{"id":41919,"date":"2020-04-06T10:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T17:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/resources\/what-is-pillar-content\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:17:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T23:17:57","slug":"what-is-pillar-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/resources\/what-is-pillar-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Content Marketing Hierarchy: Build Authority With Pillar Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is pillar content? <\/strong>Pillar content is a niche-focused content series. Content pillars include a comprehensive top page or asset that offers an in-depth overview of a broad theme or topic. From this authoritative long-form piece, offshoots are created as sub-pages that link back to the pillar page. Pillar content is the sixth level of the content marketing hierarchy.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pillar content. The phrase strikes fear into the hearts of many content marketers and creators \u2014 those who went all in and failed to make the impact they assumed would happen after slaving over a long-form, authoritative piece.<\/p>\n

Others are intimidated and shy away from the heavy-lifting of creating pillar pages. Others don\u2019t have the time or energy to tackle them, mostly because they don\u2019t see the value. And then there is another select group of content marketers who are marveling at the performance of their pillar content and producing their next big hit as we speak.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve gone pretty far down the content rabbit hole, otherwise known as the content marketing hierarchy. If you\u2019re new to nerding out with us on the content hierarchy, we suggest you begin your journey by understanding\u00a0the definition of all 11 content levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Next, you\u2019ll want to move through the entire list below and read all about the previous content levels we covered \u2014 core content (#1), vertical content (#2), content hub (#3), content franchise (#4), and content campaigns (#5). Then, you\u2019re ready to dig into #6… DUN, DUN, DUN… pillar content.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Core<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Vertical<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Hub<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Franchise<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Campaign<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Pillar<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Ladder<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Skyscraper<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Foundational<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Asset<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Element<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You\u2019re here because you\u2019re looking for a way to rise through the ranks, build quality backlinks, and improve engagement. What you really need to do is focus on establishing your brand as an authority by producing top-notch pillar content.<\/p>\n

    \"What<\/p>\n

    What is pillar content?<\/h2>\n

    Pillar content is a niche-focused content series. Content pillars include a comprehensive top page or asset that offers an in-depth overview of a broad theme or topic. From this authoritative long-form piece, offshoots are created as sub-pages that link back to the pillar page. Pillar content is the sixth level of the content marketing hierarchy.<\/p>\n

    Content pillars are highly effective for link-building and improving content ranking. Because topics are built around a specific set of search terms for the pillar page and supporting pages, this structure creates a web of relevancy, establishing your brand as an authority on that topic or theme.<\/p>\n

    When you\u2019re selecting a\u00a0content creator for pillar content, go with a seasoned multi-talented writer. Make sure this writer knows the topic well, has a solid handle on SEO best practices, and understands how to structure the page appropriately.<\/p>\n

    An important (and exhausting) sidenote… pillar content has many name variations. Topic clusters, spokes-and-wheels, pillar pages, pillar posts, pillar blogs, content bundles, content series, cornerstone content, parent posts, content hubs, and core content.<\/p>\n

    What pillar content is not<\/h2>\n

    Because there are so many synonymous terms for pillar content, confusion inevitably happens. Two synonymous terms are content hubs and core content. In the case of our content marketing hierarchy, pillar content is neither of these terms. Allow me to explain…<\/p>\n

    Content hubs<\/h3>\n

    Content hubs\u00a0are the third content level, much higher up in the brand hierarchy. A content hub is an organized collection of content, like a resource center or a company blog. Pillars cover specific topics, while content hubs cover a broad range of topic categories \u2014 and house pillars.<\/p>\n

    Core content<\/h3>\n

    Core content\u00a0is the first content level in the brand hierarchy. This messaging communicates business value and supports business goals, like a mission or vision statement. Marketers commonly refer to their most important brand content (vision statement) as \u201cpillar content\u201d and pillar content (how-to guide) as \u201ccore content.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Confusing, right? If you compare a vision statement (core) to a how-to guide (pillar), you can see a major difference contextually. Just make sure everyone involved in content creation understands the foundational nuances of these content levels.<\/p>\n

    How does pillar content work?<\/h2>\n

    Let\u2019s not kid ourselves… what Google thinks matters. When Google thinks your content is valuable, you are rightfully rewarded. Each year, Google makes hundreds of changes to search<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 perpetually keeping content marketers on our toes.<\/p>\n

    The good news is that Google continues to reward those of us who are producing good content. Even if you\u2019re a startup or marketing team with a shoestring budget, you still have a fighting chance. Pillar content is that chance to wave at Google and say: \u201cLooky here, Google. We\u2019re an authority on this topic and people value what we bring to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Here’s the deal. Longreads of 3000+ words get x3 more traffic, x4 more shares, and x3.5\u00a0more backlinks than articles of average length\u00a0(901-1200 words). Meaning, content pillars offer a wealth of opportunities to make an impact.<\/p>\n

    Rankings<\/h3>\n

    Between your pillar page and your supporting sub-pages, you\u2019re providing the best answers to an entire web of queries. When you are the topic authority for multiple search queries, your brand will rise in the search ranks \u2014 likely, above your competitors.<\/p>\n

    Link-building<\/h3>\n

    Link-building is another benefit. Because your pillar and sub-pages are masterfully interlinked, your internal linking structure is happily optimized. If your pillar content is useful to others, the external links will come in droves.<\/p>\n

    Engagement<\/h3>\n

    High shareability is yet another way your pillar content makes a bigger splash than a shorter, one-off piece. From a conversion perspective, it\u2019s the same old song and dance. If you demonstrate that you are the expert, people will take notice when they are searching for a solution.<\/p>\n

    \"Talk<\/p>\n

    2 Pillar page examples from content-savvy brands<\/h2>\n

    Being content-savvy is what separates high-performing pillar pages from the rest. You don\u2019t want to attempt pillar content… you want to own it and rock it. So, take note of these pillar page examples.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    1. Pillar blog example by ClearVoice<\/h3>\n

    How to Use Buyer Personas to Create Character-Driven Content<\/a>\u00a0is a pillar page I wrote for ClearVoice many moons ago. It didn\u2019t start out as a pillar in 2017, but it quickly became one as ClearVoice often referred brands and freelancers to the piece for educational purposes.<\/p>\n

    Today it ranks No. 1 for several search terms because many other content creators and marketers needed to figure out how in the hell to develop B2B marketing personas. We answered their queries with this pillar blog post.<\/p>\n

    Because this buyer personas piece is evergreen content that performs well, I did a content refresh in 2019. You\u2019ll notice that this piece is much more than a blog post from a length and structural perspective, and it also includes persona templates (visual assets) like the one above.<\/p>\n

    Sub-topics that link back to this pillar include:<\/p>\n