I bear in mind precisely the place I used to be once I stumbled upon the idea of cornerstone content material for the primary time. It was a contemporary 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 utterly 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 methodology to extend search engine visibility for my purchasers. I additionally know for a proven fact that cornerstone content material fashioned a part of the web optimization content material technique that also drives thousands and thousands of visits to the HubSpot weblog as we speak.
Curiosity piqued? Cool! Please hold studying to study from me and a few unbelievable leaders within the web optimization business.
Desk of Contents
What’s cornerstone content material?
Cornerstone content material is an important content material in your web site. We‘re speaking about one of the best of one of the best, your magnum opus, the articles or touchdown pages you’d bend over backward to position in entrance of your ideally suited buyer or reader‘s eyeballs.
In brief, it’s content material you need natural searchers to return involved with first.
Not solely does cornerstone content material set the tone for what people can anticipate out of your model, web site, and providing, nevertheless it must also kind a essential a part of your web 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 ideally suited viewers makes use of.
Be aware: You may need heard cornerstone content material known as “pillar content material,” — which, truthfully, is low-key my most well-liked terminology. This additionally leads me to somewhat extra oh-so-necessary clarification …
Cornerstone content material vs. cluster content material: What is the distinction?
To completely perceive cornerstone content material, I‘d argue you will need to additionally perceive cluster content material. They’re type of like two halves of an entire 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 complete 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 simply already cowl or plan to cowl rigorously.
Supply
Cluster content material, then again, 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 positioning, you usually share a number of articles about varied music genres like pop, metallic, and punk.
Within the cornerstone mannequin, every style would turn into like a unique class or cornerstone subject you write about. On this instance, a cornerstone piece of content material may be one thing like “A whole historical past of punk music” or “One of the 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 assist the cornerstone content material. In order that may be one thing like “One of the best pop-punk songs from the early 2000s” or “American vs. British punk: what is the distinction?”
Advantages of Cornerstone Content material
In the event you do not already know, my panel of hand-selected content material specialists (ooh, fancy!) are right here to share why cornerstone content material may be the reward 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 the event you’re questioning, it is as a result of nobody ever seems to be there. Yuk-yuk-yuk!)
However severely, search engine customers hardly ever look past web page one.
Do not imagine 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 more likely to modify 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 will help.
Professional Insights
As Mersudin Forbes, a portfolio web optimization director and company advisor with 15 years of web optimization expertise, says, “For me, as an web optimization Advisor, 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 sort of visitors or engagement you wish to optimize in your internet properties or different mediums comparable to newsletters.”
Professional tip: Take a look at HubSpot’s web 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 as we speak. Even should you solely depend the energetic websites — round 200 million — the competitors for on-line consideration is fiercer than ever.
Mix the above with ContentSquare information highlighting that the common time individuals spend on a web site is dropping. Nicely, that fierce competitors simply received fiercer.
The crux? While you get a reader’s consideration within the SERPs and earn their click on, it’s good to make it depend.
Professional Insights
Ben Goodey, the founding father of Spicy Margarita Content material, and I agree that cornerstone content material may be your greatest 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 to your type and high quality — and is subsequently very more likely to dictate how good content material that follows is.”
He provides: “As a result of cornerstone content material can also be extra top-of-funnel ‘final information’ type content material, it is usually your viewers’s first massive touchpoint with you. You’ve gotten the chance to seize loads of consideration, place your stake within the floor as a model, and make it crystal clear to your viewers who you might be and the way you do issues. It is an effective 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 will help your model set up authority inside its house.
“Probably the most essential good thing about cornerstone content material is that it helps your model set up authority inside its house,” says Jones.
“A well-researched, informative piece of cornerstone content material positions you as an authority inside your subject. This helps construct credibility along with your website’s readers and encourages them to spend extra time in your website and discover the opposite content material you provide.”
Cut back your bounce price.
Your bounce price is the proportion of oldsters who click on on certainly one of your web site’s pages after which go away 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 “dangerous” bounce price is round 56% to 70%.
