Imagine walking into an outdoor goods store. Mountain bikes, running shoes, and ski apparel are scattered across the sales floor. Instead of organizing the store by activity, the owner tosses clothing and equipment together.
It sounds like a miserable shopping experience, right?
In content marketing, pillar pages organize and connect related content. This prevents your audience from feeling overwhelmed—unlike the shoppers at the store above.
Once you've organized your content production process with a tool like Content Workflow by Bynder, you can then create pillar pages and grow your content operation at scale. But creating an effective pillar page requires careful planning and time.
In this article, we’ll explain what a pillar page is, explore its benefits, and examine what makes one successful. We’ll also highlight ten pillar page examples to inspire you to create your own.
What is a pillar page?
A pillar page—sometimes called a content pillar—provides a comprehensive overview of a broad topic.
The pillar page is an anchor for a collection of resources related to that topic. Pillar pages will link to other resources that support the topic, and resources will link back to the pillar page. This group of related content is called a topic cluster.
For example, a pet supply business may break up its content into three pillars: pet training, health and wellness, and supplies. A pillar page will provide an overview of caring for a dog’s health. It will also link to more specific resources, such as “Top 10 Supplements for Older Dogs.”
Pillar pages vs. landing pages
When defining a pillar page, it can be helpful to compare it to other content types. Landing pages are web pages designed to convert visitors into leads or sales. Visitors usually “land” on the page by clicking on an ad or a call to action. The text is concise, and there is a space to sign-up for a newsletter, demo, or service.
In contrast, pillar pages are educational. A pillar page encourages visitors to explore your site and learn more about your products and services.
Pillar pages vs. blog posts
Blog posts and pillar pages do not have as clear a distinction. Sometimes companies place a pillar page on their blog. However, pillar pages are long, broad pieces of content that serve as a gateway to other resources.
What are the benefits of a pillar page?
Pillar pages organize and enhance your content, leading to a more effective content strategy. Some of the benefits of pillar pages include the following:
Demonstrate authority
Pillar pages enable brands to build credibility. These comprehensive guides allow companies to showcase their expertise on a topic. Pillar pages increase engagement and generate more leads by establishing your company as an industry expert.
Build a better user experience
Pillar pages organize content on a website in a way that makes sense to the audience. By taking a topic-first approach to content organization, companies make it easier for visitors to navigate and search their websites.
Optimize for SEO
Finally, pillar pages improve your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Last August, Google announced its Helpful Content update. The search engine giant said it would promote more “original, helpful content written by people, for people.”
Pillar pages encourage content that drives value combined with SEO best practices. At the same time, pillar pages help web crawlers make connections between related cluster content. And pillar pages may receive more backlinks, boosting rankings in SERPs.
Learn more: Bynder’s Content Workflow helps alleviate the common pitfalls of executing a content strategy. From content creation to review and approval, Content Workflow has you covered.
What makes an effective pillar page?
The quality of your pillar page is critical. It can be tempting to dump all your resources into one document. But the pillar page is a gateway to all your content about a particular topic. Thus, pillar pages should keep readers interested and inspire curiosity.
A pillar page is a gateway to all your content about a particular topic. Pillar pages should keep readers interested and inspire curiosity.
A pillar page should include the following elements:
- Ungated: Pillar content should be accessible. A pillar page is an opportunity to highlight your resources related to a specific topic. If you require visitors to provide an email or phone number to unlock a pillar page, they will likely leave the site.
- Includes an introduction: Some companies skip the introduction and start sharing resources. An effective pillar page should establish why the topic is essential and its intended audience.
- Long: Since pillar pages provide an overview of a broad topic, they should be comprehensive. Many pillar pages are over 2,000 words long.
- Easy to scan: Pillar pages will contain a lot of information, so companies should format them to be easy to read. Provide a table of contents and break up large text sections with images and related resources.
- Uses a short-tail keyword: When creating a pillar page, choose a broad keyword. Use long-tail keywords in your topic cluster content.
- Includes links in a way that makes sense: While a pillar page should direct readers to related content, avoid stuffing it with hyperlinks. Use appropriate anchor text or highlight additional resources at the end of a chapter. You can also showcase related content with a callout box.
10 stellar pillar page examples to inspire your own
Learning how other companies have used pillar pages may be helpful before creating your own. We’ve rounded up ten pillar page examples to get you started.
1. Social Media Marketing Strategy Guide by Hootsuite
The Social Media Marketing Strategy Guide outlines building a strategy from scratch.
Why we like it:
- The guide is comprehensive. The article provides eight steps to create a social media strategy.
