I bear in mind precisely the place I used to be after I stumbled upon the idea of cornerstone content material for the primary time. It was a recent winter’s morning in late December, and the sunshine glistened over the frosted floor … Okay, I child, I child.
So, the cornerstone content material mannequin is not precisely ‘Moon Touchdown’ materials. However, it did fully revolutionize how I take into consideration and implement content material technique.
As a junior content material marketer, it gave me my first logical framework for creating, organizing, and managing content material manufacturing. Earlier than then, it kinda felt like I used to be throwing content material concepts on the wall till one thing, something, caught. There was nothing to “dangle my hat on,” so to talk.
Other than a logical framework, cornerstone content material additionally gave me a tried and examined technique to extend search engine visibility for my purchasers. I additionally know for a proven fact that cornerstone content material fashioned a part of the search engine optimization content material technique that also drives hundreds of thousands of visits to the HubSpot weblog in the present day.
Curiosity piqued? Cool! Please preserve studying to study from me and a few unbelievable leaders within the search engine optimization trade.
Desk of Contents
What’s cornerstone content material?
Cornerstone content material is the most vital content material in your web site. We‘re speaking about the perfect of the perfect, your magnum opus, the articles or touchdown pages you’d bend over backward to position in entrance of your supreme buyer or reader‘s eyeballs.
Briefly, it’s content material you need natural searchers to come back involved with first.
Not solely does cornerstone content material set the tone for what of us can count on out of your model, web site, and providing, but it surely also needs to kind a important a part of your search engine optimization technique.
Ideally, you need these cornerstone items to rank on web page one of many search engine outcomes pages (SERPs) for related queries that your supreme viewers makes use of.
Word: You might need heard cornerstone content material known as “pillar content material,” — which, truthfully, is low-key my most popular terminology. This additionally leads me to a little bit extra oh-so-necessary clarification …
Cornerstone content material vs. cluster content material: What is the distinction?
To totally perceive cornerstone content material, I‘d argue you could additionally perceive cluster content material. They’re sort of like two halves of a complete that work collectively to kind the pillar (aka cornerstone) cluster content material mannequin. Confused? No sweat, let me break this down.
A bit of cornerstone content material, like an article, features as an introduction to a whole subject class or subcategory of content material in your web site. Merely put, it introduces your viewers to a core subject or subtopic that you just already cowl or plan to cowl rigorously.
Cluster content material, however, acts as supplementary content material that expands upon and helps your cornerstone content material.
Instance
For example you run a music web site. Due to the character of the location, you usually share a number of articles about varied music genres like pop, metallic, and punk.
Within the cornerstone mannequin, every style would turn out to be like a distinct class or cornerstone subject you write about. On this instance, a cornerstone piece of content material could be one thing like “An entire historical past of punk music” or “The very best punk music from the 70s till now.”
In the meantime, cluster content material would contain extra area of interest articles that relate to and thus help the cornerstone content material. In order that could be one thing like “The very best pop-punk songs from the early 2000s” or “American vs. British punk: what is the distinction?”
Advantages of Cornerstone Content material
In case you do not already know, my panel of hand-selected content material consultants (ooh, fancy!) are right here to share why cornerstone content material could be the present that retains on giving.
Improve search engine visibility.
There‘s a motive SEOs joke about criminals hiding our bodies on web page two of the SERPs … (In case you’re questioning, it is as a result of nobody ever seems there. Yuk-yuk-yuk!)
However severely, search engine customers not often look past web page one.
Do not consider me? Backlinko analyzed 4 million Google search outcomes and located that “solely .63% of Google searchers clicked on one thing from the second web page.” Merely put, if search engine customers don‘t discover what they want, they’re extra prone to regulate their search phrases than scroll past web page one.
Thus, search engine visibility issues. That is why SEOs put a lot effort into incomes page-one ranks for our employers and/or purchasers. Fortunate for us, cornerstone content material might help.
Skilled Insights
As Mersudin Forbes, a portfolio search engine optimization director and company advisor with 15 years of search engine optimization expertise, says, “For me, as an search engine optimization Guide, this [cornerstone content] is all the time steering in direction of search engine visibility. However it actually does go means past this.”
He explains that the idea can prolong to “any kind of visitors or engagement you need to optimize in your net properties or different mediums reminiscent of newsletters.”
Professional tip: Take a look at HubSpot’s search engine optimization starter pack for extra methods to spice up your search engine visibility.
