Cornerstone Content That Google Loves: 5 Strategies

Cornerstone content material helps customers and engines like google perceive your space of experience.

As soon as engines like google view you as an authority for a selected matter, you’ll discover it simpler to rank for key phrases associated to that matter.

This makes cornerstone content material important for each search engine marketing technique.

On this put up, we’ll focus on find out how to create cornerstone content material and numerous examples of fantastic cornerstone content material.

What Is Cornerstone Content material?

Cornerstone content material, generally known as pillar content material, is a long-form weblog put up that gives a common overview of a broad matter. 

Cornerstone content material items typically have “final information” or “novices’ information” within the title as they’re designed to offer an entire snapshot of a subject. Most cornerstone content material is effectively over 2,000 phrases lengthy, although some will be over 5,000 phrases lengthy. 

An instance of a cornerstone piece of content material is our content marketing guide. 

The content material advertising information supplies a common overview of what content material advertising is, although slightly than going into an excessive amount of element on anybody subtopic, it hyperlinks out to different weblog posts on every subtopic. For instance, it hyperlinks out to particular weblog posts on content material advertising examples, content material advertising technique, producing content material concepts, and making a content material advertising calendar.

This inner linking construction is a key attribute of cornerstone content material, which makes it such a important side of a top quality search engine marketing technique.

What Is The Profit Of Cornerstone Content material?

Cornerstone content material is useful for SEO.

Search engines like google wish to present their customers content material from specialists, and one technique they use to find out your web site’s authority and experience on a subject is analyzing how totally a web site covers that individual matter. 

For example this, think about the next state of affairs.

Web site A has over 100 top quality (high quality continues to be important) articles on cat well being, whereas Web site B solely has two articles on cat well being amongst lots of of different articles associated to journey ideas. 

On this case, Web site A will possible be seen because the extra authoritative supply on cat well being. 

(Notice: topical authority isn’t the solely consideration engines like google have in mind when figuring out rankings, although it’s a important issue.)

So if you wish to dominate the major search engines for a selected key phrase, create a cornerstone weblog put up (e.g., “cat well being”) after which add inner hyperlinks to your different weblog posts concentrating on numerous subtopics talked about inside the cornerstone piece of content material (“finest cat dietary supplements” “moist meals vs. dry meals for cats,” “how a lot to feed a cat,” and so forth.) might help your web site set up itself as an skilled on that matter.

Because of this, you’ll possible see all of your content material associated to that matter rise within the search outcomes.

Under, we’ll tactically focus on how one can create cornerstone content material, from discovering the perfect matter key phrase and writing to put up to implementing an inner linking technique and selling your new cornerstone article for optimum attain.

How To Create Cornerstone Content material

Under we’ll focus on the step-by-step course of of making cornerstone content material.

Step 1: Determine The Primary Matter And Key phrase

A cornerstone content material technique usually doesn’t require detailed keyword research as a result of the key phrase you’re concentrating on is simply the principle matter (sometimes called the “head time period”). 

An instance of a cornerstone key phrase is likely to be “cat well being.” 

A standard concern is that head phrases are essentially the most aggressive key phrases, and few web sites have the authority vital to indicate up for them within the SERPs. 

For instance, “cat well being” has a problem degree of 64 (fairly excessive) and is dominated by an authoritative web site like petMD.

It’s true that you simply possible gained’t rank for that key phrase proper now you probably have a more recent web site or a web site with a fraction of the hyperlinks.

Nonetheless, making a cornerstone piece of content material for that key phrase continues to be related if cat well being is the principle matter you propose to debate in your web site. It’s because nice cornerstone content material anchors the remainder of your content material concentrating on long-tail key phrases. 

So even when the cornerstone content material doesn’t rank for the pinnacle time period, you’ll possible see your different content material concentrating on these longer tail key phrases rise within the rankings as a result of engines like google can see that you simply’re an authority on that matter. 

With out that cornerstone piece of content material, it could be far more troublesome for engines like google to infer that you simply’re an skilled on cat well being. 

However, most web sites solely ever want one piece of cornerstone content material. 

Even right here at Copyblogger, whereas the web site generates over 50,000 month-to-month visits and has a really excessive area ranking, we solely have eight items of cornerstone content material; content material advertising, SEO, copywriting, e-mail advertising, web advertising, touchdown pages, conversion price optimization, and gross sales pages. 

And even eight items might be extra cornerstone content material than vital. 

So, there in all probability gained’t be a number of key phrase analysis at this stage. As a substitute, choose the pinnacle time period that finest matches the principle matter you need your web site to be seen as an authority on.

Step 2: Map Out Varied Further Subtopics

When you’ve outlined the principle matter that you simply’ll create your content material cluster round, map out the varied subtopics you’ll focus on inside the cornerstone content material piece. 

