Pillar Content & Topic Clusters

Transcription

1 Pillar Content & Topic Clusters

2 Hi, I m Liz Murphy! A Little About Me Content strategist at IMPACT. My obsession is content that closes deals. I ve been in the inbound world for 5 years. I have aggressive feelings about pineapple pizza. lmurphy@impactbnd.com 2

3 What We re Covering Tonight We re Going to Answer These Questions What s changed with search & how does that influence content? What are topic clusters & pillar content? How can you use the HubSpot Content Strategy Tool? How do you build a topic cluster? What are the defining characteristics of pillar content? What should you keep in mind for pillar content design? 3

4 Elephant in the room -- search has changed. A lot. 4

5 Search Has Changed But How? THEN: restaurants annapolis NOW: where should I eat dinner tonight? THEN: all searches were web-based NOW: 5

6 20% Mobile searches are VOICE searches. (Google, May 2016) 6

7 Search Has Changed Longer =??? 7

8 Search Has Changed Longer = More Conversational More Complex 8

9 We used to talk to search engines like they re robots. 9

10 We talk to our search engines like they re people. We act as if they understand intent & context. 10

11 So, Search Engines Have Responded 11

12 AWESOME for consumers. Marketers HATE IT. 12

13 Specific keyword Keyword-Specific Content 13

14 Specific keyword Keyword-Specific Content Topic Networked Content Around a Topic 14

15 SEO isn t dead. It's simply become more human. 15

16 Since how we search has changed, search engines are evolving how they provide more relevant results to these queries. 16

17 How people search for content has changed. Search engines are changing how they rank content. So, what should marketers be doing? 17

18 How we structure content needs to change. How we map our content strategies needs to change. How we think about content creation needs to change. 18

19 Specific keyword Keyword-Specific Content Topic Networked Content Around a Topic 19

20 Topics vs. Keywords These Are Keywords Workout routines for beginners Workout routines for weight loss These Are Topics Workout routines 20

21 Topics vs. Keywords These Are Keywords Workout routines for beginners Workout routines for weight loss These Are Topics Workout routines 21

22 Topics vs. Keywords These Are Keywords Workout routines for beginners Workout routines for weight loss These Are Topics Workout routines 22

23 Enter stage left, topic clusters. 23

24 Topic Clusters What Are They? Topic clusters are comprised of a pillar page and subtopic content that you've compiled for each of your core topics. The core of a topic cluster is a piece of pillar content, which is connected through links at both ends to cluster content subtopics. 24

25 Topic Clusters Using Our Workout Example WORKOUT ROUTINES is the pillar content topic. Then you have a bunch of subtopic content clusters: - Workout routines to lose fat Workout routines to get abs Workout routines without weights Etc., etc. 25

26 Wait, what s pillar content? 26

27 Pillar Content What Is It? A pillar page is the basis on which a topic cluster is built. A pillar page covers all aspects of the topic on a single page, with room for more in-depth reporting in more detailed cluster blog posts that hyperlink back to the pillar page. It should help you drive traffic and conversions. 27

28 What Does It Look Like? Check this out. 28

29 How do you even build out a strategy like this? The HubSpot Content Strategy Tool. 29

30 HubSpot Content Strategy Tool What Is It? Content Strategy, a brand-new SEO tool from HubSpot that helps you discover what to write about, organize it into topics that build authority, and track the ROI of your content efforts Here s how you find it! (Basic, Pro, & Enterprise) 30

31 HubSpot Content Strategy Tool 31

32 HubSpot Content Strategy Tool 32

33 HubSpot Content Strategy Tool 33

34 Helps you connect the dots between pillars & subtopics. Makes sure you re following best practices. 34

35 How do you decide on pillar content topics? 35

36 Pillar Content Flowchart 36

37 There is such a thing as too much search volume with pillar content topics. 37

38 Inbound Marketing 38

39 Inbound Marketing 39

40 Inbound Marketing What Is Inbound Marketing? Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing 40

41 How do you decide on subtopics? 41

42 Subtopics (Cluster Content) How to Create Them Brainstorm the most common problems or questions your personas have about a topic; as many as you can possibly think of. Next, good ol fashioned keyword research to validate what your audience is already looking for from your brainstorm list. (Ubersuggest & SEMRush are great tools for this.) Pro-tip: HubSpot found that you should have at least 8 and at most