Make your first impression depend.
Based on Netcraft’s 2024 Internet Server Survey, over 1.5 billion web sites are on-line in the present day. Even when you solely depend the lively websites — round 200 million — the competitors for on-line consideration is fiercer than ever.
Mix the above with ContentSquare knowledge highlighting that the common time individuals spend on a web site is dropping. Effectively, that fierce competitors simply acquired fiercer.
The crux? While you get a reader’s consideration within the SERPs and earn their click on, you might want to make it depend.
Skilled Insights
Ben Goodey, the founding father of Spicy Margarita Content material, and I agree that cornerstone content material could be your finest pal right here.
“I discover cornerstone content material actually vital as a result of it is usually the primary piece of content material you create as an organization,” says Goodey. “It units the bar in your type and high quality — and is due to this fact very prone to dictate how good content material that follows is.”
He provides: “As a result of cornerstone content material can be extra top-of-funnel ‘final information’ type content material, it is usually your viewers’s first large touchpoint with you. You will have the chance to seize a whole lot of consideration, place your stake within the floor as a model, and make it crystal clear to your viewers who you’re and the way you do issues. It is a good way to attach with audiences and instill your model from the off.”
Your pal and mine, Ryan Jones, the Advertising and marketing Supervisor at SEOTesting, shares how this primary impression might help your model set up authority inside its area.
“Essentially the most essential good thing about cornerstone content material is that it helps your model set up authority inside its area,” says Jones.
“A well-researched, informative piece of cornerstone content material positions you as an authority inside your discipline. This helps construct credibility together with your website’s readers and encourages them to spend extra time in your website and discover the opposite content material you supply.”
Cut back your bounce price.
Your bounce price is the proportion of oldsters who click on on considered one of your web site’s pages after which depart with out changing or visiting any extra pages.
Enjoyable factoid alert: Based on the HubSpot State of Advertising and marketing Report, the common web site has a bounce price of round 37%. As for a “good” bounce price? Jetpack chalks that up at between 26% and 40%. In the meantime, a “unhealthy” bounce price is round 56% to 70%.
The great, the unhealthy, and the common estimates apart, bounce charges can differ massively between industries and niches. So, whereas it isn’t all the time the be-all and end-all, it may well point out whether or not an internet web page:
A) Matches a person’s search intent.
B) Gives person expertise.
C) Makes first impression.
A + B + C = a satisfying, somewhat than irritating, person expertise.
Provided that ContentSquare knowledge finds one in three customers finish net classes as a result of frustration, offering a seamless person expertise ought to be high of thoughts for all publishers.
Nothing in life is assured. That mentioned, a high-quality piece of cornerstone content material is extra prone to scale back your bounce price by completely breaking down a subject. This may give customers the whole lot they want in a single place (so they do not should exit your website).
And naturally, funnel customers via a collection of associated content material items (offering seamless subsequent steps). All of those elements culminate in lowering person frustration.
Skilled Insights
Mersudin Forbes additionally emphasizes the significance of creating it straightforward for customers to navigate your website via cornerstone content material, finally aiding UX.
“Cornerstone/pillar content material ought to be straightforward for customers to know and navigate to out of your info structure,” says Forbes. “Placing it on the forefront of what you’d need your customers to seek out.”
He additionally explains that your cornerstone content material “ought to assist funnel customers to different supporting and associated items of knowledge.” This enables “you to cluster your different items of content material round your core subject areas.”
The kicker? A logical pillar-cluster content material breakdown is useful for person expertise.
Help with hyperlink acquisition.
Relating to search engine optimization, I am an on-page and content material lady nowadays. That mentioned, I really began in hyperlink constructing (i.e., off-page.) I labored on a number of link-building campaigns as a visitor publish author for a blogger outreach platform.
Other than writing the visitor posts, I recognized high-quality and related websites and pitched article concepts to those publishers.
Based mostly on this, I can let you know first-hand how arduous hyperlink acquisition could be. However there is a motive we preserve revisiting the link-building nicely in search engine optimization.
Based on Ahrefs, 96.55% of all pages of their index “get zero visitors from Google, and 1.94% get between one and ten month-to-month visits.” One of many high causes these pages get zero visitors? They don’t have any backlinks.
As Ahrefs places it: “Backlinks are considered one of Google’s high three rating elements, so it in all probability comes as no shock that there is a clear correlation between the variety of web sites linking to a web page and its visitors.”
