Publishing random posts whenever there is time rarely builds search traffic. Strong sites organise content around a few big topics they know deeply. This is week 9 of the SEO specialisation, advanced content strategy, and it is the thinking content marketers use to plan months of work.
Pillars and clusters
A content pillar is a broad topic central to the business, covered on one main page. A cluster is a group of smaller pages that each answer one specific question within that topic, and link back to the pillar page. The pillar links out to each cluster page too.
For a solar installer in Tamale, one pillar might be "Solar power for homes in northern Ghana". Its cluster pages could include:
- How big a solar system do I need for a fan, fridge and lights?
- Battery types explained simply
- How to keep solar panels working through the harmattan dust
- Paying for solar in instalments with mobile money
This structure helps readers, who can move from the big picture to the detail they need. It also helps search engines see that the site covers the subject thoroughly, which supports the idea of a reliable source.
Choosing pillars
Good pillars sit where three things meet:
- What customers care about, from your keyword research and their questions.
- from experience, not guesswork.