Primarily, your cornerstone content material ought to present a common overview of the subject and handle often requested questions that folks usually have concerning that matter.

You should use ChatGPT that can assist you construct your define, although you should definitely edit it your self. For instance, I requested it to create an overview for my article on “cat well being:”

Right here’s the total define it generated:

That is fairly good, however you may nonetheless wish to edit the define your self so as to add any important subtopics that somebody looking the principle matter would wish to find out about or omit any sections which can be irrelevant.

Do not forget that for every subsection (e.g., “grooming and care,” “train and bodily exercise,” and so forth.), you’ll finally create particular person weblog posts that go into extra element for every of these matters.

Step 3: Creating And Optimizing The Content material

The subsequent step is to put in writing the content material on your cornerstone content material. Like some other piece of evergreen content material, observe the perfect practices for making a high quality blog post, like:

• Together with the key phrase within the title tag and the primary paragraph of the put up.
• Offering distinctive worth from the entire different content material rating within the SERPs.
• Utilizing a instrument like Surfer or Clearscope so as to add related key phrases all through the weblog put up.

The one main distinction is that you simply don’t must go too in-depth on any specific subsection inside the content material since you’ll be linking out to a weblog put up that covers the subject in additional element. 

As a substitute, the cornerstone content material web page is extra of a map that folks can use to discover numerous subtopics inside the broader matter.  

Due to this fact, including inner hyperlinks is important to making a profitable cornerstone content material web page.

We touched on inner linking above, however an inner hyperlink is basically a hyperlink to a different web page in your web site. On this case, it could be a hyperlink to a weblog put up on a selected subtopic you focus on in your cornerstone content material. 

For instance, the screenshot beneath is one subsection contained in the content material advertising information. You may see that the phrases “content material advertising technique” are linked to a weblog put up devoted particularly to making a content material advertising technique.

So despite the fact that the content material advertising information supplies a short overview of find out how to create a content material advertising technique, the hyperlink sends the reader to a extra detailed information on making a content material advertising technique with extra tactical data and examples.

This helps engines like google discover your associated posts, and it additionally makes it simple for customers to go deeper into your web site. Conserving customers in your web site is a constructive engagement sign to engines like google, which might help enhance your rankings, and it additionally helps you construct a stronger relationship together with your readers.  

To maximise the advantages of inner linking, you should definitely additionally hyperlink again to the principle cornerstone content material web page. 

So a fantastic inner linking construction seems like this:

 Source

It’s additionally necessary to notice that almost all cornerstone content material items are prolonged – typically effectively over 2,000 phrases.

Most individuals gained’t learn your complete weblog put up. As a substitute, they’ll simply scroll by way of the put up and pause on the sections which can be most related to them.

So in case your put up is troublesome to scroll by way of, they’ll in all probability simply go away it.

To make it simpler to scroll and rapidly discover the sections they’re most curious about, embody a desk of contents, sticky sidebar, and subheaders.

Right here’s a fantastic instance of an impressive consumer expertise from SEMrush:

Source

Whereas it might appear counterintuitive, making it simpler for individuals to skim your weblog put up will really maintain them in your web site longer, as most individuals will merely go away your web site if they’re instantly overwhelmed by a block of textual content. 

You may also optimize the content material for readability by including screenshots and graphics, utilizing bullet factors, and bolding or underlining necessary ideas. 

Backlinko‘s weblog additionally affords a superb excellent consumer expertise. You’ll discover that the sentence construction is brief and to the purpose, not one of the paragraphs are very lengthy, and there are many bullet factors, graphics, and pictures to simply talk key factors.

Source

Step 4: Selling Cornerstone Content material

After publishing your cornerstone content material, there’s a superb likelihood it gained’t instantly rank for the specified key phrase – particularly in the event you’re in a extremely aggressive area of interest.   

The truth is, it might be years earlier than you rank for the pinnacle time period. 

As talked about earlier, creating cornerstone content material continues to be helpful each for incomes topical authority and rising rankings for lengthy tail key phrases.   

But one highly effective technique to extend the probability of rating for the principle head time period is earing backlinks from different authoritative web sites in your area of interest to the cornerstone content material. 

Whereas there are numerous totally different strategies to earn backlinks (and they’re all the time altering!), the frequent denominator of all profitable hyperlink constructing strategies is that they supply worth to the opposite web site/firm you’re asking for a hyperlink from. Some frequent strategies to offer worth to different web sites embody:

• Providing to refresh their content material without spending a dime in trade for a hyperlink.
• Figuring out outdated or damaged hyperlinks to content material much like the brand new cornerstone content material you created.
• Paying for a hyperlink. 

It’s necessary to notice that these energetic hyperlink constructing are discouraged by Google, however the actuality is that hyperlinks can considerably enhance your rankings. So, use these strategies with warning.

