Ep. 51 – Pillar Post Content Strategy: The Foundation of Your Blog’s Success
Learn how to create a successful pillar post content strategy that will boost your website’s SEO and drive more traffic. Discover the key elements of a pillar post, how to structure it effectively, and how to optimize it for search engines.
Listen to “Episode 51 – Pillar Post Content Strategy: The Foundation of Your Blog’s Success” on Spreaker.
Hey, and welcome to today’s episode of The Blogging Mindset Podcast, where we’re delving deep into the world of topical authority!
I’m your host, Miles, and in this episode, we’re going to explore the power of a well-developed pillar post content strategy.
And before we dive in, I’d like to invite you to connect with me in my Blogging Mindset Community Facebook Group.
Now, back to the show.
What is a pillar post content strategy?
So, what exactly is a pillar post content strategy? Well, think of it as the backbone of your content marketing efforts.
It involves creating comprehensive, in-depth content pieces that serve as the foundation for your entire content strategy.
Quickly defining pillar posts and supporting articles
But before we go any further, let’s take a moment to define a pillar post and its supporting articles.
These are crucial components in your quest to build topical authority and create a strong, well-structured blog.
Pillar Post Explained
A pillar post, also known as cornerstone content or a pillar page, is a comprehensive, in-depth article that serves as the cornerstone of your blog. It covers a core topic within your niche or industry. Think of it as the central hub of information on a particular subject.
Pillar posts are longer, more detailed, and more extensive than your typical blog posts. They’re designed to be the go-to resource for anyone seeking information on that specific topic. When readers come to your pillar post, they should leave with a comprehensive understanding of the subject.
Supporting Articles Defined
Now, let’s talk about supporting articles. These are the complementary pieces of content that revolve around and link back to your pillar post. They dive deeper into subtopics, aspects, or questions related to the central theme of your pillar post.
Supporting articles serve several purposes.
First, they enhance the user experience by offering more specific, niche-related information. This keeps your audience engaged and encourages them to explore more of your content.
Second, they establish the interlinking structure of your blog, which helps search engines understand the relevance and hierarchy of your content.
Steps for creating your pillar content strategy
So, how do you go about creating a pillar post and its supporting articles? Here’s an easy-to-follow, step-by-step list.
Step 1: Understanding Your Audience
Step one in creating your pillar post content strategy is understanding your audience.
Who are they? What are their pain points, interests, and challenges? Conduct thorough research to identify the topics and themes that resonate most with your target audience.
Step 2: Choose your pillar content topics
Step two: Choose your pillar content topics wisely. These should be broad, evergreen topics that cover the overarching theme of your niche and blogging business.
Consider creating content clusters around these pillars, diving deeper into subtopics related to the main theme.
Step 3: Create the best content
Step three: Craft high-quality, long-form content.
Your pillar posts will be comprehensive guides or resources that offer immense value to your audience.
They need to cover the topic thoroughly, answering questions, providing solutions, and offering actionable insights.
After all, the best blog post is a blog post that inspires action!
Your pillar content goes beyond surface-level information. It delves deeper, offering comprehensive insights, original research, multimedia elements, and expert perspectives, making it stand out in the crowded blogging space.
Step 4: Optimize your pillar posts for SEO
Step four: Optimize your pillar posts for search engines.
Starting with the basics, you’ll conduct keyword research to understand what terms your audience is searching for and strategically incorporate those keywords into your content.
Additionally, optimize meta titles, descriptions, and headers to improve search visibility.
Moving past the basics, here are the best ways to further boost your Pillar content’s SEO.
1. Interlink pillar content
Interlinking is crucial. Strategically connect your pillar posts with related content using contextual anchor text to enhance SEO and guide your audience through a cohesive learning journey.
2. Use multimedia in pillar content
Multimedia elements like videos, infographics, and interactive tools enrich the reader’s experience, making complex information easier to understand and retain.
Look at blog content by Orbit Media and Backlinko to inspire your multimedia content.
3. Refresh and update your pillar content
Regular updates ensure the accuracy and relevance of pillar content. Aim to refresh based on industry changes, new data, or evolving trends to maintain its value.
4. Consider the balance between evergreen and trending content in pillars
Striking a balance between timeless, evergreen content and topics addressing current trends ensures that your pillars remain relevant while also attracting traffic from trending topics.
Step 5: Promote
Step five: Promote, repurpose, and link strategically.
Once your pillar post is live, promote it across various channels such as social media, email newsletters, Medium, Pinterest, and other relevant platforms.
Repurpose the content into different formats like videos, infographics, or podcasts to reach a broader audience.
Also, strategically link related content within your website to create a cohesive network of information.
Step 6: Analyze
Step six: Analyze and iterate.
Track the performance of your pillar posts using analytics tools.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) like traffic, engagement, conversions, and backlinks are essential when tracking the impact and success of your pillar content strategy.
Use this data to refine your strategy, update existing pillar posts, or create new ones to cater to evolving audience needs.
Furthermore, gather audience feedback, stay updated on industry changes, and refine your pillar strategy to remain relevant and valuable to your audience.
Conclusion
In summary, pillar posts and their supporting articles are the foundation of a well-structured, authoritative blog.
They help you cater to a broader audience, boost your blog’s SEO, and establish yourself as an expert in your niche.
So, when you embark on your journey to build topical authority, remember to create these valuable, interlinked resources. It’s a strategy that can take your blog to new heights.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Blogging Mindset Podcast for more episodes packed with valuable content strategy tips.
And there you have it – the foundational steps to creating a powerful pillar post content strategy.
I hope you found these insights helpful in crafting your own pillar post content strategy.
Until next time, happy blogging!