Should I Build Backlinks To Pillar Pages or Blog Content

Summary

In this informative video, Chris Palmer addresses Greg's query on the best approach to building backlinks. He clarifies the difference between top-level category pages, pillar posts, and supporting content, emphasizing the importance of focusing on top-level pages for backlinking due to their higher SEO value. Palmer suggests a tiered strategy, allocating the best links to the home and top-level category pages, followed by better links to city pages, and more affordable links for supporting content. This approach ensures a balanced distribution of link power, enhancing overall site authority and SEO effectiveness.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is about determining the best approach to building backlinks for SEO purposes.
• 🔍 Greg's question concerns whether to focus on backlinks for category pages or pillar posts within the same category.
• 📝 Chris clarifies that a pillar post and a top-level category page are essentially the same and are targeted for primary keywords or services.
• 🏭 The concept of 'pillar posts' and 'top-level category pages' is introduced as primary targets for ranking.
• 🤔 Chris suggests that Greg might be confusing the roles of supporting pages versus primary pages.
• 💡 The importance of building backlinks to all pages is mentioned, but with a focus on the top-level pages due to the hierarchical flow of power in SEO.
• 💰 It's suggested that the most valuable backlinks should be directed to the top-level pages, as they pass on benefits to supporting content.
• 🌐 A strategy for building backlinks is proposed, starting with the home page and top-level category pages, then city pages, and finally supporting content.
• 📈 The video discusses the allocation of resources for backlink building, emphasizing quality over quantity for top-level pages.
• 🚀 The potential for supporting content to gain unexpected traction and thus become worth additional backlink investment is acknowledged.
• 🌟 The video concludes with a reminder of the interconnected nature of a website's ecosystem, where internal linking and external backlinks support each other.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video by Chris Palmer?

The main topic of the video is about the best practices for building backlinks, specifically whether it's better to build backlinks to category pages or pillar posts within the same category.

What is a pillar post according to Chris Palmer?

A pillar post is a primary piece of content on a website that targets a primary keyword or service, and is meant to rank well in search engine results.

What is the difference between a top-level category page and a pillar post as per the video?

According to the video, there is no significant difference between a top-level category page and a pillar post; they both serve the purpose of targeting a primary keyword or service.

Why is it important to build backlinks to supporting content?

Building backlinks to supporting content is important because it helps in enhancing the overall SEO of the website, even though it might not be the primary focus for ranking.

How does the power of backlinks flow according to the video?

The power of backlinks flows from the top down, meaning that backlinks to higher-level pages like the home page or top-level category pages can indirectly benefit lower-level pages by passing on link equity.

What is the strategy for allocating resources when building backlinks to different levels of a website's pages?

The strategy involves allocating the most resources to the top-level pages, such as the home page and top-level category pages, and then using lesser resources for city-level pages and supporting content.

What is the significance of internal linking in the context of the video?

Internal linking is significant as it helps create an ecosystem within the website, where all pages are interconnected and support each other in terms of SEO ranking.

How does Chris Palmer suggest building backlinks to all pages while being budget-effective?

Chris suggests focusing the majority of the budget on building high-quality backlinks to the top-level pages, and then using a lower budget for backlinks to city-level pages and supporting content.

What should one do if a supporting content page starts to gain unexpected traffic?

If a supporting content page starts to gain unexpected traffic, it might be worth reallocating some budget to build more backlinks to that page, as it could potentially turn into a significant source of business.

What is the final recommendation Chris Palmer gives for building backlinks to a website?

Chris Palmer's final recommendation is to build backlinks to all pages, but to prioritize top-level pages with the most resources, and use a tiered approach for allocating backlink-building budget based on the page's level in the site hierarchy.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Clarifying Backlink Strategy for Category Pages and Pillar Posts

In this paragraph, Chris Palmer addresses Greg's query about the best approach to building backlinks, specifically whether it's more beneficial to link to category pages or pillar posts. Chris clarifies that both terms refer to the same top-level page targeting a primary keyword or service. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the hierarchy of pages on a website, including pillar posts, top-level category pages, and supporting content. Chris suggests that while it's ideal to build backlinks to all pages, the focus should be on the top-level pages because the link power flows from the top down, thus supporting the entire page structure.

