What Google says
We read Google's pages on 9 October 2026. The words pillar page do not appear on the pages we read, so the idea is an industry habit and not a Google rule. Google does give advice that fits a main page:
- The starter guide says text should be easy to read and well organised. It suggests breaking long content into sections and giving them headings, so people can move around the page.
- Google's link advice says to link to related pages in context, where they help the reader.
- Google says there is no ideal number of links on a page. If you think a page has too many, it probably does.
We also found no rule from Google about page length. So we do not give a word count or a number of linked pages.
What a pillar page does
- Gives the overview. A reader new to the subject can understand the main parts in one sitting.
- Points to detail. Each part links to a page that goes deeper.
- Gets links back. Each detailed page links back to the pillar page. Together they form a content cluster.
A made-up example
A paint dealer in Lucknow writes a pillar page called A guide to painting your home. It has short sections and each section links to a detailed page.
- Choosing colours: links to a page on colour choice for small rooms.
- Preparing the walls: links to a page on damp and cracks.
- Interior and exterior paint: links to a page on the difference between them.
- Hiring a painter: links to a page with questions to ask a painter before agreeing a rate in ₹.
A person who wants only the damp page can go straight to it. A person who wants the full picture starts at the pillar page. Each detailed page links back, so nobody is stuck.
Pillar page and blog post, compared
- A blog post usually answers one narrow question. A pillar page covers a wide subject.
- A pillar page is meant to be kept up to date over years. A post is often tied to a date.
- A pillar page should link to many related pages. A post may link to only one or two.
These points describe how we use the words. They are not rules from Google.
Common mistakes
- Making a very long page that repeats what the detailed pages say, instead of summarising them.
- Linking to pages that do not exist yet, or to pages that say little.
- Leaving the detailed pages with no link back to the pillar page.
- Writing about a subject your business has no real experience in.
- Never updating the page after it is published.
Related terms
- Content cluster: a group of linked pages on one subject.
- Topical authority: an SEO (search engine optimisation) idea about covering one subject well.
- Internal linking: links between pages of the same site.
- Keyword research: finding the words your buyers search for.
- Search intent: what a person wants when they type a search.
To plan a main page and the pages around it, read about internal linking or see our SEO work.
Sources
- Google Search Central, SEO Starter Guide (developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide), read 9 October 2026.
- Google Search Central, "Link best practices for Google" (developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable), last updated 10 December 2025, read 9 October 2026.
