Creating the right foundation for cornerstone content – ​​here’s everything I know

Creating the right foundation for cornerstone content – ​​here’s everything I know

I still remember exactly where I was when I first came across the concept of cornerstone content. It was a crisp winter morning in late December, and the sun glinted off the frozen ground… Okay, I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding.

So the Cornerstone content model isn’t exactly “moon landing” material. But it has completely revolutionized the way I think about and implement content strategies.

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As a junior content marketer, this gave me my first logical framework for creating, organizing and managing content production. Before, it felt like I was throwing content ideas at the wall until something, anything, stuck. There was nothing to “hang my hat on,” so to speak.

Aside from a logical framework, Cornerstone Content also gave me a proven method to increase my clients’ search engine visibility. I also know for a fact that cornerstone content was part of the SEO content strategy that still drives millions of visits to the HubSpot blog today.

Interested? Cool! Please read on to learn from me and some incredible leaders in the SEO industry.

Table of contents

What is cornerstone content?

The cornerstone of the content is this the most important Content on your website. We’re talking about the best of the best, your magnum opus, the articles or landing pages that you would go out of your way to place in front of your ideal customer or reader.

In short: it is content that organic searchers should come into contact with first.

Cornerstone content not only sets the tone for what people can expect from your brand, website, and offering, but it should also form a crucial part of your SEO strategy.

Ideally, you want these cornerstones to rank on page one of the search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant searches that your ideal audience uses.

Note: You may have heard core content referred to as “pillar content” – which, honestly, is a conservative terminology that I prefer. This also leads me to a somewhat oh-so-needed clarification…

Cornerstone Content vs. Cluster Content: What’s the Difference?

In my opinion, to fully understand cornerstone content, you also need to understand cluster content. They’re kind of like two halves of a whole that work together to form that Pillar cluster content model (also called cornerstone). Confused? No problem, let me break this down.

A core piece of content, like an article, acts as an introduction to an entire topic category or subcategory of content on your site. Simply put, it introduces your audience to a core topic or subtopic that you already cover or that you want to cover in depth.

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Cluster content, on the other hand, acts as complementary content that extends and supports your cornerstone content.

Example

Let’s say you run a music website. Due to the nature of the site, they often share multiple articles about different music genres such as pop, metal, and punk.

In the cornerstone model, each genre would become a different category or cornerstone topic that you write about. In this example, central content could be something like “A complete history of punk music” or “The best punk music from the 70s to today.”

Meanwhile, cluster content would include more niche articles that relate to and therefore support the cornerstone content. So this could be something like “The Best Pop-Punk Songs of the Early 2000s” or “American vs. British Punk: What’s the Difference?”

Benefits of Cornerstone Content

If you don’t already know, my panel of hand-picked content experts (oh, great!) are here to share with you why cornerstone content can be the gift that keeps on giving.

Increase visibility in search engines.

There’s a reason SEOs joke about criminals hiding corpses on page two of the SERPs… (If you’re wondering, it’s because no one ever looks there. Yuk-yuk-yuk!)

But seriously, search engine users rarely look beyond the first page.

Don’t you believe me? Backlinko analyzed 4 million Google search results and found that “only 0.63% of Google searchers clicked on something on the second page.” Simply put, if search engine users can’t find what they’re looking for, they’re more likely to adjust their search terms than scroll past page one.

Therefore, visibility in search engines is important. This is why SEOs put in so much effort to get on page one with our employers and/or clients. Luckily, cornerstone content can help.

Expert insights

As Mersudin ForbesA Portfolio SEO Director and agency consultant with 15 years of SEO experience, says, “For me as an SEO consultant, this (cornerstone content) is always aimed at search engine visibility.” But it really goes far beyond that.”

He explains that the concept can extend to “any type of traffic or engagement you want to optimize on your web pages or other media such as newsletters.”

Pro tip: Check out HubSpot SEO starter pack for more ways to improve your search engine visibility.

Make your first impression count.