05:05

📈 Strategic Backlink Allocation for Local SEO Success

Chris continues the discussion by tailoring the backlink strategy to a local market, using the example of a state page for a personal injury lawyer. He outlines a tiered approach to backlink building, recommending the best links for top-level pages like the home page and primary category pages, followed by better links for city pages, and then more affordable links for supporting content. Chris illustrates the importance of budget allocation for backlinks, suggesting that higher-quality links should be prioritized for pages that are crucial for SEO ranking. He also touches on the potential for supporting content to gain unexpected traction, which might then warrant additional backlink investment.

10:07

👋 Wrapping Up: Prioritizing Backlink Efforts for Maximum Impact

In the final paragraph, Chris wraps up the video by reiterating the importance of building backlinks to all pages but with a strategic focus on top-level pages. He advises viewers to allocate resources effectively, starting with high-quality backlinks for the most important pages and then scaling down to more affordable options for supporting content. Chris also highlights the interconnected nature of a website's internal linking structure, which contributes to the overall authority and SEO performance. He invites viewers to ask further questions related to link building and SEO, emphasizing his readiness to assist.

Keywords

💡Backlinks

Backlinks, also known as inbound links or incoming links, are links from one website to another. They are a core concept in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as they help search engines understand the popularity and authority of a website. In the video, Chris Palmer discusses the importance of building backlinks to various pages, emphasizing that while it's beneficial to build them to all pages, the focus should be on top-level pages for optimal SEO impact.

💡Category Page

A category page is a type of webpage that groups content under a specific theme or category. It is a common navigational element in websites, especially blogs and e-commerce sites. In the script, Chris Palmer addresses the question of whether to build backlinks to category pages, suggesting that they are important but not as crucial as pillar posts when it comes to SEO.

💡Pillar Post

A pillar post, also known as a cornerstone post, is a high-quality, in-depth piece of content that serves as the central resource on a particular topic. It is designed to attract and earn backlinks. In the video, Chris explains that pillar posts are critical for SEO and should be a primary focus for backlink building efforts.

💡Primary Keyword

A primary keyword is the main search term that a webpage is optimized for. It is the term that the page is intended to rank for in search engine results. In the context of the video, Chris discusses the importance of aligning the pillar post or top-level category page with the primary keyword to improve search rankings.

💡Supporting Content

Supporting content refers to additional pages or posts that complement the main content on a website. These are typically linked to the main content and help to provide more information or context. In the script, Chris mentions that while it's not as crucial to build backlinks to supporting content as it is to the main pages, it can still be beneficial and contribute to overall SEO.

💡Power Flow

In the context of SEO, power flow refers to the distribution of link equity or 'link juice' from one page to another. This concept is based on the idea that the more authoritative a page is, the more value it can pass on to other pages it links to. Chris Palmer uses the term to explain how building backlinks to top-level pages can indirectly benefit lower-level pages by passing on link authority.

💡Referring Domains

Referring domains are websites that link to a particular webpage. Having a higher number of referring domains is beneficial for SEO as it indicates that the page is considered valuable by other websites. In the video, Chris emphasizes the importance of building backlinks from various referring domains to increase a website's authority.

💡Internal Linking

Internal linking is the practice of linking one page of a website to another page on the same website. This helps with navigation and also contributes to SEO by distributing link equity within the site. Chris Palmer mentions internal linking as part of the ecosystem that helps all pages to rank better.

💡Silo Structure

A silo structure in website architecture refers to the organization of content into themed categories or 'silos', with clear hierarchical relationships between them. This helps both users and search engines understand the site's content. In the video, Chris uses the term to describe how to organize content and backlinks for maximum SEO benefit.

💡SEO

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of improving a website's visibility in search engine results. It involves various strategies, including building backlinks, to rank higher for specific keywords. The entire video by Chris Palmer is focused on SEO strategies, particularly the role of backlinks in improving a site's ranking.

💡Local SEO

Local SEO refers to the practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in search results for a specific geographic location. It often involves targeting city or regional keywords and building local backlinks. Chris Palmer mentions local SEO in the context of building backlinks to city pages within a state-level category page.