The great, the dangerous, and the common estimates apart, bounce charges can differ massively between industries and niches. So, whereas it is not all the time the be-all and end-all, it could actually point out whether or not an internet web page:
A) Matches a person’s search intent.
B) Gives a very good person expertise.
C) Makes a very good first impression.
A + B + C = a satisfying, reasonably than irritating, person expertise.
On condition that ContentSquare information finds one in three customers finish internet classes resulting from frustration, offering a seamless person expertise must be prime of thoughts for all publishers.
Nothing in life is assured. That stated, a high-quality piece of cornerstone content material is extra more likely to scale back your bounce price by totally breaking down a subject. It will give customers all the pieces they want in a single place (so they do not need to exit your website).
And naturally, funnel customers by a collection of associated content material items (offering seamless subsequent steps). All of those elements culminate in lowering person frustration.
Professional Insights
Mersudin Forbes additionally emphasizes the significance of constructing it straightforward for customers to navigate your website by cornerstone content material, finally aiding UX.
“Cornerstone/pillar content material must be straightforward for customers to know and navigate to out of your data 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 data.” This permits “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 web optimization, I am an on-page and content material woman as of late. That stated, 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.
Primarily based on this, I can inform you first-hand how arduous hyperlink acquisition may be. However there is a motive we hold revisiting the link-building nicely in web 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 prime causes these pages get zero visitors? They don’t have any backlinks.
As Ahrefs places it: “Backlinks are certainly one of Google’s prime 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 reasonably than chasing these much-needed hyperlinks, cornerstone content material encourages them to return to you. As a author for a excessive area authority website (hey, HubSpot!) I can attest to this.
I‘m all the time on the lookout for unbelievable content material or analysis studies to reference as a result of they add authority to my writing. (In the event 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.
Professional 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 through the years, cornerstone content material has all the time been probably the most profitable.”
He provides: “There are a couple of causes for this, however the principle one is that your website’s cornerstone content material is commonly your greatest content material. Extra individuals are more likely to hyperlink to it due to that. You may then use the cornerstone content material to drive authority to different pages in your website.”
Help content material repurposing efforts.
The price of content material manufacturing can quickly add up — shout out to ClearVoice, who did the maths so we do not have to. For even “a minimally staffed content material crew,” you will probably pay round $197,066 per 12 months.
Content material repurposing (i.e., reusing all or elements of a content material piece throughout totally different channels so it reaches new audiences) is one option to get extra mileage from that funding.
Which means cornerstone content material aids your web optimization technique and your broader content material advertising plan. Additional, it could actually additionally enable you to earn income out of your content material funding.
For instance, information from HubSpot finds that 63% of entrepreneurs say social media drives the very best ROI of all advertising channels, whereas 43% cite e-mail.
Cornerstone content material in your web site is the perfect option to hold a gentle supply of content material within the hopper to gas these different channels.
Professional Insights
After I first began as a child marketer, I used to be accountable 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 assist socials (so I’d direct people to our firm pages from there), however socials would assist 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 reasonably than reusing content material initially meant for one more. That stated, you’ll all the time have concepts for socials or e-mail when you’ve got a financial institution of high-quality cornerstone web site content material at hand.
How one 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 somewhat bit about content material monitoring.
I’ve additionally received some extra juicy insights to share from our specialists.
1. Select your core matters.
If I have been to map out an web 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 wish to cowl at size on my web site. I would additionally wish to guarantee they align with my product, service provide, 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 probably the most cash,” says Jones.
At this stage, I don‘t use web optimization instruments but as a result of they will overcomplicate the method. For now, I’d wish to hold it so simple as attainable. That‘s as a result of I’m making an attempt to boil down a website to its most important elements.
The crux? Relatively than getting tremendous granular right here, I‘m on the lookout for a chicken’s eye view.