- The table of contents outlines each step.
- The guide showcases related resources at the end of each section. And the content varies. Hootsuite includes links to blog posts, YouTube videos, and downloadable templates.
2. The Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Moz
The Beginner’s Guide to SEO explains how SEO works and what marketers can do to increase rankings and traffic.
Why we like it:
- The introduction explains how to use the guide and who should use it.
- The table of contents enables readers to jump between sections.
- Each chapter is comprehensive and formatted for readability.
- Readers will find links to additional resources at the end of each section.
- The guide ends with a glossary that corresponds with each chapter. It also highlights related resources to help visitors learn about a specific term.
3. Systems Management 101: An Ultimate Guide by Zapier
Systems Management 101: An Ultimate Guide introduces systems management and how to implement it.
Why we like it:
- The pillar page starts with a clear and engaging introduction.
- The content uses headings, subheadings, bullet points, and imagery to help break up the text.
- Includes links throughout the content and suggests related reading at the end to encourage readers to explore more.
4. How to Embrace Remote Work by Trello
How to Embrace Remote Work provides an overview of how best practices for remote teams.
Why we like it:
- The table of contents is always visible and allows readers to navigate between sections easily.
- The main page includes an introduction to each chapter. Visitors can click “read more” to learn about a specific section. This format breaks up the content to keep readers engaged.
- At the end of each chapter, Trello introduces related content to encourage more exploration.
5. How to Start a Podcast: Complete Step-by-Step Guide [2023] by Buzzsprout
How to Start a Podcast: Complete Step-by-Step Guide [2023] directs you through developing a podcast idea, recording, and marketing.
Why we like it:
- Buzzsprout features the guide on its navigation bar on its website.
- The guide uses images and callouts to break up large sections of text.
- Anchor text helps organize hyperlinks to related content.
6. Video Marketing Strategy: The Ultimate Guide (2023) by Lemonlight
Video Marketing Strategy: The Ultimate Guide (2023) is a useful tool for anyone interested in video marketing.
Why we like it:
- It starts with a strong introduction about the rise of video marketing and why it is essential in 2023.
- The guide is long. At over 9,000 words, the pillar page provides a comprehensive overview of video marketing.
- Easy to scan, with related resources highlighted throughout the guide.
7. The Ultimate Guide to Sales Analysis Reports by Databox
The Ultimate Guide to Sales Analysis Reports shares how to use metrics and reporting to increase sales.
Why we like it:
- The guide makes it easy to navigate with links to chapters and sub-sections.
- Databox uses anchor text and callout boxes to highlight additional content.
- The guide ends with a “you may also like” section. Databox highlights three other pieces of content to encourage more reading on analytics and reporting.
8. The Complete Guide to Site Selection by Placer.ai
The Complete Guide to Site Selection explains how to use foot traffic analytics to choose a location for a business or office.
Why we like it:
- It starts with a clear introduction about why foot traffic matters.
- The author breaks up content with charts, maps, and graphs that showcase how the product works.
- The table of contents is visible throughout the guide to help readers navigate the content.
- The guide includes more in-depth resources related to the topic, such as the Retail Site Selection Guide.
9. What is SEO? (A Fluff-free Definition + Basics Explained) by Semrush
What is SEO? (A Fluff-Free Definition + Basics Explained) explains what SEO is and why it matters.
Why we like it:
- The text is easy to scan with headings, subheadings, bullet points, and images.
- Clear anchor text drives the audience to related reading.
- The article ends with FAQs to summarize key points.
- The “More on this” section directs readers to additional resources.
10. How to Build Your Digital Banking Strategy by Alloy
How to Build Your Digital Banking Strategy provides an overview of the digital banking industry and combines content from its banking technology pillar.
Why we like it:
- The guide starts with a strong introduction about why digital banking matters.
- Clear anchor text directs visitors to learn more about a sub-topic.
- Resources vary—links to blog posts, ebooks, and webinars encourage engagement.
Create pillar pages and more with Bynder’s Content Workflow
With pillar pages, content teams drive value, optimize the content experience, and increase engagement. But creating effective content pillar pages requires organization and collaboration. Here’s where Bynder’s Content Workflow comes in.
Bynder’s Content Workflow is a content operations platform that helps thousands of organizations deliver quality content faster. With Content Workflow, marketing teams can store and search all their content in one place. Our workflow tools enable teams to create custom workflows and automate routine tasks. And our collaboration tools make it easy to write, edit, and approve content in one place.
Start a free trial today to see how Bynder’s Content Workflow simplifies content management.