Highlights

The best place to start building backlinks is discussed, focusing on whether to build them to category pages or pillar posts.

Greg's question about the priority of backlinks for category pages versus pillar posts is addressed.

The distinction between top-level category pages, pillar posts, and supporting content in SEO strategy is clarified.

The importance of building backlinks to primary keywords or services for ranking purposes is emphasized.

The concept of power flow from top-level pages to supporting content through backlinks is introduced.

The strategy of allocating resources for backlink building, focusing on top-level pages first, is suggested.

The idea that backlinks to pillar pages can indirectly benefit supporting content through pagerank is explained.

A visual representation of a website's hierarchy, from home page to city pages, is used to illustrate backlink strategy.

The recommendation to build the best links to top-level pages for maximum SEO benefit is given.

A tiered approach to backlink building is proposed, with different link quality levels for various page types.

The potential for lower-tier content to gain unexpected traction and warrant additional backlink investment is mentioned.

The importance of building an internal linking ecosystem to support overall site authority is highlighted.

Chris Palmer offers his expertise for further questions on link building and SEO in local markets.

The video concludes with a summary of the backlink building strategy discussed, emphasizing a balanced approach.

The significance of budget-effective backlink building is underscored, aiming for the most impact with available resources.

A final reminder to engage with the community for more insights on backlink building and SEO is provided.

Transcripts

Hello I am Chris Palmer with chrispalmer.org and  in today's video what I would love to answer for  

you and Greg is what is the best place to  go ahead and start building your backlinks  

because Greg here has asked is it better to  build backlinks to the category page or a  

pillar post uh in that same category thanks  Greg right so I think Greg though is getting  

a few things mixed up or maybe he is he's looking  at the supporting page the top level category page  

and the pillar post right because if I were to  write this out https colon forward slash forward  

slash website.com forward slash pillar post right  you would write your primary keyword here as a  

pillar post is this not the same as if I were  to write this out as a top level right category  

top level category page pillar post that  is identical to your ranking for your  

primary keyword or maybe if your local business a  primary service right this could quite easily say  

uh Law Firm what whatever you want it uh Los  Angeles chiropractor it could be plumber in  

Illinois whatever whatever the service that you  provide so when we're talking about pillar posts  

or top level category Pages or category Pages  we're really looking at the primary keyword or the  

primary service that we want to rank for now I I'm  pretty confident or maybe not that Greg was really  

asking you know should I be building backlinks to  my top level category page or my pillar post same  

thing same difference right pillar post or should  I also be building backlinks to supporting content  

okay so supporting so we have our pillar page okay  or pillar post forward slash supporting content  

now please know you probably don't want to rank  for pill or post or supporting content but if we  

take a look at this right I just want to point  this out we have our primary page or top level  

category page or pillar post whatever you want to  call it it's literally the same thing and then we  

have a supporting article or a supporting piece  of content and to get back to Greg's question  

maybe hopefully your question you know where is  it more important to build backlinks because no  

matter who you ask or wherever you ask if you go  out online or even me want to build backlinks to  

all your pages absolutely however it might not  be worth building backlinks to all of your pages  

because yes we can go ahead and build out this  supporting content and yes there's volume but  

it's not as important as your top level page and  on top of that when I build backlinks referring  

domains to top level Pages because the way  power flows from the top down if I were to  

build backlinks to the pillar page here in  this instance it's going to help support the  

supporting content it's going to pass pagerank to  that page I'm going to get benefit no matter what  

now another way to think about this Greg is is  this so if I move this up to the top all right  

and we we build this in here now what what you can  do here is this and I think that this might be a  

little bit better because again we want to get  backlinks to all the pages so we have our home  

page right and we're going to build our top level  category page and then oftentimes what you'll see  

is you're going to have one two two three we're  going to say three supporting pieces of content  

right if you have a Blog style website but let's  take it even farther let's say that this is a top  

level category page targeting a state here are  some of the city pages and then we want to build  

supporting content off of this now how can I power  this structure while also allocating dollars to  

the top level pages but also getting backlinks  to all the pages so they actually rank here let's  

talk about that because I I think this would be  the most value for you all right so here so now we  