However somewhat than chasing these much-needed hyperlinks, cornerstone content material encourages them to come back to you. As a author for a excessive area authority website (hey, HubSpot!) I can attest to this.
I‘m all the time searching for unbelievable content material or analysis studies to reference as a result of they add authority to my writing. (In case you’ve made it this far, I’ve already linked to Backlinko, Netcraft, ContentSquare, JetPack, and Ahrefs.)
And I am not the one one who thinks this.
Skilled Insights
“Cornerstone content material is nice for hyperlink acquisition,” says SEOTesting’s Advertising and marketing Supervisor Ryan Jones. “Reviewing all of the link-building campaigns I’ve run over time, cornerstone content material has all the time been essentially the most profitable.”
He provides: “There are just a few causes for this, however the primary one is that your website’s cornerstone content material is usually your finest content material. Extra individuals are prone to hyperlink to it due to that. You may then use the cornerstone content material to drive authority to different pages in your website.”
Assist content material repurposing efforts.
The price of content material manufacturing can quickly add up — shout out to ClearVoice, who did the mathematics so we do not have to. For even “a minimally staffed content material crew,” you will possible pay round $197,066 per yr.
Content material repurposing (i.e., reusing all or elements of a content material piece throughout completely different channels so it reaches new audiences) is one option to get extra mileage from that funding.
Which means cornerstone content material aids your search engine optimization technique and your broader content material advertising plan. Additional, it may well additionally allow you to earn income out of your content material funding.
For instance, knowledge from HubSpot finds that 63% of entrepreneurs say social media drives the best ROI of all advertising channels, whereas 43% cite e mail.
Cornerstone content material in your web site is the perfect option to preserve a gradual supply of content material within the hopper to gas these different channels.
Skilled Insights
Once I first began as a child marketer, I used to be answerable for content material throughout my employer’s weblog and social media. Throughout this time, I spotted the unbelievable good thing about getting weblog and social content material to work collectively cohesively.
I‘d create two weblog posts a month, equating to about 4 to eight social posts.
Not solely would weblog content material help socials (so I’d direct of us to our firm pages from there), however socials would help the weblog (so I would hyperlink to blogs within the feedback of social posts.)
I’ll say this: Generally, you‘re higher off creating content material for a selected channel from scratch somewhat than reusing content material initially meant for an additional. That mentioned, you’ll all the time have concepts for socials or e mail when you could have a financial institution of high-quality cornerstone web site content material handy.
How you can Make Cornerstone Content material
Right here‘s my tried and examined technique for creating cornerstone content material in eight steps. It covers the analysis, technique, and manufacturing components, in addition to a little bit bit about content material monitoring.
I’ve additionally acquired some extra juicy insights to share from our consultants.
1. Select your core matters.
If I have been to map out an search engine optimization content material plan for a brand new web site utilizing the pillar (aka cornerstone) cluster mannequin, I‘d begin by selecting three to 5 key matters.
These matters are the overarching areas I’d naturally need to cowl at size on my web site. I would additionally need to guarantee they align with my product, service supply, and model.
Professional tip: Ryan Jones additionally suggests working in your “zone of genius” when selecting matters for cornerstone content material. “In a enterprise context, your zone of genius refers back to the most fulfilling actions that usher in essentially the most cash,” says Jones.
At this stage, I don‘t use search engine optimization instruments but as a result of they’ll overcomplicate the method. For now, I’d wish to preserve it so simple as doable. That‘s as a result of I’m making an attempt to boil down a website to its most important elements.
The crux? Moderately than getting tremendous granular right here, I‘m searching for a chook’s eye view.
As a recap, my chosen overarching matters will turn out to be my major content material pillars. Every of those pillars will want cornerstone or pillar content material items inside them. They will additionally naturally have subtopics requiring supplementary content material (cluster content material.)
Collectively, these turn out to be subject clusters (i.e., clusters of content material items masking a selected subject), with the cluster content material bolstering the cornerstone content material.
Instance
Let‘s say my web site is an informational website the place I educate of us about advertising. Some key matters I’d possible talk about underneath the broader banner of selling that work to my “zone of genius” could be:
- Natural search
- Copywriting
- Social media advertising
Every of the above would turn out to be a content material pillar. For natural search, a tough breakdown of a subject cluster, together with cornerstone and cluster content material, would possibly look one thing like this:
- Cornerstone content material 1: An final information to search engine optimization
- Cluster content material 1: What’s off-page search engine optimization?
