In the health and wellness world, there often seems to be endless information to cover. This can make content creation overwhelming without a clear strategy.
Content pillars are the foundation of your content. Building content pillars for your health and wellness blog is as simple as following a few steps:
- Identify core themes
- Research relevant keywords
- Create comprehensive pillar pages
- Build supporting clusters
- Link strategically
- Update regularly
Following these steps can help keep your blog valuable to your audience and optimized for search engines.
What Are Content Pillars?
Content pillars are the foundational themes that guide your blog’s overall strategy. They’re broad topics that align with your expertise and target audience’s interests and act as a framework for creating organized, consistent, and engaging content.
You can break these broad themes into many subtopics that provide more specific and actionable content without losing focus.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Content Pillars
The content varies between industries, but creating content pillars remains similar across the board.
Identify Core Themes
Start by thinking about your expertise and what your audience is searching for. What are their main challenges or goals? Your core themes should reflect your brand’s mission while addressing these needs. For example, a yoga instructor’s core themes might include flexibility, mindfulness, and strength-building.
Research Relevant Keywords
Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords. Keywords help you understand what topics your audience is searching for and ensure your content is SEO-optimized. If you’re in the nutrition space, your content pillar might use long-tail keywords like “easy meal prep ideas,” “plant-based diets for beginners,” or “benefits of intermittent fasting.”
Create Comprehensive Pillar Posts
Develop long-form, evergreen content for each content pillar. These pages should serve as a “hub” for all related subtopics and provide a comprehensive overview of the theme.
If you’re marketing yourself in the fitness niche, a fitness pillar post could be “The Ultimate Guide to Starting a New Workout Routine.” You could include sections on goal setting, different exercise types, and tips for staying consistent. Consider this the 10,000-foot view that introduces a broad topic in detail.
Build Supporting Cluster Content
Cluster content is blog posts that dive deeper into specific subtopics and link back to the pillar page. This creates a structured internal linking system that enhances people’s experience and improves SEO.
Continuing with the same example above, your cluster posts could include a deep dive into bodyweight training or weightlifting to enhance what your audience is already learning in your “Ultimate Guide” pillar post.
Link Strategically
Ideally, people come to your website because you have the information they want. Think of links as easy ways for your website visitors to navigate between posts so they get all the information they’re looking for.
This internal linking facilitates navigation and shows search engines that your pillar pages are authoritative resources.
Update Regularly
Content pillars are not static. Revisit and refresh your pillar pages periodically to add new insights, update outdated information, and optimize for emerging keywords. Your particular industry or niche typically determines how often you should revisit your pillars.
Benefits of Content Pillars for Health & Wellness Blogs
Well-written content pillars provide several benefits to your blog and marketing efforts.
Streamlined Content Creation
Content pillars help your content planning efforts. A clear roadmap saves time and helps you consistently deliver valuable content that aligns with your brand.
Improved SEO Performance
Content pillars allow comprehensive coverage of a topic while targeting primary and long-tail keywords. You should include target keywords in your pillar posts so search engines recognize your blog as an authoritative source.
Better Audience Engagement
The goal is typically to bring as many people to your website as possible, whether you want to sell products, get leads, or build awareness. When readers find useful, organized, and easily navigable content, they’re more likely to stay on your site longer and return for more.
Consistency Across Your Blog
Content pillars help you maintain focus and avoid creating random or disjointed posts that don’t support your overall goals. This focused effort on specific topics and subtopics helps create a better user experience for people visiting your site.
Tips for Successful Content Pillars
Creating content pillars on your blog isn’t a complicated process. These are a few best practices to consider:
- Know your audience: Before you create any content, you should know who you’re creating it for—and what they want to read or watch. Create content that speaks to their specific needs and challenges.
- Focus on evergreen topics: There’s nothing wrong with content that speaks of a specific event or limited-time service. But the majority of your content should be themes that will remain relevant over time.
- Monitor Analytics: Your last post may have been fire, but analytics don’t lie. So, use tools like Google Analytics to track performance and adjust your content based on what works best.
- Stay authentic: You may have temporary success copying the marketing of other successful health and wellness professionals, but I promise it’s that—temporary. Let your unique voice and expertise shine through in all your content.
Content Pillars Are Part of Your Blog’s Foundation
Building content pillars is essential when creating a successful health and wellness blog. It creates engagement and can boost SEO efforts.
By identifying core themes, conducting keyword research, and creating a structured content system, you’ll set your blog up for long-term success.
If you’re still stuck, I understand.
Content pillars are only one piece of the puzzle of marketing yourself. Contact me today to set up a free consultation. I’m happy to answer your questions about content pillars and how they tie into your marketing plan.