Ever wondered why some websites rank so highly for competitive keywords while others struggle? The secret lies in crafting a smart content strategy focused on content clusters. You’ve probably heard of pillar pages by now, but do you understand how to build them and the army of supporting content needed to boost your rankings? This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create a powerful content cluster from scratch. By the end, you’ll be churning out pillar pages and supplementary content like a pro, ready to outrank your competitors and gain more traffic than ever before.
What Are Content Clusters and Why Are They Important?
Content clusters are groups of pages on your website that all focus on the same topic. By creating content clusters around your most important keywords and themes, you make it easy for search engines to understand what your site is about. This, in turn, helps boost your rankings and traffic.
Why are content clusters so powerful?
Content clusters allow you to dominate the search results for your target keywords. When search engines see multiple pages from the same website covering a topic in depth, they recognise your site as an authority on that subject. Your pages are then more likely to rank higher in the search results.
You create a content cluster by publishing a pillar page – a cornerstone piece of content on your topic – along with several supporting articles. The pillar page should be comprehensive, linking to the supporting content. The supporting articles go into more detail on specific subtopics, with internal links connecting them all.
This interconnected web of content signals to Google that your site is the go-to resource on that subject. The result? Higher rankings, more traffic, and increased authority.
How do you create a content cluster?
Choose a primary keyword you want to rank for and publish a pillar page targeting that term. This page should be the ultimate resource on your topic, with 2000 words or more. Then write several supporting articles, with 500-1000 words each, broadening and deepening your coverage. Link the supporting content to the pillar page, and link the supporting pages to each other where relevant.
With consistent promotion and optimization over time, your content cluster can dominate the search results and send more qualified visitors to your site. By meeting the needs of your readers and search engines, content clusters are a win-win.
To build content clusters and pillar pages that actually rank, you need to do some keyword research first. This helps identify your most important topics and the terms people are actually searching for.
Conducting Keyword Research to Identify Your Core Topics
The best way to find relevant keywords is to put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What questions would they have about your products or services? What problems are they trying to solve? Start compiling a list of possible keywords and key phrases, then use a tool like Ahrefs, SEMrush or Moz to see which have the highest search volume.
Focus on long-tail keywords as well as short-terms. The long-tail queries often convert better since they show higher intent. Look for keywords that get at least a few hundred searches per month to make sure there’s enough interest, but avoid terms with thousands of searches as the competition will be too high.
Group related keywords into core topics to build your content clusters around. For example, if you offer SEO services, core topics could be “on-page optimisation”, “off-page SEO”, “keyword research”, “link building”, and so on. These would make great pillar pages, with supporting content on subtopics like “meta title optimisation”, “internal linking strategies” or “guest blogging outreach”.
Keep your keyword list handy as you start creating content. Work the most important and relevant terms into your page titles, headings, content, image file names and alt text. This helps search engines determine what your content is about and ranks it higher in results. But don’t overoptimise, as that can hurt your rankings. Focus on writing for humans, not just robots!
With the right keywords and topics in place, you’ll have a solid foundation for building content clusters that rank for terms your customers actually care about. Keep optimising and you’ll gain more and more traffic over time. Read our full guide on completing keyword research.
Creating Pillar Pages as the Foundation of Each Cluster
To build a solid content cluster, you need to start with a pillar page. This is a comprehensive guide page focused on your main keyword or topic. It should be the most authoritative page in your cluster, packed with helpful advice, actionable tips, and recommendations for your readers.
Think of your pillar page as the foundation of your content cluster. It supports all the other pages, so make it as robust and informative as possible. Some tips for creating a powerful pillar page:
- Focus on your target keyword. Use it in the page title, headings, and content. Provide the most in-depth information on that topic to establish your expertise.
- Include images and media. Visuals capture interest and help break up the text. Infographics, photos, graphs, and videos are all great options.
- Link to other pages in the cluster. Build internal links between your pillar page and related content to keep readers engaged with your site.
- Update regularly. A pillar page should be a living document. Revisit it often to refresh the content, add new sections, and remove outdated information. Keep it up to date with the latest trends, news, and best practices in your industry.
- Promote your pillar page. Share it on social media, in your email newsletter, and anywhere else you engage with your audience. The more visibility and traffic you can drive to this foundational page, the more it will boost your entire content cluster in search rankings.
- Consider a checklist or FAQ. If appropriate for your topic, end your pillar page with a comprehensive checklist, step-by-step process, or frequently asked questions section. These are highly valuable for readers and search engines alike.