- Cluster content material 2: What’s on-page search engine optimization?
- Cluster content material 3: What’s technical search engine optimization?
To be clear, I would not begin mapping out particular content material clusters at this stage.
I’m exhibiting you one other instance as a result of the extra you see these subject cluster breakdowns, the better will probably be to get in the correct mindset. The proper mindset means you may separate cornerstone from cluster items extra simply.
2. Do not forget viewers analysis.
Now you could have your cornerstone or pillar matters mapped out, you could be itching to dive into key phrase analysis.
However I wouldn‘t advocate this till you’ve checked in together with your viewers first. (Be happy to skip this step if you have already got a transparent image of your viewers’s desires, wants, and ache factors.)
Viewers analysis issues as a result of profitable content material resonates together with your viewers. To create resonance, you don‘t simply need to rely solely on key phrase analysis instruments and their knowledge units.
Don’t get me mistaken, I like me some key phrase analysis instruments. However on the finish of the day, they’ll solely estimate search quantity (aka potential person curiosity) for search phrases.
Lengthy story quick, I‘d all the time somewhat hear from my actual viewers about their questions than work primarily based solely on educated guesses via search engine optimization instruments.
In fact, that’s to not say you may’t then use these widespread viewers questions to tell your key phrase analysis.
Instance
Just a few methods you may verify in together with your viewers embody:
- Chatting with them immediately
- Social media surveys
- Boards like Reddit or Quora
I personally love to interact with buyer help or gross sales groups. These groups usually have direct contact with clients, so that they’ll learn about widespread buyer queries, help tickets, and different ceaselessly requested questions.
Professional tip: I used to run advertising workshops for native companies just a few years in the past and would all the time dedicate an enormous part of the classes to viewers questions. If you are able to do this exercise, I extremely recommend it! I acquired some unbelievable content material inspiration I would not have considered in any other case.
And the ensuing items nonetheless drive visitors to my private weblog.
3. Conduct key phrase analysis.
Now, it is time to heat up your search engine optimization instruments. HUZZAH! I’ll typically begin with one subject (or cornerstone space) at a time on the key phrase analysis stage.
In my expertise, it is simple to finish up with a GARGANTUAN spreadsheet of key phrase analysis knowledge earlier than experiencing full knowledge overwhelm, resulting in evaluation paralysis.
Or, within the worst case state of affairs, realizing a whole lot of your analysis is solely unusable — aka a whole waste of time.
One factor I’ll say about that is that I don‘t work on larger-scale content material initiatives anymore. My purchasers usually have a publishing quantity of round 4 to 5 items a month.
Individuals who work on bigger quantity search engine optimization initiatives will possible have a distinct technique to me. Neither is healthier or worse; it’s a distinct method relying on the consumer’s wants.
For every content material pillar, I‘ll intention to do key phrase analysis for one piece of cornerstone content material and round three to 5 cluster (or supporting) content material items. I’ll then rinse and repeat this for as much as two to a few extra content material pillars.
And that finally ends up being the primary dash of a cornerstone content material plan.
Instance
Let‘s return to my earlier instance. I’m mapping out content material pillars for a web site, publishing content material about advertising, and specializing in the natural search pillar.
Initially, I am sticking with my draft pillar-cluster thought from the first step, specializing in key phrase analysis for the pillar content material piece:
- Cornerstone content material 1: An final information to search engine optimization
- Cluster content material 1: What’s off-page search engine optimization?
- Cluster content material 2: What’s on-page search engine optimization?
- Cluster content material 3: What’s technical search engine optimization?
My most popular key phrase analysis software is Key phrases In all places. For my part, you actually can‘t go mistaken with the value, and it fits my key phrase analysis type completely.
Plus, as a author, I’m always stumbling upon hidden gems whereas researching within the SERPs, so even when I am not doing the technique, I can feed these key phrases again to the strategist if they need them!
To get began, I‘m going to double-check that the Key phrase’s In all places Chrome extension is turned on and set to the right area. For this instance, I‘m utilizing ’United States.’
I’ll stroll on the wild aspect and make an informed guess on the search time period ‘search engine optimization information.’ The time period brings up a good quantity of search quantity.
