of.

In our example above, we are telling Google that our content is all about the guitar as an instrument so it knows to show our content to users who want to learn more about guitars and not those who are looking to learn how to play it or buy one.

At the end of the day, when Google understands your content and knows who exactly to show it to, it becomes much easier for you to rank in search.

Question #2: How can I use it?

You can use a pillar page in a variety of ways, including:

1. Creating a resource page – This is for when you want to talk about a specific topic in great detail. As we have seen in the example in the previous section, your pillar page would provide visitors with an overview of the topic you want to cover and then link out to subpages that talk about specific aspects of the said topic in more detail.
2. Creating a product catalogue page – If you have ever shopped online, you are probably already familiar with this application because virtually all online stores use this. The pillar page lists all the products that fall under a particular category and allows you to click on whichever product you want to open its own detailed product page.
3. Creating a service catalogue page – This is exactly the same as a product catalogue page but for services.
4. Creating a portfolio page – You can use a pillar page to showcase all your works and then allow the user to click on any one of them to open a more detailed page.

Question #3: What makes a pillar page effective?

An effective pillar page has the following characteristics:

1. It is focused. It covers a clearly defined topic and nothing else. Again, the goal is to help Google understand what you are talking about so it can recommend your content to the right people, and keeping everything on-topic is a great way to do just that—and it also allows you to heavily optimise for a single primary keyword.
2. It covers a complex enough topic. Otherwise, you would be able to cover everything on a single page, eliminating the need to link out to subpages that provide more detail about specific aspects of your chosen topic.

An example of a topic that is not complex enough to warrant the creation of a pillar page and subpages is ‘how to cook instant noodles. Sure, you can technically create subpages that, say, explore the different brands or the history of instant noodles, but they would not do anything in terms of helping Google better understand your content.

A better topic would be something like fitness training styles. You can have a pillar page that provides visitors with an overview of fitness training styles and then link out to more detailed subpages such as:

• Strength training
• Powerlifting
• Bodybuilding
• HIIT

1. Its content is easy to consume. Aside from keeping everything on-topic, you also need to make sure that your content is not a pain to consume. So, make sure you use things such as subheadings, bullets, and multimedia instead of just walls of text.
2. It cites authoritative sources. This applies mainly to resource pages. Doing so allows you to establish credibility and authority.

Question #4: What are its advantages?

The biggest advantages of having a pillar page are as follows:

1. It helps you rank. Again, the better Google understands your content, the easier it would be for it to recommend your content to the right people, ultimately increasing your odds of ranking in search.
2. But aside from this, if you have a resource page, people are more likely to link back to it, which, in turn, increases the number of backlinks you have, which is another ranking signal Google takes into account to determine authority and credibility.
3. It helps reduce your bounce rate. Pillar pages allow visitors to find what they need more quickly and easily, significantly reducing the number of people who leave your website after just a few seconds.
4. It helps encourage repeat visits. Pillar pages contain a lot of useful information that most likely cannot be consumed in one go. This gives visitors a clear reason to come back multiple times.

It helps improve your conversion rate. When you provide your visitors with a pleasant browsing experience, you get more happy prospects to convert—and happy prospects are much easier to convert than indifferent or frustrated ones.