As a substitute, my favourite technique is to both create content material that pulls hyperlinks or construct legit relationships with trade influencers in order that they organically hyperlink to you.

Listed here are some strategies to draw hyperlinks to your cornerstone content material:

• Embrace new statistics or information
• Talk about case research or distinctive examples 
• Embrace quotes from trade specialists

Listed here are some strategies to construct real relationships that end in hyperlinks:

• Supply to do a content material collaboration (podcast episode, video, and so forth.)
• Supply to sponsor an occasion
• Supply to advertise their content material without spending a dime

On the finish of the day, constructing actual relationships with individuals is essentially the most sustainable technique to earn hyperlinks, as these relationships can compound and end in extra hyperlinks down the highway and different higher-level collaborations that may assist promote your model. 

Whereas it’s simple to get wrapped up in KPIs like model consciousness, natural site visitors, and backlinks, it’s necessary to appreciate that the top aim is to construct the enterprise, and constructing actual relationships tends to contribute essentially the most to each incomes hyperlinks and different bigger enterprise objectives.

You may also do influencer advertising collaborations and ask trade leaders to advertise your cornerstone content material by way of their newsletters and social media channels.

Step 5: Content material Updating And Refreshing

Lastly, your cornerstone content material isn’t actually “finished.” As you construct out extra weblog posts concentrating on subtopics associated to your major content material, replace your major pillar content material with quick sections on these matters, or not less than add inner hyperlinks (when related).

Updating content material not solely helps your content material concentrating on longer tail key phrases rank greater, nevertheless it additionally exhibits engines like google that your content material is contemporary. 

Provided that engines like google wish to present their customers up-to-date content material, making these minor content material refreshes is useful.

It’s additionally necessary to eradicate any data because it turns into outdated and add new data as vital. For instance, this piece of content material is definitely a refreshed model of an older weblog put up concentrating on the identical key phrase. 

Because the unique model of this weblog put up was printed, quite a bit has modified. For instance, now you can use ChatGPT to create an overview. So updating it to incorporate these new methods which can be extra environment friendly than earlier finest practices is necessary.

Glorious Examples of Cornerstone Content material 

You already noticed that the Copyblogger content material advertising information is an instance of a cornerstone piece of content material, although listed below are a number of further examples of cornerstone content material.

Instance #1: Bankrate: How To Buy A House

Bankrate makes a speciality of monetary training, so it’s no shock that one among their major cornerstone content material pages covers the subject of shopping for a home.

It has a superb consumer expertise and contains bullet level lists below every subcategory that make it simple for the reader to rapidly scan.

You’ll additionally discover that it contains inner hyperlinks to different extra detailed weblog posts on subtopics, like sustaining a house.

Instance #2: Healthline: The Ketogenic Diet

Healthline additionally has a superb instance of a cornerstone piece of content material on the ketogenic weight loss program. 

It contains data on what the keto weight loss program is, the way it works, a pattern weight loss program, advantages, dangers, and even wholesome keto snacks. For every part, there’s a hyperlink out to a extra particular weblog put up on that matter. For instance, this weblog put up hyperlinks out to a weblog put up with a extra detailed pattern keto meal plan:

Additionally they supply a abstract on the finish of every part:

Instance #3: Moz: Beginners Guide To SEO

Moz’s Newbie’s Information to search engine marketing is the poster youngster of cornerstone content material. It’s a full information with particular person chapters for every of the search engine marketing matters it discusses. 

Every chapter additionally hyperlinks out to extra particular weblog posts on related matters talked about.

For instance, one of many sections mentions anchor textual content, so it hyperlinks out to a weblog put up about anchor textual content:

Instance #4:HubSpot: Guide To Creating A Sales Process

HubSpot has loads of wonderful examples of cornerstone content material, and one among them is their information to making a gross sales course of.

It delivers a superb consumer expertise with clear chapters and loads of design parts that make it simple to skim:

You may also see that they’ve a superb inner linking technique. For instance, they hyperlink out to weblog posts on “prospecting” and “qualifying new leads” inside every of these sections:

Take The Subsequent Steps In the present day

Creating cornerstone content material is a good way to arrange your content material for engines like google and set up your web site as a topical authority in a selected area of interest.

Following these steps will provide help to construct your cornerstone content material, although if you’d like extra help together with your broader content material advertising technique, you may be a part of the Copyblogger Academy, the place you may ask me and the Copyblogger crew particular questions. You’ll even have entry to programs on content material advertising, search engine marketing, private branding, and different advertising matters.

Although much more importantly, you’ll have entry to a gaggle of friends who’re additionally devoted to bettering their content material advertising expertise.

Alternatively, in the event you simply need a content material technique finished for you, attain out to the Digital Commerce Partners. They’re the crew behind the Copyblogger model and may create and execute a content material technique for you.