We constantly put our collective ears to the ground to stay up-to-date with healthcare marketing trends. The concept of pillar pages is worth exploring.
It’s not really new, but the way it’s being used has evolved. Previously known as cornerstone content, pillar content serves as the foundation for your online information.
The Principle of Pillar Pages
A pillar page is an article or webpage focusing on a particular topic or theme, which forms the basis for related content pieces. You often see this used on service pages, where companies list services with a short blurb about each. The content offers a click-through to more detailed information.
Some healthcare websites use pillar content in the form of blog posts, eBooks and other materials, which not only keeps information organized around central ideas, but also builds value, provides valuable advice, and enhances a website’s credibility.
The Cluster Concept
To build a robust pillar page, conduct top-notch keyword research before you start. Develop healthcare-related content using primary keywords that covers the main topic broadly enough to demonstrate your knowledge.
From the primary keyword and topic, identify related subtopics and research long-tail keywords for them. Develop the subtopics into individual pieces of organic content, each using a primary keyword as well as a long-tail one.
Link to your core pillar page to create a content cluster on the topic. Revisit the pillar page and link to the individual pages to produce a strong network of internal SEO links.
The Impact on Traffic
Search engines’ main motive is to deliver useful results for users, so the more obvious your topic is to algorithms, the better you’ll rank. If a content cluster relates to a common topic and interlinks well, algorithms know immediately what it’s about and score the site well for both topic and key terms. This improves ranking and drives traffic searching for those terms to your site.
In addition, users arriving onsite are more likely to engage with you rather than bouncing away, if there’s a wealth of information available on their topic of interest.
There’s lots of clutter online that can confuse algorithms. The clearer your topic—and intentions, the cleaner the website experience and the more sense your architecture makes. And the happier Google is, the more likely you are to get the traffic you want!
For help in developing pillar content, call Wax Custom Communications at 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com.
