Background and Definition:
Having quality “Pillar Articles” is one of the first and most important things you can do for your blog. I advocate writing many pillar articles for your blog, they take time and effort but they are really the bare bones of your blog, making “pillar” a great word to describe them. An often overlooked benefit is that they often help you think of other article ideas. Pillar articles can vary in structure but they should especially be timeless articles. In this, you ensure that they will generate traffic over a long period of time.
What Do They Do?
A pillar article generates new readers and backlinks for your blog from many different sources. Over time these articles continue to bring in traffic and praise for your blog such as organic traffic from search engines.
How to Reap the Benefits of Your Work
Pillar articles require plenty of effort in writing, editing, and researching. So you want to make sure you are properly promoting your article. First and foremost there are things you should be doing on your own blog.
Most Popular, Top Posts, Best etc.
List your most popular pillar articles in a list on the main page of your blog. You can install a plug-in to do this for you or you can set up your own page if your blog is still young. Either way, make sure you have a list of your best, most valuable articles in a place that is easy to find. Since your pillars are timeless articles you don’t have to worry about making changes to this list once it is established properly. For example, if you set up a popular posts widget it will edit the list for you. If you are making the list yourself because your blog is still young, make sure you are tracking your most popular posts and updating. You could sort them by page views, comments or just make your best judgment.
Submit to Social Media Sites
Submit about 1 out of every 10-15 of your pillar articles to social media sites such as Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Flickr, Reddit, Del.icio.us etc.
1. Write a “How-To” Article
You can write a how-to article about something you have mastered or a how-to about a topic you have researched and feel you can convey that information to others. It is important to make sure your how-to articles are related to your blog niche and your general expertise.
2. Write a Definition Article
Any time I come across a phrase or term I am unfamiliar with in the blogosphere I look it up online. This way I am constantly keeping up with the ever-evolving blog universe remaining up-to-date and informed. Sometimes you can use this as an opportunity to write a great pillar article on a definition. Perhaps you have an understanding of a complex subject in your niche and would like to explain it. Try not to compete with encyclopedias such as Wikipedia, demonstrate personality in your article and make it interesting. Developing a good relationship with your readers is obviously very important and can be achieved in this way. Definitions are great to keep on your own site rather than linking to other sites. They increase visit length, hits and keep readers coming back for more.
3. Write an Opinion or Argument Based Article
Discuss your argument, opinion, or theory. Keep in mind that the article should be timeless. It is especially important is that the article is unique and controversial.
4. Write a Course, Report or E-book
Combine a series of “how-to” articles into a course, report or e-book. You can write a series of articles and link them together on your blog or you can create an e-book available for download. Consider offering a free ebook at the end of the articles or having a free section on your website.
5. Write a “List” Article
As explained in my article 17 Tips For Better Blog Post Titles, making use of lists is a “tried and true” method for writing articles. Most of the visitors to your blog appreciate the list format because it makes the information available to them in an organized manner and can be read quickly. A good suggestion is to include pictures in your list format.
Lists are sharable, informative, and drive traffic to your blog. Include your own point of view or story to make your list unique to you.
6. Walk-Through
Use graphs, screenshots, charts, diagrams, spreadsheets, and other visuals to demonstrate how to do something. Walk your readers step by step through a process. This is so valuable because your readers are given precise and specific directions in achieving their goals. Visuals help to focus your readers attention, require less explanation, and give a lot of information. An example would be a programmer displaying how to install and use the WordPress plug-in they personally coded. The Walk-Through technique can be applied to various niches so start thinking creatively link of how you can apply this successfully. Keep in mind that your goal is always to help others.
Applying these Techniques:
I recommend writing a large volume of pillar articles. If you are just beginning your blog, a suggestion is to start off with about 1-3 pillar articles per week but this number can be adjusted according to your ability, time, and effort.
I wish you luck in writing a great pillar article and hope to see it out there on the Blogosphere!
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