As a recap, my chosen overarching matters will turn into my main 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 into subject clusters (i.e., clusters of content material items overlaying 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 people about advertising. Some key matters I’d probably talk about below the broader banner of promoting that work to my “zone of genius” may be:
Natural search
Copywriting
Social media advertising
Every of the above would turn into a content material pillar. For natural search, a tough breakdown of a subject cluster, together with cornerstone and cluster content material, may look one thing like this:
Cornerstone content material 1: An final information to web optimization
Cluster content material 1: What’s off-page web optimization?
Cluster content material 2: What’s on-page web optimization?
Cluster content material 3: What’s technical web optimization?
To be clear, I would not begin mapping out particular content material clusters at this stage.
I’m displaying you one other instance as a result of the extra you see these subject cluster breakdowns, the simpler it will likely be to get in the proper mindset. The proper mindset means you possibly can separate cornerstone from cluster items extra simply.
2. Remember viewers analysis.
Now you’ve got your cornerstone or pillar matters mapped out, you may be itching to dive into key phrase analysis.
However I wouldn‘t suggest this till you’ve checked in along with your viewers first. (Be happy to skip this step if you have already got a transparent image of your viewers’s needs, wants, and ache factors.)
Viewers analysis issues as a result of profitable content material resonates along with your viewers. To create resonance, you don‘t simply wish to rely solely on key phrase analysis instruments and their information units.
Don’t get me improper, I like me some key phrase analysis instruments. However on the finish of the day, they will solely estimate search quantity (aka potential person curiosity) for search phrases.
Lengthy story quick, I‘d all the time reasonably hear from my actual viewers about their questions than work primarily based solely on educated guesses by web optimization instruments.
In fact, that’s to not say you possibly can’t then use these frequent viewers questions to tell your key phrase analysis.
Instance
A couple of methods you possibly can verify in along with your viewers embrace:
Chatting with them straight
Social media surveys
Boards like Reddit or Quora
I personally love to have interaction with buyer assist or gross sales groups. These groups usually have direct contact with clients, in order that they’ll learn about frequent buyer queries, assist tickets, and different continuously requested questions.
Professional tip: I used to run advertising workshops for native companies a couple of years in the past and would all the time dedicate a large part of the classes to viewers questions. If you are able to do this exercise, I extremely recommend it! I received 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 web optimization instruments. HUZZAH! I’ll usually 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 information earlier than experiencing full information overwhelm, resulting in evaluation paralysis.
Or, within the worst case state of affairs, realizing loads of your analysis is solely unusable — aka an entire waste of time.
One factor I’ll say about that is that I don‘t work on larger-scale content material tasks anymore. My purchasers usually have a publishing quantity of round 4 to 5 items a month.
Individuals who work on bigger quantity web optimization tasks will probably have a unique methodology to me. Neither is healthier or worse; it’s a unique method relying on the shopper’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 1st step, specializing in key phrase analysis for the pillar content material piece:
Cornerstone content material 1: An final information to web optimization
Cluster content material 1: What’s off-page web optimization?
Cluster content material 2: What’s on-page web optimization?
Cluster content material 3: What’s technical web optimization?
My most well-liked key phrase analysis instrument is Key phrases All over the place. For my part, you actually can‘t go improper with the worth, and it fits my key phrase analysis type completely.
Plus, as a author, I’m continually 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 All over the place 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 facet and make an informed guess on the search time period ‘web 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 associated fee per click on (CPC) or the Competitors metrics in Key phrases All over the place. You will see these below the search bar.
You can too look straight 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 inconceivable to rank alongside them. (That’s except you have been additionally a website with excessive authority and experience on this space.)
Primarily based on the above findings, it is time to search for hidden gems on the right-hand facet of the browser. Right here, Key phrases All over the place shares “Folks Additionally Search For,” “Topical Key phrases,” “SERP Key phrases,” “Associated Key phrases,” and “Lengthy-Tail Key phrases.”
By “hidden gems,” I‘m on the lookout for low-competition key phrases with first rate sufficient search quantity to justify changing into pillar content material.
That stated, I like to stay versatile right here. If the key phrase analysis takes me in one other path that may profit the meant viewers, so be it! Because the saying goes, “We will’t battle the waves, however we will study to surf.”