By dedicating the time to craft a powerful pillar page, you’ll have a solid base to build an optimized content cluster around your most important keywords and topics. Use it to guide the creation of your cluster content, internal linking structure, and to drive more organic search traffic to your site.
Developing Supporting Pages to Strengthen the Cluster
Once you’ve created your pillar page, it’s time to build the supporting content to strengthen your content cluster. These supplementary pages should focus on related subtopics, questions, and long-tail keywords that provide more in-depth information for readers.
Develop FAQ Pages
FAQ or “Frequently Asked Questions” pages are a great way to provide helpful information for common queries related to your main topic. Think about the types of questions your target audience may have and create pages to address them. For example, if your pillar page focuses on “How to Start a Blog”, potential FAQ topics could include:
- How much does it cost to start a blog?
- How do I choose a blogging platform?
- How often should I post to my blog?
Create Roundups and List Posts
Roundups, listicles, and list posts are very popular and help to boost rankings for your cluster. Compile related resources, tools, posts, or products into a comprehensive list. For example, for a content cluster on email marketing, you could create list posts like:
- The 10 Best Email Marketing Services
- 15 Must-Have Tools for Email Marketers
- 20 Tips for Writing Email Newsletters That Convert
Publish Tutorials and How-To Guides
Tutorials, guides and “how to” posts are extremely helpful for readers and search engines love them. Provide step-by-step instructions for related tasks and include visuals like images, graphics, videos or screen captures when possible. For example, if your pillar page focuses on “How to Use Instagram for Business”, tutorial ideas could be:
- How to Create an Instagram Business Profile
- How to Run an Instagram Contest to Increase Engagement
- The Complete Guide to Instagram Hashtags for Business
Developing a strong supporting framework of content around your pillar page will create an authoritative cluster on your topic. Keep your content fresh by updating older posts and publishing new ones regularly. Interlink between your pages so readers can easily navigate your site, and your rankings will climb over time!
Interlinking Internal Pages to Improve SEO
A key part of creating useful content clusters is interlinking your internal pages together. This helps search engines understand how your content is connected and organized. It signals to them which pages are the most important (your pillar content) and which pages support that main content.
When you’re writing a new blog post, make sure to link to any other relevant content you’ve published. For example, if you have a post on the best digital marketing tools, link to your content on content creation tools, social media tools, email marketing tools, etc. This ties all of your resources on tools together.
You should also add internal links to older content. Go back through your content library and look for opportunities to link between posts. Even adding just 2-3 internal links per post can make a big difference.
Some tips for interlinking:
- Link to pages that are relevant and provide value for the reader. Don’t just link for the sake of adding a link.
- Use your key target keywords as the anchor text for the link when possible. For example, link to your “Content Creation Tools” post using the text “content creation tools.”
- Link to pages higher up in your content cluster. Link from your content creation tools post to your digital marketing tools overview post. This helps establish that content hierarchy.
- Use a natural linking style. Don’t say something like “Click here to read our post on content creation tools.” Instead, link it in a sentence, like “We covered some of the top content creation tools in this post.”
- Consider using images that also link to internal content. Image links or “image maps” are a great way to naturally lead readers to related content.
- Get other sites to link to your pillar content pages. Earning high-quality backlinks to your most important pages is one of the best ways to boost their search rankings.
- Consider using internal site search to link between pages. Add links at the bottom of posts that say something like “Looking for more content on digital marketing? Search our site.” This prompts readers to search your site for related content.
Interlinking is a simple tactic but so important for optimizing your content clusters and improving your search rankings. Take the time to build out a linking strategy and start connecting your content in a meaningful way. Your search rankings and user experience will benefit as a result!
Promoting Your Content Clusters
Optimizing Content Clusters for Voice Search
Optimizing your content clusters for voice search requires focusing on the conversational aspects of how people ask questions aloud. You’ll want to think about the types of questions someone would ask about your products or services if they were speaking to you directly.
Some things to consider:
- Use natural language and a friendly, helpful tone. Speak to readers as if you were answering their question in person. For example, say “Here are some tips to help you get started” instead of “Below are steps to begin the process.”
- Include interrogatives like who, what, when, where, why and how. People often ask open-ended questions when speaking, so work these types of questions into your content. For instance, “How can I get the most out of my new software?” or “What features does your product offer?”
