Rearchitecting Our Content for SEO Authority: Building Pillar Pages and Topic Clusters
Project Context & Challenge
As People2.0 expanded its content and service offerings, our growing volume of blog posts, eBooks, and case studies lacked a scalable structure. There was no clear taxonomy to guide readers through related topics, and our web navigation didn't reflect how users search or how search engines index content clusters. We needed a strategic content architecture that would:
Establish topical authority for our core areas of expertise
Improve internal linking and user navigation
Support long-term SEO performance and reduce content cannibalization
My Role
I led this initiative from strategy through execution:
Conducted a comprehensive content audit across all blog posts, gated assets, and case studies
Identified four primary content pillars based on People2.0's services and strategic goals
Created messaging frameworks for each pillar
Wrote the foundational copy for all pillar pages
Mapped existing and future content to these structures
Collaborated with SEO partners and our marketing ops team to prepare for implementation in CMS
Strategy & Approach
We defined four main content pillars:
Core Services – Focused on EOR, AOR, and workforce classification
Industry Insights – Thought leadership on the future of work and talent management
Workforce Compliance – Regulatory best practices and legislative updates
Business Development – Strategic growth content for staffing firms and talent platforms
Each pillar page served as a central hub, with linked subtopics (cluster pages) and supporting blog content beneath them. This approach allowed us to:
Improve semantic relevance and topic depth for SEO
Create intuitive entry points for different buyer personas
Align campaign content with long-term content architecture
Execution Highlights
Developed 4 pillar pages with strategic messaging and navigation design
Categorized more than 75 content assets across the clusters
Revised metadata and internal linking to support the new hierarchy
Shared structure with our SEO agency to inform keyword strategy and site audits
Established editorial tagging rules and future content placement workflows
Implemented pillar pages month-by-month starting in June 2024 and concluding in September 2024
Outcomes & Impact
While the front-end user experience of these pillar pages won't be fully visible until our new blog site launches, the SEO benefits have been substantial and measurable since our June-September 2024 implementation:
Organic Traffic Growth: Our SEO data shows a clear upward trajectory beginning in June 2024, with monthly sessions increasing from approximately 2,000 to nearly 3,000 by January 2025 – a growth trend that directly correlates with our pillar page rollout
Keyword Position Improvements: We've observed a steady increase in the number of keywords ranking in top positions (1-10) from June through December 2024, strengthening our visibility for commercially valuable search terms
Non-Branded Search Performance: Non-branded keywords now account for 11% of our total organic traffic, with this percentage showing improvement following our content restructuring
SEO Maturity Advancement: Our strategic content architecture has helped move us from the "Tactical" to "Strategic" phase in our SEO maturity model, creating a foundation for continued growth
Content Ecosystem: The pillar structure has already shown promising results even before the full front-end implementation, demonstrating that even "behind-the-scenes" structural changes can drive meaningful SEO improvements
Strategic Alignment: Prepared the foundation for our new website information architecture
Content Planning: Provided clarity for internal content planning, especially with editorial calendars
Campaign Integration: Influenced campaign planning and persona-targeted content clustering
Future Development
This pillar page structure isn't static—we've established a plan to:
Revise pillar pages annually to incorporate new information and industry developments
Continuously monitor search performance to identify optimization opportunities
Expand our cluster content based on identified keyword gaps
Further enhance internal linking as new content is created
Reflections
This project gave me the opportunity to combine SEO strategy, UX thinking, and messaging development into a unified system. It clarified our brand voice across categories, made our content more discoverable, and gave stakeholders a clearer view of how content supports both conversion and education.
Though the fully visible user experience is still in development, the strategic foundations we've established are already delivering measurable impact on our organic visibility and will continue to support our content strategy for years to come.
Assets
Pillar Pages
The Definitive Guide to Staffing and Workforce Growth
The Definitive Guide to Strategy in the Global Talent Marketplace
The Definitive Guide to Workforce Compliance Mastery
The Definitive Guide to Payroll and Compliance Partners
Note: Some links may be omitted or scrubbed for confidentiality.
