Topic Clusters and Pillar Pages: Building Topical Authority That Ranks
Learn how to build topic clusters and pillar pages that establish topical authority and dominate search rankings.
From Keywords to Topics: The Shift That Changed SEO
Google no longer ranks individual pages for individual keywords — it ranks topical experts. The sites that demonstrate comprehensive knowledge through interconnected content consistently outrank those publishing isolated articles.
Understanding the Pillar-Cluster Model
Pillar Pages
A pillar page is a comprehensive, long-form resource (3,000-5,000+ words) that covers a broad topic at a high level. Think of it as a table of contents that links out to detailed subtopic pages.
Cluster Pages
Cluster pages are focused, detailed articles that cover specific subtopics. Each links back to the pillar page and to other relevant cluster pages, creating a web of internal links that distributes authority.
Building Your First Topic Cluster
- Identify your core topic — What do you want to be known for?
- Map subtopics — Use keyword research, People Also Ask, and competitor analysis to identify 15-25 subtopics
- Create the pillar page first — This anchors the cluster
- Build cluster pages systematically — Publish 2-3 per week
- Interlink everything — Every cluster page should link to the pillar AND to 2-3 related cluster pages
Results We Have Seen
For a B2B SaaS client, we built a topic cluster around “sales automation” with 1 pillar page and 22 cluster pages. Within 6 months:
- Organic traffic to the cluster: +412%
- Keywords ranking in top 10: from 8 to 147
- Pillar page now ranks #1 for “sales automation guide”
The best time to start building topic clusters was a year ago. The second best time is now.