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SEO pillar page (HubSpot) template

For the definitive guide to a topic that links out to narrower posts. Origin: HubSpot's pillar page and topic cluster model (2017), the standard structure for content meant to rank for a broad term.

Start from this templateFree, no account needed. The blank is written with guidance in each section, ready to fill in.

Structure

  1. Title with the target term
  2. Table of contents
  3. Definition and why it matters
  4. Sections for each subtopic, each linking to a cluster post
  5. FAQ
  6. Conclusion with a call to action

How a tough reader scores it

When you score a draft against this format, the Critic evaluates this pillar page. The weights add up to 100; the fixes for the weakest criteria arrive as cards in the editor.

CriterionWeight
The target term is defined in the first hundred words and the intent behind it is served20
Each subtopic section fully answers its question and links to a deeper post25
Headings and table of contents let a reader jump to what they came for15
FAQ questions are the ones people actually search10
Internal linking is complete in both directions10
Reads as useful to a person, not written for a crawler20

How it works in SecondPen.ai

Open the template and the editor writes the blank once, with a line of guidance under each heading that you delete as you fill it in. Write your abstract and the editor names the format it reads like. Ask for a document with a slash command and it offers to start from the matching format. When the draft is ready, the Critic scores it against the criteria above, the way this format's toughest reader would, and the three highest-leverage fixes become Editor cards.

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