have this let's go ahead and build this out sorry  for my drawing my not you know too good with the  

mouse and on the Whiteboard here so uh just just  so we're all on the same page all right this right  

here is the home page okay so we have our home  page all right let's build this out bear with me  

we'll get we'll get to it so now we have our home  page this right here depending on what kind of  

site You're Building I'm assuming you're building  a local website that's where where I primarily  

focus a lot of my attention at but even if you're  not a local site even if this is affiliate a top  

level category page or a pillar post is a target  key phrase that we want to win right so on top  

of that we're going to have supporting content  after it okay so let's go ahead and put this in  

we're gonna gear this towards the local market so  let's say this is a state page all right so state

state

plus primary and we're going to do top level  

cat page okay so it's a top level category page  right here State plus primary is right here okay  

and then on top of this this what's going  to be right here is going to be r City Pages

right so these are your City Pages and then this  down here and bear with me what I'm getting to  

here is well where can we build so we can power up  everything and get links to all the pages and and  

how you can build it this way so here's what  we're going to do this down here is our city  

and now we can start building in our supporting  and yes I completely understand we can build  

supporting content at every level supporting  content okay I'm a visual learner that's why  

I'm taking the time to draw it out so then it's  visually understandable home page we have our  

state so let's say it's personal injury lawyer  New York so that would be at this level now we  

have our City Pages or in New York's case where  a lot of volume is is Brooklyn Manhattan and Long  

Island we'll say right and then our supporting  content what does a personal injury lawyer do in  

Long Island what does a personal injury lawyer do  in Manhattan what does a personal injury lawyer do  

in Brooklyn maybe I said different ones but you  get the point home state city supporting now how  

can I get links to all the pages and power it  up and still be budget effective right that's  

what we want we want to have the most bang for  our buck so here's what we can do all right we  

want to get links to all the pages so when we're  building in our high quality assets what we where  

we really want to start paying attention here  is this we want to build our bet best links  

to these levels right so we want to build  our best links to these two top levels here  

okay I'm Gonna Make This Big so it takes up both  the home and also the primary top level category  

pages so now we're building into the home page  our best links go to these two levels next we  

can get our better links not as expensive but we  could build better links to these levels right  

all right so we can build our better stuff here  so better better links here okay well it doesn't  

wanna doesn't want to play ball okay I'll just  better links go here and we're talking we're at  

the city level and then our supporting content  is we're going to build our I'm not saying bad  

links or spammy links but we're not going to spend  100 200 a piece to try to rank a Blog article not  

yet but if it starts to take off or some magically  because I'm sure you've put out pieces of content  

where you put out a supporting piece of content  it showed low volume but all of a sudden the page  

is due in 2000 a month you're like what that  happens now that would be worth maybe pushing  

some backlinks to referring domains and doing some  shares right because then it's worth allocating  

dollars it could turn into more business for your  business so we have our supporting content here  

I'll finish this off just to round out the rest of  this video here so what we have here text is lower

quality slash affordable okay and we're gonna  build that down here at the supporting level  

so just to wrap up this entire video all right  to answer your question Greg's question you  

know should I be building my links to the top  level category pages should I be building them  

to the pillar posts or should I be building  them to the supporting contents well in the  

perfect world we want to build it to all the  pages but where I would focus is to your top  

levels because power trickles down on top of that  if you're going to build links to all the pages  

because that is the goal we want to allocate  the most dollars to our top levels right and  

then we can start building our lower tier not  low quality spammy but not a hundred or two  

hundred dollars a piece towards our lower levels  all right and this is how we can get referring  

domains to all the pages and on top of that we're  building overall Authority because remember this  

is our Silo state city supporting this is  all internal link from this level all these  

and this it's all internally linked remember  it's all helping each other it's an ecosystem  

so I hope that this helps you out Greg I  hope that this helps you out my name is  

Chris Palmer with Chris Palmer dart.org and if  you have any questions related to link building  

backlink building building backlinks SEO local  SEO anything never hesitate to go ahead and ask  

in the section below and I always look forward  to seeing you in the next should I be building  

backlinks to my polar Pages or supporting  content video I'll see in the next one bye