However the competitors is simply too sturdy for my liking. You may estimate this utilizing the price per click on (CPC) or the Competitors metrics in Key phrases In all places. You may see these underneath the search bar.
You can too look immediately on the SERPs. At a look, the web sites rating for this search time period have such excessive authority and experience on this subject that it might be virtually not possible to rank alongside them. (That’s except you have been additionally a website with excessive authority and experience on this space.)
Based mostly on the above findings, it is time to search for hidden gems on the right-hand aspect of the browser. Right here, Key phrases In all places shares “Individuals Additionally Search For,” “Topical Key phrases,” “SERP Key phrases,” “Associated Key phrases,” and “Lengthy-Tail Key phrases.”
By “hidden gems,” I‘m searching for low-competition key phrases with first rate sufficient search quantity to justify changing into pillar content material.
That mentioned, I like to stay versatile right here. If the key phrase analysis takes me in one other route that can profit the meant viewers, so be it! Because the saying goes, “We will’t struggle the waves, however we are able to study to surf.”
I‘ve scoured via some longer tail key phrases, and the “search engine optimization information” topic, typically, is tremendous aggressive. So, I’m taking a diversion.
My first new piece of cornerstone content material throughout the natural search cluster will now be concerning the various kinds of search engine optimization. I will break the preliminary key phrases for this piece down within the following means:
Goal key phrase. Varieties of search engine optimization in digital advertising – 50 month-to-month search quantity
Associated key phrases.
- Varieties of search engine optimization in digital advertising with examples – 10 month-to-month search quantity
- Varieties of SEO – 880 month-to-month search quantity (As a result of excessive authority websites dominate the SERPs, I see this as a longer-term funding. That‘s why it isn’t my goal key phrase, regardless that the search quantity is greater.)
Professional tip: To make sure an thought warrants a whole article, verify the outcomes pages for the goal key phrase. At first look, I can see that Google is prioritizing pages devoted to answering this question. That is against this question forming solely a part of a broader piece of content material, as a single H2, for instance.
4. Differentiate cornerstone vs. supplementary content material in your subject clusters.
Okay, that is a clumsy step to separate as a result of when you‘re like me, this often runs in tandem together with your key phrase analysis. (I’m just about parsing out cornerstone and supplementary content material all through my key phrase analysis.)
Nevertheless, as I mentioned within the key phrase analysis stage, my means isn‘t the one means! So I’m excited that Mersudin Forbes, who has over 15 years of expertise in search engine optimization, shared their insights on differentiating key content material vs. supplementary items.
“Your mind-set about ‘cornerstone’ content material must be extra about the way you prioritize, section, and construction content material discovery in your web site,” says Forbes. “In case your customers can discover what they want simply, it’s possible (exterior of technical points) that Search engines like google and yahoo will too.”
Instance
Forbes recommends differentiating key content material “that solutions the primary issues you remedy, vs. what ache factors your clients have and ‘supplementary’ items of knowledge that help your providers or solutions.”
He breaks it down as follows:
- Key pillar/content material = cornerstone content material that customers ought to be capable to discover shortly inside your navigation and construction.
- Supplementary/cluster content material = supporting items you may home underneath the primary cornerstone content material pillars and use to reference between the pillar items of content material and supporting items.
Professional tip: Forbes recommends utilizing instruments like Key phrase Insights, “which is able to cluster all the queries and methods individuals search your info on-line/via serps right into a set of tightly fashioned matters and associated articles, all routinely sorted by predominant subject pillars and clusters of content material.”
5. Use a content material tracker.
When you begin to get a bunch of subject clusters on the go along with cornerstone content material and supplementary items inside them, you find yourself with A LOT of knowledge.
Which means you will want someplace to retailer and work with the info and monitor content material manufacturing.
Whether or not you observe my technique utilizing Key phrases In all places or work with one thing like Key phrase Insights and collect numerous knowledge without delay, this level stands.
For this subject cluster (Natural search > forms of search engine optimization), I‘d need to add the goal and associated key phrases for the cornerstone piece of content material to a devoted content material tracker.
I’d additionally need to rinse and repeat the above for 3 to 5 supplementary items to bolster the cornerstone content material.
In case you‘re , I’d have a look at supplementary items masking the various kinds of search engine optimization individually that I would featured within the cornerstone piece. That could possibly be a bit about on-page search engine optimization, off-page search engine optimization, and technical search engine optimization.
