Should a pillar page link to every cluster page, or only the closest?
- Published November 6, 2026
- Linked from 3 answers
- In a cluster of 26
To every page that belongs to its topic, and to nothing outside it. A pillar page exists to map a subject and send readers to the page that covers each part of it, so leaving real cluster pages unlinked makes the map incomplete, and adding unrelated pages to raise the link count blurs it. The question for each candidate link is not “is it the closest?” but “does this page cover a part of this topic?” A very large cluster is the exception: when a pillar would turn into a directory of dozens of links, split it into sub-hubs, each linked from the pillar and linking to its own pages, so every page is still reachable in a few steps.
Deciding what the pillar links to
| Candidate page | Link from the pillar? |
|---|---|
| Covers one part of the pillar's topic in depth | Yes |
| Covers a closely related subtopic a reader of the pillar would want | Yes, where the pillar discusses it |
| Belongs to another topic, though it shares a keyword | No; it belongs to its own hub |
| An older page that repeats a newer cluster page | No; merge or redirect it instead |
| A page added only to give it a link | No |
The pillar’s links work as a set: they show readers, and Google, which pages make up the topic. Google’s link best practices frame internal links in the same terms, as a way to help people and Google understand your site and find its other pages, and say there is no ideal number of links for a page. A pillar that links to twenty real cluster pages is not over-linked; one that links to five related and fifteen unrelated pages is.
Link in context, not as a list alone
Place each cluster link in the section of the pillar that summarizes that part of the topic, with an anchor that names it. A list of all cluster pages at the end can supplement that, but the sentences give each link its reason. Each cluster page should also link back to the pillar, and to sibling pages where a reader would want them.
Keep the cluster current
Review the pillar when you add or remove pages from the topic. New cluster pages need a link from the pillar; pages that have been merged or retired need their links updated. The pillar is not the only path; whether the site’s structure keeps cluster pages close enough to be found is checked in how deep in the site a page can be before links barely reach it. Link every real member of the cluster, and stop there.
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