What Are SEO Content Pillars?
We often learn about ‘content pillars’ when we are starting blogs and social media content creation.
SEO content pillars are different than social media pillars:
| Feature | SEO | Social Media |
|---|---|---|
| Main Goal | Authority & Expertise | Engagement & Community |
| Content Format | Long-form, in-depth | Diverse & Adaptable |
| Frequency | Slower Pace | Faster Pace |
| Measurement | Organic Traffic, Rankings, Backlinks | Engagement, Reach, Growth |
These pillars offer a direct and efficient approach to creating. These pillars serve as the groundwork for developing content that educates and promotes your coaching services.
Think of content pillars as the fundamental topics around which you consistently craft your blog posts or social media content. They are sometimes referred to as content categories or buckets.
Common Content Pillars for coaches encompass a range of universally relatable themes, including:
Productivity
Mental Health
Trends
Organization
Motivation
These pillars are not only engaging but are also extensively researched, making them appealing to your target audience. However, their real power lies in the organization they bring to your content strategy.
One of the main benefits of using content pillars is that they provide a natural structure for your content.
When visitors come to your blog or social media profiles, they want clarity about the topics you cover and your areas of expertise.
Content pillars enable you to catalog your content, making it easier for your audience to navigate and find the information they seek.
Once you've defined your content pillars, you can deliberately plan your content to ensure that each piece aligns with one of these pillars.
Consider creating a content rotation schedule, such as dedicating specific days to each pillar (e.g., "Mental Health Monday" or "Let’s Get Organized Tuesday"). This approach helps maintain consistency and keeps your audience engaged.
Furthermore, content pillars play a necessary role in converting your traffic into leads for your coaching business.
While it's essential to provide valuable content that helps your audience, it's equally important to guide them towards your coaching services. Here are two approaches to achieve this:
Dedicated Selling Days: Designate certain days or times for selling-focused content. These posts can showcase successful projects, client testimonials, or problems solved through your expertise. At the end of these posts, directly invite your audience to book a coaching session. This transition should feel seamless if you've consistently offered value throughout your content.
Educational Conversion: Instead, you can convert your audience through educational content. Show how your coaching services can address common problems. Offer examples and guidance on how to apply your expertise. Remind your readers that they found your blog due to their interest in your expertise, reinforcing the idea that your coaching can help them flourish. Maintain this methodology throughout your posts to regularly generate coaching inquiries.
In practice, content pillars are a dynamic and real way to develop content that educates, engages, and converts your audience.
By aligning your content with these pillars, you not only deliver valuable information but also create a clear path for possible clients to connect with your coaching services. This consistent and strategic approach has the potential to consistently drive leads to your coaching business.
Content pillars are a powerful tool for both SEO and social media, but they function a bit differently in each realm. Here's how:
SEO:
Focus: Establishing authority and expertise. Content pillars are broad topics that demonstrate your deep understanding of a niche. This helps search engines recognize you as a valuable resource, boosting your ranking for relevant keywords.
Format: Typically longer, in-depth content like blog posts, guides, white papers, or ebooks. These pieces act as cornerstones, attracting links and shares, which are crucial SEO signals.
Frequency: Slower pace. You might publish a new pillar piece every month or quarter, then create supporting content around it.
Measurement: Success is tracked through organic traffic, keyword rankings, backlinks, and time spent on site.
Social Media:
Focus: Engagement and community building. Content pillars provide a framework for consistent, interesting posts that resonate with your audience. This fosters interaction, brand loyalty, and organic reach.
Format: Diverse and adaptable. You can use pillars to create infographics, videos, polls, threads, or even live streams, catering to different preferences.
Frequency: Faster pace. You might share pillar-related content daily or even multiple times a day, depending on the platform and your audience's habits.
Measurement: Success is tracked through likes, shares, comments, click-throughs, and follower growth.
Remember, content pillars are not isolated silos. You can leverage SEO content on social media by sharing snippets, creating infographics based on data, or hosting Q&As around your pillar topic. Similarly, social media trends and audience insights can inform your next SEO pillar piece.
By understanding how content pillars function in each platform, you can craft a cohesive strategy that attracts, engages, and converts your target audience, both online and through search.