43 A Topic Cluster Example 43

44 Good News: You probably already have a lot of cluster content subtopics created on your blog. 44

45 Bad News: You may not already have pillar content. And they look terrifying to create. 45

46 Again, Start with Your Pillar Content Flowchart 46

47 Pillar Content The 3 Rules It needs to be the definitive, comprehensive resource on a topic. If you don t want to make the best piece of content ever, don t bother. Seriously, it needs to be spectacular. It needs to be ungated. This will allow search crawlers to index all the content, and searchers to discover the answers they are looking for. But, it should still have conversion opportunities! You can link out to conversion points or have them directly on the page. 47

48 There s no magic bullet. Creating content still takes work! 48

49 Pillar Content The 3 Steps Outline it. What questions do you need to answer? And in which order? Think about your USER first. Not yourself and what you want to cover. Break it up into chunks. Your outline will have natural section breaks that are often the length of a longform blog post. Create the content. Interview your subject matter experts against the outline and write it, or write it from the outline. (Learn more about interviewing subject matter experts.) 49

50 Pillar Content Dos Be as obsessive about LINK-BUILDING as you are about content creation. Your amazing content will be killed by mediocre competing pillar content, if they re better at link-building. Adopt a growth-driven mindset. Create a backlog of topics before you launch for iterations. Watch the data of how people find and interact with your pillar content. 50

51 How to GDD Your Pillar with Data TRAFFIC (HubSpot Reporting) Am I seeing steady organic traffic for a particular pillar? Are there any spikes or sharp decreases for a particular cluster or pillar? Which topic clusters are underperforming and need more work? USER EXPERIENCE (Lucky Orange, Hotjar) For a particular pillar, which chapters are the most and least popular? Is a particular UX feature or function causing issues with visitor interaction? Has a particular UX change had the desired effect in visitor interaction? 51

52 Pillar Content Don ts Don t create a pillar no one wants to look at. Literally. Don t abandon your content organization principles. You don t have to be a design wizard to make something that s easy on the eyes. 52

53 Pillar Content Examples Instagram Marketing by HubSpot Ultimate Guide to Website Redesign for Businesses by IMPACT Content Strategy for Website Projects by GatherContent 53

54 PILLAR CONTENT Website Redesign Ranks #3 for website redesign in incognito mode. 41% of all-time traffic is organic, with that share rising in recent weeks. Last month it was 31%. (5x what we ve seen from direct promotion through campaigns). Even though it s ungated, 133 conversions to download the full guide. Link.

55 PILLAR CONTENT Website Redesign Fun fact: We created this almost two years ago, when we didn t get how pillar strategies came together. Even though it was retrofitted, it s still performing. Link.

56 PILLAR CONTENT Brand Messaging Ranks #2 for brand messaging strategy & #6 for messaging strategy in incognito mode. 41% of all-time traffic is organic, with that share rising in recent weeks -- last month was 37%. Even though it s ungated, 401 conversions to download the full guide, 176 of which were new contacts. Of those, 144 were from an organic source. Link.

57 PILLAR CONTENT Brand Messaging Fun fact: It s our highest-performing pillar at the moment, but it s only the second oldest. Link.

58 Another metric of success? Our sales team LOVES pillars. 58

59 Questions? 59

60 Get Started with Pillar Content offers.impactbnd.com/pillar-content-workbook 60

61 Liz Murphy s Greatest Hits What Is the DARCI Accountability Grid & How Can It Save Your Next Project? The 3 Worst Content Sins & How to Fix Them Do You Know Where Your Buyer Personas Are? Open Letter: So, You Think Creating Content Is Too Much Work What Is a Content Style Guide? (+Free Content Style Guide Template) How to Create a Case Study (+Free Case Study Template) 61