- Pick a topic, not a keyword. "CRM for agencies" is a topic; "best CRM software" is a query. Build around topics.
- Pillar page = 2,000+ words. The pillar covers the whole topic broadly. Aim for the kind of page that gets shared.
- Cluster pages = 800-1,500 words. Each cluster page goes deep on one sub-topic and links up to the pillar.
- Internal link discipline. Pillar links down to every cluster; clusters link up to the pillar and laterally to 1-2 sibling clusters. Avoid the random cross-linking that confuses both readers and crawlers.
- Update, don't multiply. Better to update the existing pillar every quarter than to publish a "2026 update" as a separate page that splits authority.
Best practices: pillar pages and clusters
A pillar page + cluster of supporting pages outperforms 20 disconnected blog posts.