August 18, 2026
We live in a self-serve society. People want their answers fast and we have so many digital helpers; Google, ChatGPT, Siri, Claude, Alexa. The answers to questions like "What restaurants are nearby?" or "How do I cure a cold?” are nearer than ever. We find out what we want to know at our convenience.
Did you know 90% of people only look at the first search engine result page (SERP)? And where you place on the first page matters, too. The second place result gets 4 times less clicks than the first place result.
Though the SEO landscape has changed, the challenge hasn't. In order to rank high in search, you need to be seen as authoritative on a subject. But as Google and other search engines adjust their algorithms, devaluing non-authoritative information and adding fact check tags to search results, how do you get there?
Pillar pages are an excellent tool to help communicate authority to bots and visitors in a way that utilizes content you already have, helps readers engage with your brand and improves user experience.
Why pillar pages?
Pillar pages are part of a larger framework called the Content Cluster Strategy. Designed to demonstrate subject matter authority to search engines and AI bots, this approach takes your assets—various blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, eBooks, educational pages, etc.—and ties them all to a single "pillar page."
This helps your placement in search results by demonstrating authority on given topics. Rather than a loosely-categorized set of content assets, search bots see that you have the breadth and depth on a subject, having intentionally summarized, organized and hyperlinked all of that content. You're saying "I've got the whole story on this subject."
But this isn't just a technical exercise. Organizing your content into clusters and pillar pages can tremendously serve your site visitors.
Ask yourself: "If someone reads this post, how do they find related content? How do they get to my eBook on this subject? Where are they likely to go after reading?"
Let's say your content page has a listing of related posts, hyperlinks in the body to other relevant content, and a call-to-action at the bottom to one of your conversion pages—like a really juicy exclusive video interview. Congratulations, you're doing very well!
But what if they want to read more and aren't ready to convert? The last place you want a visitor to end up is digging for content with your site's search.
Pillar pages allow your site visitors to see you've already organized this content for them, and they can navigate to the areas that matter to them. While they do it, you'll be continually building trust and demonstrating that you are an expert in this area.
What is a pillar page?
Think of a pillar page like a landing page for a certain topic, but instead of form conversion, the pillar page serves as your website's hub for that particular topic. It summarizes different aspects of that topic with comprehensive content that's broad but not too deep, and provides links to your other content assets that provide the deeper detail.
How much of the story you choose to tell on the pillar page can vary, but the key is that you're linking to your other assets where your reader can discover more.
The common illustration used for this model is a hub and spoke, shown below, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the "hub and spoke" model.
The "hub" represents the pillar page, while the "spokes" show hyperlinks to other cluster content pages.
Not all pillar pages have to follow the same strategy. Perhaps you've got a very comprehensive eBook and numerous blog posts on a subject. That's a great starting point for a pillar page. You could choose to publish the whole eBook as a pillar page, linking to other, existing blog posts within each chapter or section. Alternatively, you could publish each chapter as it's own blog post and let the pillar page be more of an overview.
Most of us have seen a very deep "101" page with a lot of content, or a "Best of" page with a ton of links. Both are great resources and both strategies could have a place on your website. Think about the content you already have and how you can organize and present it in a way that's most helpful to your readers.
How to create a successful pillar page
A pillar page should be educational, containing valuable content for your target audience and optimized for SEO so it attracts and generates leads while building your thought leadership. Creating a successful one takes careful thought and planning, but the results are well worth it.
1. Choose a topic based on research
What are common topics people are searching for within your industry? Think of your buyer persona's pain points, challenges and goals. Using keyword research tools such as SEMrush or Keywords Everywhere can be very helpful for finding popular searches and making sure your topic is optimized for SEO.
Evaluate your website traffic analytics when choosing a topic as well. Is there a popular question on your FAQ page or a current website page that receives a lot of traffic? Browse your social media pages to find popular topics and questions your target audience wants answered. In the end, your topic should be broad enough to branch out into subtopics but not so broad that you aren't providing relevant and actionable information.
2. Create an outline of subtopics
After choosing a topic that’s optimized for SEO, it’s essential you continue to do the same for your subtopics. Comb through your blog and old pieces of content such as eBooks or whitepapers to see what can be repurposed. This will save you a lot of time when writing the pillar page. The HubSpot SEO tool is great for developing a content strategy by creating topic clusters that ensure SEO and topic relevance are maximized.
3. Tailor copy to your buyer personas and SEO
When writing copy make sure it speaks to the language of your buyer personas. Think, what questions do they have and how will they search for a solution? Also, remember your pillar page should generally provide an overview of your topic—not an exhaustive one. That’s the purpose of the blogs you link to. Each section should give information about the subtopic, and include a link to a blog that covers the discussion more in depth. This helps you rank higher on SERPs.
When writing copy, keep in mind you should also include external links to authoritative websites where appropriate. This helps build the credibility of your page, and increases the chances of other sites linking to your page, which greatly boosts your search engine ranking. Be sure to use headlines, subheads, visuals, and interactive content when appropriate to keep your page engaging and easy to read.
4. Link related blog posts to your pillar page
Lastly, create those all-important blog posts that link to your pillar page. However, not all posts have to be developed from scratch. If you used old blog posts to help write your pillar page, you can link to those or update them as necessary. And remember—the blog posts should relate to the specific keywords you decided on in your topic cluster.
Trouble getting started? Here’s 10 tips for writing a successful blog post.
5. Publish, analyze and update along the way
After publishing your pillar page, it’s essential you monitor its performance. If you’re not hitting the goals you set try different strategies and edit the page as necessary. Whether that means adjusting your keyword strategy or adding a new valuable subtopic, your strategy should always be adjusting with SEO and updating as necessary.
These tips will help ensure your content ranks higher on SERPs, getting customers to your site, leading to more sales and positioning you as the thought leader in your industry.
Here is an example of a pillar page MZ helped create
Boelter BeerCup—Everything Custom Glassware
A definitive guide about custom glassware, the page is divided into subtopics such as “Beer Glass Types” and “Spirits Glasses." Each section contains a link to a blog post or helpful resources that expands on that topic.
Users can go to a desired section from the main navigation or use shortcuts throughout the page to quickly jump to any section.
Pillar pages and content clusters are a great way to communicate subject matter authority, establish trust, improve SEO and user experience, guide visitors to the eduational content your readers are seeking and acquire more leads. Whether you build a pillar page to summarize existing content pages, or you start with a pillar page and develop supporting content, a little bit of planning goes a long way.
Continuous refinment can help your company gain visibility in the ever-changing marketplace of answers.
