Now I don’t know about you, but cornerstone content might be one of those terms that you’ve heard of. But you’re not exactly what it means. A bit like the off-side rule. But fear not. I’m going to guide you through exactly what cornerstone content is. And why you absolutely need this to be part of your SEO strategy. So let’s start with the basics.
WHAT IS CORNERSTONE CONTENT?
Essentially, cornerstone content is the most important articles on your website. This could be a page. It could be blog post. But it’s the article that you want to rank highest for in search engines. Which sounds simple right? And it is simple. But there are a few things that make an article a cornerstone piece of content:
- It needs to be long. Like at least 900 words long
- It needs to be evergreen. So timeless. Content that is as relevant in the spring, as it is in the autumn
- It needs to be informative and authoritative. So content that focuses on being an ultimate guide work well
- It needs to be well written. So take your time, and get someone to proof read
- It needs to be one of the posts or pages that you want your readers to read when they first visit your site
- And finally it needs to be regularly updated and easy to find on your blog
Best practice would be to write cornerstone content about the keywords you want to rank for. So one piece of content for each category on your blog would be a good place to start.
Another best practice tip is that these articles, should be the content on your site with the most internal links pointing to them. In general, every time you write a new piece of content for your website. You should ensure there is a link pointing to the most relevant piece of cornerstone content.
WHY IS CORNERSTONE CONTENT IMPORTANT FOR SEO?
So now we know what cornerstone content is, let me explain exactly why this is so important for SEO. Google will use your cornerstone article to know what your site structure is and what is the most important content on your site.
If you write a lot of content about one subject, say plus-size fashion. It’s hard for Google to work out which is the most important piece. This could lead to you competing against yourself in search results. Which you really don’t want! But using cornerstone articles, you’re telling Google which is the most important article on your specialised topic.
And that’s what you want. You want to niche your topic and focus so that you’re seen as an authority in your area of expertise. This will help build credibility to the rest of your blog for not only your readers. But for search engines too. And the more authoritative you are in your areas of expertise. The most other websites will link back to you and your content. Which will give you valuable backlinks to book your blog in Google search. It’s a win win!
SO DO YOU NEED CORNERSTONE CONTENT?
Absolutely! I already explained this but honestly you need this type of content to not only tell Google what is important on your site. But to also help you rank higher in search engines. And the higher you rank in search engines. The more people will find your site and you’ll start to become known as an authority figure in your niche. And we all know that by becoming an authority figure means more websites will link to you and the higher up the search rankings you’ll go.
So know you know what it is and why you need it. You can check out this post on how to create cornerstone content.
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