How Do You Create A Pillar?

There is no exact formula for producing an article that will become a pillar, however there are definitely some key characteristics you can work on. You maybe surprised when articles you write become pillars when you didn’t expect it, or the reverse where you pour your heart into a great article and it doesn’t do much for your traffic at all.

Here are typical pillar article concepts that you can post to your blog:

1. The “How-To” Article:

This is a staple pillar article concept. Think about your industry and write an article that teaches how to do something in it. Be certain to only write how-to articles on topics you genuinely understand how to do and have experience with.

Some possible examples:

• If you are a marketing consultant, write some advice on how to market a business using no money.

• If you blog about dogs, write how to choose an appropriate dog name.

• If you blog about how to write a book, produce a how-to guide on
approaching publishers.

• If you blog about food, write recipe guides on how to prepare popular
dishes.

• If you blog about your life, write how-to guides on self development from the life lessons you have learnt (e.g. How you got a job, how you dealt with breaking up with your boyfriend, etc.).

It should be reasonably obvious which how-to topics are popular and relevant to your audience and which you feel capable of explaining well. Remember to tell a story if you can!

2. The Definition Article:

Many industries have key concepts which new readers won’t know. If a concept is complicated, produce a pillar article that defines the concept, clearly explaining what it means and how it can be implemented.
It may seem simple and obvious to you, but remember you are an expert in your field, so explain it to the newbies in simple terms and, of course, try and tell a story as an example.

A glossary definition page is a good pillar article. If there are a handful of key concepts in your industry, write an article that lists the concepts and provides a one-paragraph definition for each. A resource page is as good as a reference piece and often referred back to by other bloggers and websites.

You may say why bother doing this if most terms are already defined elsewhere on the web at sites like Wikipedia?
It’s okay to link to other websites for definitions, especially in the short term when you are just getting things set up, but it’s a lot better if you write your own definitions. It keeps readers on your blog, increases your pageviews (the total number of pages of your blog readers view) and visitor length (how long readers stay at your blog).

You can describe a concept in your own words, using your own unique story and voice. This helps to build credibility and trust.

It’s always smarter to include your own version of a definition if you are capable of explaining a term or concept, rather than link to other sites and drive traffic away from your blog.