I‘ve scoured by some longer tail key phrases, and the “web optimization information” topic, basically, is tremendous aggressive. So, I’m taking a diversion.
My first new piece of cornerstone content material inside the natural search cluster will now be concerning the various kinds of web optimization. I will break the preliminary key phrases for this piece down within the following means:
Goal key phrase. Varieties of web optimization in digital advertising – 50 month-to-month search quantity
Associated key phrases.
Varieties of web optimization in digital advertising with examples – 10 month-to-month search quantity
Varieties of search engine marketing – 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, although the search quantity is larger.)
Professional tip: To make sure an thought warrants a complete 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 to your subject clusters.
Okay, that is a clumsy step to separate as a result of should you‘re like me, this often runs in tandem along with your key phrase analysis. (I’m just about parsing out cornerstone and supplementary content material all through my key phrase analysis.)
Nonetheless, as I stated 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 web 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 probably (outdoors of technical points) that Search engines like google will too.”
Instance
Forbes recommends differentiating key content material “that solutions the principle issues you remedy, vs. what ache factors your clients have and ‘supplementary’ items of data that assist your companies or solutions.”
He breaks it down as follows:
Key pillar/content material = cornerstone content material that customers ought to have the ability to discover shortly inside your navigation and construction.
Supplementary/cluster content material = supporting items you possibly can home below the principle 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 the entire queries and methods individuals search your data on-line/by serps right into a set of tightly fashioned matters and associated articles, all mechanically sorted by important 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 together with cornerstone content material and supplementary items inside them, you find yourself with A LOT of information.
Which means you will want someplace to retailer and work with the info and observe content material manufacturing.
Whether or not you comply with my methodology utilizing Key phrases All over the place or work with one thing like Key phrase Insights and collect numerous information directly, this level stands.
For this subject cluster (Natural search > sorts of web optimization), I‘d wish to add the goal and associated key phrases for the cornerstone piece of content material to a devoted content material tracker.
I’d additionally wish to rinse and repeat the above for 3 to 5 supplementary items to bolster the cornerstone content material.
In the event you‘re , I’d take a look at supplementary items overlaying the various kinds of web optimization individually that I would featured within the cornerstone piece. That might be a chunk about on-page web optimization, off-page web optimization, and technical web optimization.
Instance
I often have a “Content material Concepts” tab or related 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 observe your complete manufacturing course of.
If somebody needs a “DIY” content material technique (so I create a technique for them to execute in-house), I‘ll add extra columns. For instance, I’ll embrace additional particulars about URL construction and inner linking as a result of I see enterprise homeowners getting this improper probably the most usually.
This may be too “handholdy” for some strategists — particularly for a one-off content material technique. However I need the shopper to implement the plan reasonably than have it sit gathering mud in a Google Drive folder someplace.
Professional tip: Need to keep away from getting overwhelmed by information? 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 whole.
In the event you publish 4 posts a month, that is a three-month technique. The precise breakdown of the 12 concepts may be one thing like three subject clusters, together with a cornerstone piece and three supplementary items for every.
6. Create a content material temporary.
Now that you simply‘ve researched and parsed your cornerstone items out of your supplementary ones, it’s time to create a content material temporary.
A content material temporary is a doc that you may give to your author(s) in order that they will create your cornerstone content material.
I do know many of us use instruments to automate content material briefing, however truthfully, I don‘t discover them useful. I’d a lot reasonably dive into the outcomes pages myself to see how we will 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 people within the business get good outcomes from utilizing content material briefing instruments.)
For me, briefing writers entails looking the goal key phrase straight by way of Google utilizing a VPN set to the area my shopper is concentrating 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 will stand out as a model and supply a greater person expertise.