- Address common problems or pain points. Think about what issues your target audience may be trying to solve and provide helpful information. For example, “Why is my Wi-Fi signal weak in parts of my home?” Include solutions and advice to address their concerns.
- Use transitional phrases to connect ideas. Words like “also,” “in addition,” “moreover” and “furthermore” create flow and sound natural in conversation.
- Repeat important keywords in a natural way. Work synonyms and related terms into your writing to help rank for voice searches on those topics. But don’t over-optimize, as that can make the content sound unnatural.
- Keep your sentences relatively short and focused, around 15 to 20 words. This makes the information easily digestible, as in natural conversation. Vary your sentence structure to keep things interesting.
- Use an active and engaging voice. Speak directly to readers using “you” and “your.” An active voice also makes the content more vibrant and compelling. For example, say “You can easily install the software yourself” rather than “The software can be easily installed.”
Optimizing your content for voice search does require additional effort but will make a big impact on your search rankings and ability to provide value to your readers. By focusing on the conversational aspects of how people search by voice, you can craft content that addresses their needs and answers their most common questions.
Promoting your content clusters
Now that you’ve built your content clusters, it’s time to promote them. Content promotion is key to increasing traffic, building authority, and ranking higher in search engines. Here are some tips to get more eyes on your content:
Spread the word on social media. Share your new content on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Post snippets, images, and links to drive traffic back to your site. Engage with anyone who comments or shares your posts. Ask friends and business partners to share your content too.
Build internal links. Link to your pillar page and supporting content from other relevant pages on your site. This passes authority from page to page, strengthening your cluster. Use anchor text with your target keywords when linking.
Reach out to influencers. Connect with industry influencers who may be interested in your content. Politely ask if they’d be willing to share your pillar page or a few supporting posts with their audience. Be sure to personalize your outreach and explain why you think their followers would find the content valuable.
Submit to syndication sites. Sites like Yahoo Finance, MSN, and Business Insider accept content submissions from publishers and bloggers. Submit your pillar page and get additional backlinks and referral traffic when they republish your content.
Run an email campaign. If you have an email list, notify your subscribers about your new content cluster. Share the pillar page in an email highlighting its value. Follow up a week later promoting some of the supporting content. Add signup forms on your site so visitors can join your list.
Pay for promotion (optional). As an alternative to organic promotion, you can pay to boost traffic to your content clusters. Options include social media advertising, content distribution services like Outbrain and Taboola, and even search ads. Only spend money on paid promotion if you have a monetization strategy in place.
Keep promoting over time. Don’t stop sharing and promoting your content cluster after you initially publish it. Continue to spread the word on social media, reach out to new influencers, and run email campaigns. The more people link to and share your content, the more authority it will gain in search rankings. Consistent long-term promotion is key.
Tracking the Performance of Your Clusters
Once your content clusters are live, it’s important to track how they’re performing to see if they’re achieving your goals. Are they driving more organic traffic? Improving rankings? Generating leads and sales? Here are a few ways to monitor your clusters:
Track rankings
Check where your pillar pages and supporting content rank for your target keywords in search engines like Google. Are they moving up over time? The higher they climb, the more visibility your clusters will get. You can use free tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs or Moz to track rankings.
Monitor traffic
See if traffic to your site, and specifically your clusters, is increasing. Use Google Analytics to check metrics like pageviews, unique pageviews, and organic traffic over time. Set up goals to track the number of people clicking from your clusters to product pages or contact forms. More traffic and conversions mean your clusters are working.
Analyze links
The number and quality of links pointing to your content clusters affect their rankings and authority. Use a backlink analysis tool to check how many sites are linking to your pillar pages and supporting content. Look for links from reputable, authoritative sites in your industry. More high-quality links mean greater credibility and rankings potential.
Check user engagement
See how people engage with your clusters through metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and pages per session. Lower bounce rates, higher time on page, and more pages visited indicate your clusters are resonating with readers. People explore your content, click through to other pages, and find the information helpful.
Make adjustments
Use what you learn from analyzing your clusters to make improvements. Consider revising underperforming pages, improving content quality and user experience, building more internal links between pages, earning additional backlinks, optimizing pages for more keywords, and creating fresh content to add to your clusters. Continuous optimization and expansion will strengthen your clusters over time.
Tracking performance, making data-driven decisions, and refining your content clusters will ensure you get the maximum benefit from your SEO investment. Keep at it and those rankings and leads will continue climbing!