Instance
I often have a “Content material Concepts” tab or comparable on a spreadsheet to trace pillar-cluster content material ideation. Inside this tab, I’ll usually have “Title,” “Focus key phrase,” “Supporting key phrases,” and “Pillar” columns at a naked minimal. I will even have columns to assist me monitor the whole manufacturing course of.
If somebody desires a “DIY” content material technique (so I create a method for them to execute in-house), I‘ll add extra columns. For instance, I’ll embody additional particulars about URL construction and inner linking as a result of I see enterprise house owners getting this mistaken essentially the most usually.
This could be too “handholdy” for some strategists — particularly for a one-off content material technique. However I need the consumer to implement the plan somewhat than have it sit gathering mud in a Google Drive folder someplace.
Professional tip: Wish to keep away from getting overwhelmed by knowledge? Break your content material ideation and monitoring down into smaller steps. For context, my first spherical of key phrase analysis for content material technique usually contains round 12 content material concepts in complete.
In case you publish 4 posts a month, that is a three-month technique. The particular breakdown of the 12 concepts could be one thing like three subject clusters, together with a cornerstone piece and three supplementary items for every.
6. Create a content material transient.
Now that you just‘ve researched and parsed your cornerstone items out of your supplementary ones, it’s time to create a content material transient.
A content material transient is a doc which you can give to your author(s) in order that they’ll create your cornerstone content material.
I do know many people use instruments to automate content material briefing, however truthfully, I don‘t discover them useful. I’d a lot somewhat dive into the outcomes pages myself to see how we are able to attain sufficient consensus to please Google whereas differentiating ourselves as a model.
(As soon as once more, my means is not the one means! Loads of of us within the trade get good outcomes from utilizing content material briefing instruments.)
For me, briefing writers entails looking the goal key phrase immediately through Google utilizing a VPN set to the area my consumer is focusing on. Then, I will shortly scan the highest opponents to see what they cowl in every bit.
However I am additionally what they do not cowl as a result of that is the place we are able to stand out as a model and supply a greater person expertise.
Instance
By no means created a content material transient for writers? No stress, here is what I usually embody in mine:
- My contact particulars in case the author wants clarification on something
- The aim of the article
- Hyperlinks to any documentation like type or model pointers
- search engine optimization knowledge factors
- Goal key phrase
- Associated key phrases/key phrase cluster
- Meta title
- Meta description (for the author so as to add)
- URL
- Prompt content material size
- Really useful inner hyperlinks
- Article focus
- Content material define
- Prompt H2s/H3s
- Any notes underneath particular headings
7. Begin content material manufacturing.
Upon getting your content material transient, it is time to cross it over to your author and belief them to work their magic.
Bear in mind: Each time you’re taking a vital motion, like briefing a author or publishing content material in your web site, you will need to replace your content material tracker.
In any other case, the content material manufacturing course of can go unmanaged, unchecked, and get actual messy actual quick.
8. Replace and repeatedly enhance your content material.
Ryan Jones, the Advertising and marketing Supervisor for SEOTesting, recommends updating your cornerstone content material usually, and I couldn‘t agree extra. “All SEOs know that Google prefers recent content material,” says Jones.
“Preserve your content material updated and carry out common refreshes to make sure you’re giving your readers the perfect content material you may!”
Other than pleasing the Google Gods, you can begin gathering actual efficiency knowledge insights after a content material piece is reside.
Which means somewhat than making educated guesses about person habits, you may see how or if individuals are discovering your content material.
Professional tip: I like to recommend checking in with Google Seach Console to see what phrases individuals are utilizing to seek out your cornerstone content material. If you have not optimized for these phrases already, you need to use the info to tell your content material refresh.
A content material refresh could possibly be so simple as updating just a few current H2s with these phrases or including new sections to the piece if of us ask queries your content material would not particularly reply.
Ideas for Creating Cornerstone Content material from the Consultants
You‘ve heard sufficient from me, so let’s return to our consultants Ben Goodey, Ryan Jones, and Mersudin Forbes. They share their high suggestions for creating cornerstone content material.
Think about your viewers’s subsequent steps.
“An neglected step: what occurs after the reader has learn it?” says Ben Goodey.
“Your cornerstone content material is your reader‘s entry level into the subject and your model. However as soon as they’ve completed studying, assume via what subsequent steps you need them to take.
For instance, you may want them to obtain one thing helpful and related you’ve got created or subscribe to your e-newsletter to get extra on [your cornerstone topic].”
