Step-by-Step Internal Linking Strategy for Topic Clusters & Pillar Pages

Topic clusters are essential for arranging your content on a website in an organisational manner. SEO professionals and digital marketers are fond of this strategic approach, content cluster SEO, to help the target person find information within a flick of time on pillar pages and internal linking. The cornerstone of any content cluster linking strategy is planned and full-fledged internal linking. In a content cluster, you will have a central page and subpages. Do you have any idea how to do internal linking for a pillar page or the basics of internal linking strategy for topic clusters. If not, you can get a fair idea by reading this blog.

What is a content cluster linking strategy?

A content cluster linking strategy is an SEO technique of merely internal linking of similar topics to create topic clusters. For instance, you have written about technical SEO and afterwards written many articles related to technical SEO aspects. So, all these articles get interlinked, forming a content cluster under the topic “technical SEO”. These internal links are hyperlinks in the same domain on your website. The primary aim of internal linking is to boost organic traffic and conversions. Besides, it also helps in increasing your link equity across domains. 

The components of a topic cluster

Pillar page – This is the central page where you have written content on a core topic. It is the pillar of the other subpages. To create a stellar pillar page, you can choose a core topic after completing a brainstorming session. 

Cluster Page – These are independent content pieces that you can internal link to the pillar page. Targeted keywords are used in these cluster pages, and it is easy to get the desired information. 

Internal linking – Internal links are links to different content on the same website. This  creates increased discoverability, structured flow of information and results in easy navigation. 

The relevance of a internal linking plan for topic cluster

An internal linking plan for topic cluster is very fundamental for your business from a search engine optimization perspective. It’s fundamental and unavoidable because search engines can understand the context of your entire content as well as its overall authority. Internal links in a content cluster are a direct signal to search engines as well as your target audience regarding the content’s relevance.

What are SEO benefits adding internal links?

Some SEO benefits adding internal links are:

• Website navigation – Adding internal links contributes to website’s main navigation. Information hierarchy in the given website helps in navigation and passes some link equity.
• Overall usability – Content cluster linking strategy helps link relevant content internally, allowing people to get more information, specifically linked to words and concepts of the related topic.
• Link equity – Search engines like Google value link equity. By internal linking, you are passing link authority from one page to another. 
• Increase topical authority – Publishing high-quality content that is comprehensive and in-depth increases topical authority and leads to increased SERP ranks on Google.
• Improved user experience – Internal linking contributes to the user experience because people get in touch with the information they need easily with the help of an internal linking strategy for topic clusters. 

How to do internal linking for pillar page?

You know the relevance of internal linking in content clusters but how can you put this into practice? Subpage and pillar page internal linking can be executed in various ways. You can manually link all related pages. But the basis of any pillar page internal linking is the ultimate user experience of your target audience, as well as the search engine’s relevance. 

Let us elucidate this through an example. You are in a business that sells premium fashion clothes. You are writing a pillar page that tells about “western wear choices”. The reader gets excited and now wants to know more about the specific clothing types that can be worn for different occasions or different places. So, you write about content related to these and link to it. Helping your reader to get to know about the different availability of western wears, its wide variety of use cases and how to style western wear and so on. You will be using apt anchor text to link appropriate content.

Cluster pages internal linking best practices?

An internal linking plan for a topic cluster requires strategies. Many kinds of internal linking methods exist, and based on your unique requisites, you can choose any of them. The following are 

cluster pages internal linking best practices you can embrace:

• Relevant and useful anchor text – Make your anchor text relevant and useful for your target audience, so that they get a fair idea about the content’s page. The one thing to remember is not to overdo the use of varied anchor text. You can use exact match and partial match anchor text as per your internal linking strategy for topic clusters.
• Breadcrumb navigation to site – Adding breadcrumbs on the top of a web page shows the page’s hierarchy and allows easy navigation to find related information. Breadcrumbs navigation can easily connect topic clusters on the same website, increasing the discoverability of your content.

• Sticky Navigation – A robust internal linking practice is to use a sticky menu on your pillar page so that all related content can be easily accessed. 
• Related content – When you include related content at the bottom of every topic cluster, it will help readers to explore further content. 
• Internal link towards topic clusters – You can group together topic clusters for easy accessibility and user experience if all those share a common interest. Sometimes, different content clusters will have unique relevance to a segmented audience.

Since you understood the relevance of why are internal links important for SEO, now is the right time to analyse your internal linking structure and see how you can adapt these pillar page best practices into your website content. Remember, adding internal links costs you nothing but a little effort, and the benefits are beyond your envisage.