Great B2B SEO Needs Great Pillar Pages (How To Do It)

How do you write a pillar page if you are in the B2B industry? A reliable B2B SEO agency often walks you through the process, offers the best content recommendations, and monitors its performance. This way, your copy resonates with your brand, messaging, and audience.

But you can collaborate with your team and follow these steps:

• Look at your existing content.
• Plan your topic cluster.
• Deep dive into what goes into your pillar page.
• Create an SEO-friendly URL and meta tags.
• Promote, monitor, and update your pillar page.

This article has so much to unpack, so let’s go!

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What Is a Pillar Page and Why Does It Matter?

A pillar page is the heart and soul of a topic cluster, a group of articles discussing a central theme. The pillar page is the hub when you draw it in a mind-mapping tool.

Further, a pillar page:

• Does not have to be the landing page or the homepage
• Is often long-form content with no fewer than 1,000 words
• Has comprehensive content, covering several elements of the topic, enabling easy and natural linking to other related pages.

When done right, pillar pages deliver huge SEO returns beyond landing on the first page or position for your chosen keyword. They enhance your audience’s perception of your expertise, credibility, and authoritativeness.

It matters because:

• B2B companies often experience longer and more complicated sales cycles than B2C. B2B industries have more decision-makers, who may demand more information and proof, such as pitches and proposals. Topic clustering does not eliminate any stage in the buyer’s journey but can shorten some parts, especially the consideration phase.
• The industry is often highly niched or technical. Pillar pages allow you to explain the most difficult concepts to your audience clearly. You can also lead them to other related articles to learn more.
• It presents you as an industry leader. You can stand out from the competition by being more descriptive and comprehensive. This boosts your brand’s reputation and makes it easier for buyers to trust you.

Search engines emphasize writing helpful content, so making a pillar page is no longer an option. It is a must-have. But how do you develop one?

Build a B2B SEO Pillar Page in 5 Steps

The basics of creating a B2B pillar page are not super complex but they do require close attention to the details. The steps below include a few tricks to help you.

     1. Look at Your Existing Content

You do not have to write a pillar page from scratch. Perform content analysis to find those that:

• Rank high in the search results, preferably on the first page
• Rank for multiple keywords
• Receive several inbound links (links from external sources or blogs)
• Present information in a well-thought-out format (e.g., with headings, subheadings, and bullets)
• Have information that you can easily update
• Get high traffic from search results
• Have a good bounce rate, click-through rate (CTR), average duration session, and exit rate

     2. Plan and Prepare Your Topic Cluster

If you have a well-performing article that can serve as your pillar page, the next step is to create a topic cluster: identify your subpages and related pages.

You do not have to write them now. Instead, use the outline to expand your existing copy with:

• Keyword research. Find related terms for your sub- and related pages. Since our approach is topical, we focus on targeted user-intent words and phrases. For example, if the pillar page is informational, the best keywords revolve around “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how.”
• Media assets. The best-performing articles are those with visuals, such as photos and videos. They drive traffic, increase engagement, and give you more chances of landing a featured snippet. If possible, use original or company-owned materials.
• Internal links. These links direct your readers and Google spiders to other relevant pages on your website, including those that compose the cluster. Use a spreadsheet to track your anchor text and URL. Once you have written the others, you will know where to insert the link on the pillar page.

     3. Deep Dive Into What Goes Into Your Pillar Page

You now have the potential pillar page, the topic cluster, and visuals. What should you include in the copy? How do you improve it? What is the best format?

Pillar pages have at least three types. Pick one that best suits your message, audience, and goal.

For instance, a resource page is ideal if you have a collection of helpful materials, such as links to copies that answer the most common questions about your niche. Meanwhile, a 10x page is suitable to showcase your expertise with comprehensive how-tos and comparison guides. You can also expand more technical subpages, making them sub-pillar pages.

Regardless of which type, optimize it with these tips:

• Make the article helpful. Refer to Google’s guidelines to ensure your copy is original, valuable, and intended for the human audience, not web crawlers or search engines.
• Improve the user experience (UX). Use a readable font size, visuals, and headings to make the article scannable.
• Include external links. Find trusted sources that you can link to in your content. It adds more credibility to your pillar page and increases its chance of ranking high in search results.
• Follow industry guidelines. Take the time to find out the best practices in your niche. If you are in healthcare, for example, know HIPAA marketing rules.
• Write for mobile. Break content into chunks of text. Put the essential information above the fold (or the first few sections of the article). Keep sentences short but concise.

     4. Create SEO-Friendly Meta Tags

If you use existing content as a pillar page, you may ask, “Should I create a new URL for it?” You can. Then opt for a 301 redirect. However, you must wait until search engines rank you for the new link.

If you do not want to do that, you can still optimize your page by working on the meta tags. Although not mandatory, these elements can help you rank higher in search results by telling Google and the audience that your content is relevant to their queries.

Here are the best tips on how to write meta tags:

• Include a keyword. This should be related to your pillar page’s topic and search intent. Place the keyword at the beginning of the tag.
• Describe what is in it for them. Use actionable words that make readers click on your link, such as “Discover,” “Learn,” or “Find Out.”
• Do not exceed 160 characters for your meta descriptions. Google truncates snippets longer than this limit.

     5. Promote, Monitor, and Update Your Pillar Page

Now that you have content and optimization, the last step is to spread the word. Take advantage of social media marketing and email campaigns to reach your audience. Ask influencers and other businesses in your niche to share your page.

Once your page is published, monitor its performance using the Google Search Console. Keep track of duplicate content, broken links, or pages linking to irrelevant sources. Update them if needed.

We also suggest revisiting your pillar page at least once a year for refreshes and updates. Do keyword research again and look for new angles to make it more relevant to readers’ queries. This helps guarantee visibility, especially when competitors start targeting the same terms as you do.

Summing Up

Creating pillar pages for B2B SEO is not a one-time activity. Writing content, optimizing it for search engines, and promoting and tracking it take time and effort. But the rewards are worth it and will eventually impact returns.

These steps can already help you start making a topic cluster, but an experienced B2B SEO agency can bring you even better results. Digital Authority Partners (DAP) is a group of experts who can help you with SEO strategies, website design, content creation, and more. Contact us today to learn more about our B2B services.