Do in-depth analysis.
“Make certain the content material you create is complete and well-structured,” says Ryan Jones. He additionally emphasizes the significance of utilizing knowledge, statistics, and credible sources to help your factors.
“Readers (and serps, clearly) usually tend to belief and have interaction with informative and correct content material.”
Hyperlink to supporting content material.
“Make sure you hyperlink to supporting content material, too,” says Jones.
“For many websites, cornerstone content material will usher in essentially the most acquired backlinks. Do not be afraid to hyperlink to different content material to share that hyperlink fairness amongst different pages that you just need to rank.”
Consider readability.
“Make the content material readable! Do not feel you might want to have one 5,000-word article if the analysis would not help that,” says Jones.
“Break up your content material up with pictures, movies, and professional quotes. Make certain your cornerstone content material covers the subject in full, however make it readable and interesting. Make it a bit of content material that customers need to use!”
Bear in mind: Cornerstone content material is not simply informational.
Some colleges of thought say product or gross sales pages should not be classed as cornerstone content material. I really disagree with this. Why? Effectively, Mersudin Forbes places it higher than I may have myself.
“Cornerstone content material could be mistaken for informational content material solely,” says Forbes. He explains that it “will also be core strains of enterprise, core providers or core merchandise. No matter covers the important thing essence of what you do and why you do it.”
Cornerstone Content material Examples
Now, let‘s have a look at just a few examples of cornerstone content material. I’ll dissect why every one works and what I like about them.
1. HubSpot’s “Instagram Advertising and marketing: The Final Information”
I could be biased, however relating to developing final guides, HubSpot is among the finest publishers to do it. As for this Instagram Advertising and marketing Final Information, the very first thing that strikes me is its complete nature. That is usually what you need for a bit of cornerstone content material.
The article additionally opens up with some statistics exhibiting that the piece is research-backed and evidence-based, which builds credibility proper from the beginning.
I additionally like how readability has been factored in. So, for instance, there are many visuals, headings, and examples all through.
2. HubSpot’s “Final Information to search engine optimization in 2024”
Okay, now you may positively accuse me of bias with this decide as a result of I‘m the writer of HubSpot’s Final Information to search engine optimization.
As with the earlier instance, this piece is complete. I did a deep dive right here, from breaking down the definition of search engine optimization to describing the various kinds of search engine optimization, sharing high suggestions from different trade consultants, and extra.
I additionally thought-about the viewers‘s subsequent steps with this piece. Not solely did I embody related inner hyperlinks all through, however I directed readers to the ’Full search engine optimization Starter Pack‘ with a transparent name to motion within the publish’s conclusion.
3. Sound of Life‘s “’90s Music Tendencies That Formed a Decade”
Sound the bias alarm once more: We’re off the races with one other content material piece scribed by your gal, Rachael.
In all equity, I am that includes ’90s Music Tendencies That Formed a Decade as a result of a) I do know it is a pillar piece and b) primarily based on Zoe Ashbridge’s wonderful search engine optimization content material technique, my penmanship, and the beautiful work from the writer’s editorial crew, we beat Wikipedia for the featured snippet.
This instance highlights that with the right components in place, your pillar content material may even beat high-authority websites like Wikipedia. In my humble opinion, the piece works as a result of we coated a whole lot of related details about ’90s music developments.
That mentioned, somewhat than simply masking keyword-driven headings mindlessly, we ensured the piece was editorial-led with a selected angle. The editorial crew additionally did a unbelievable job curating and embedding Spotify playlists and songs to interrupt up the textual content and improve readability.
We additionally linked to supplementary content material all through the publish and added related inner hyperlinks alongside a transparent name to motion on the backside of the article.
Cornerstone Content material Achieved Your Manner
As with so many areas of content material planning, there‘s no single option to create a cornerstone content material technique. I emphasize this as a result of your consumer’s price range, wants, and publishing frequency will finally dictate your method.
That mentioned, lots of the foundations keep the identical. Be that the logic of parsing out cornerstone from cluster content material or the artwork of creating the ultimate piece extra participating in your readers.
My greatest takeaway? In case you‘re new to cornerstone content material, I like to recommend experimenting with the methodology in your private website and seeing what outcomes you get.
I’ve given you a place to begin in the present day, however testing is one of the simplest ways to learn to do cornerstone content material your means.