Instance
By no means created a content material temporary for writers? No stress, this is what I usually embrace 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 tips
web optimization information factors
Goal key phrase
Associated key phrases/key phrase cluster
Meta title
Meta description (for the author so as to add)
URL
Instructed content material size
Really helpful inner hyperlinks
Article focus
Content material define
Instructed H2s/H3s
Any notes below particular headings
7. Begin content material manufacturing.
Upon getting your content material temporary, it is time to move it over to your author and belief them to work their magic.
Keep in mind: Each time you’re taking an important motion, like briefing a author or publishing content material in your web site, you will wish 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 constantly enhance your content material.
Ryan Jones, the Advertising and marketing Supervisor for SEOTesting, recommends updating your cornerstone content material repeatedly, and I couldn‘t agree extra. “All SEOs know that Google prefers contemporary content material,” says Jones.
“Preserve your content material updated and carry out common refreshes to make sure you’re giving your readers one of the best content material you possibly can!”
Other than pleasing the Google Gods, you can begin gathering actual efficiency information insights after a content material piece is stay.
Which means reasonably than making educated guesses about person habits, you possibly can 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 might be so simple as updating a couple of current H2s with these phrases or including new sections to the piece if people ask queries your content material would not particularly reply.
Suggestions for Creating Cornerstone Content material from the Consultants
You‘ve heard sufficient from me, so let’s return to our specialists Ben Goodey, Ryan Jones, and Mersudin Forbes. They share their prime ideas for creating cornerstone content material.
Contemplate your viewers’s subsequent steps.
“An ignored 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 by what subsequent steps you need them to take.
For instance, you may want them to obtain one thing helpful and related you have created or subscribe to your publication to get extra on [your cornerstone topic].”
Do in-depth analysis.
“Ensure that the content material you create is complete and well-structured,” says Ryan Jones. He additionally emphasizes the significance of utilizing information, statistics, and credible sources to assist your factors.
“Readers (and serps, clearly) usually tend to belief and interact with informative and correct content material.”
Hyperlink to supporting content material.
“Make sure to hyperlink to supporting content material, too,” says Jones.
“For many websites, cornerstone content material will usher in probably the most acquired backlinks. Do not be afraid to hyperlink to different content material to share that hyperlink fairness amongst different pages that you simply wish to rank.”
Think about readability.
“Make the content material readable! Do not feel it’s good to have one 5,000-word article if the analysis would not assist that,” says Jones.
“Cut up your content material up with pictures, movies, and professional quotes. Ensure that your cornerstone content material covers the subject in full, however make it readable and fascinating. Make it a chunk of content material that customers wish to use!”
Keep 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? Nicely, Mersudin Forbes places it higher than I may have myself.
“Cornerstone content material may be mistaken for informational content material solely,” says Forbes. He explains that it “will also be core strains of enterprise, core companies 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 take a look at a couple of 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 may be biased, however relating to developing final guides, HubSpot is among the greatest 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 chunk of cornerstone content material.
The article additionally opens up with some statistics displaying 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 web optimization in 2024”
Okay, now you possibly can positively accuse me of bias with this decide as a result of I‘m the creator of HubSpot’s Final Information to web optimization.
As with the earlier instance, this piece is complete. I did a deep dive right here, from breaking down the definition of web optimization to describing the various kinds of web optimization, sharing prime ideas from different business specialists, and extra.
I additionally thought of the viewers‘s subsequent steps with this piece. Not solely did I embrace related inner hyperlinks all through, however I directed readers to the ’Full web 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 glorious web 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 loads of related details about ’90s music tendencies.
That stated, reasonably than simply overlaying keyword-driven headings mindlessly, we ensured the piece was editorial-led with a selected angle. The editorial crew additionally did a incredible job curating and embedding Spotify playlists and songs to interrupt up the textual content and enhance 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.
Supply
Cornerstone Content material Performed 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 shopper’s funds, wants, and publishing frequency will finally dictate your method.
That stated, most of the foundations keep the identical. Be that the logic of parsing out cornerstone from cluster content material or the artwork of constructing the ultimate piece extra partaking to your readers.
My greatest takeaway? In the event 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 as we speak, however testing is one of the best ways to learn to do cornerstone content material your means.