Accordingly Netcraft’s web server survey 2024There are over 1.5 billion websites online today. Even if you just count active websites – around 200 million – the competition for online attention is fiercer than ever.

Combine the above with ContentSquare Data shows that the average time people spend on a website is decreasing. Well, that tough competition just got tougher.

The sticking point? If you grab a reader’s attention in the SERPs and earn their click, you need to make it count.

Expert insights

Ben Goodeythe founder of Spicy margarita contentand I agree that cornerstone content can be your best friend here.

“I think cornerstone content is very important because it’s often the first piece of content you create as a company,” says Goodey. “It sets the bar for your style and quality – and therefore most likely determines how good the content that follows is.”

He adds, “Because cornerstone content is also more of a top-of-funnel, “ultimate guide” style content, it is often your audience’s first major point of contact with you. You have the opportunity to attract a lot of attention, establish yourself as a brand, and make it clear to your audience who you are and how you do things. It’s a great way to connect with audiences and establish your brand from the start.”

Your friend and mine, Ryan Jonesthe marketing manager SEOTestingexplains how this first impression can help your brand build authority in its community.

“The most important benefit of cornerstone content is that it helps your brand build authority in its field,” says Jones.

“Well-researched, informative cornerstone content positions you as an authority in your field. This helps build credibility with your site’s readers and encourages them to spend more time on your site and explore the other content you offer.”

Reduce your bounce rate.

Your bounce rate is the percentage of people who click on a page on your website and then leave without converting or visiting any additional pages.

Fun fact warning: According to the HubSpot State of Marketing Reportthe average website has a bounce rate of around 37%. As for a “good” bounce rate? Jet pack estimates this at 26% to 40%. Meanwhile, a “bad” bounce rate is around 56% to 70%.

Aside from the good, the bad, and the average estimates, bounce rates can vary greatly depending on your industry and niche. While this isn’t always the be-all and end-all, it can provide insight into whether a website:

A) Matches a user’s search intent.

B) Provides a good user experience.

C) Makes a good first impression.

A + B + C = a satisfying rather than frustrating user experience.

Given that one in three users end their web session out of frustration, according to ContentSquare data, providing a seamless user experience should be a top priority for all publishers.

Nothing in life is guaranteed. However, high-quality cornerstone content is more likely to reduce your bounce rate by breaking down a topic thoroughly. This gives users everything they need in one place (so they don’t have to leave your website).

And of course, guide users through a series of related content items (for seamless next steps). All of these factors help reduce user frustration.

Expert insights

Mersudin Forbes also emphasizes the importance of making it easier for users to navigate your website through the most important content, ultimately improving the user experience.

“Cornerstone/pillar content should be easy for users to understand and navigate from your information architecture,” says Forbes. “Put it at the forefront of what you want your users to find.”

He also explains that your cornerstone content “should help direct users to other supporting and related information.” This allows you to “group your other content around your core topic areas.”

The kicker? A logical breakdown of content by pillar clusters is beneficial for the user experience.

Help with link acquisition.

When it comes to SEO, I’m an on-page and content girl these days. However, I actually started with link building (i.e. off-page). I have worked on several link building campaigns as a guest post writer for a blogger outreach platform.

In addition to writing the guest posts, I identified high-quality and relevant websites and submitted article ideas to these publishers.

Based on this, I can tell you firsthand how tedious link acquisition can be. But there is a reason why we keep thinking about link building in the area of ​​SEO.

Accordingly Ahrefs96.55% of all pages in their index “do not receive traffic from Google and 1.94% receive between one and ten monthly visits.” One of the main reasons these pages do not receive traffic? You have no backlinks.

As Ahrefs puts it: “Backlinks are one of Google’s top three ranking factors, so it’s probably no surprise that there is a clear connection between the number of websites linking to a page and their traffic.”

But instead of chasing those much-needed links, Cornerstone Content encourages them to come to you. As the author of a high domain authority website (hey, HubSpot!), I can attest to this.

I am always looking for incredible content or research reports that I can reference because it adds more authority to my writing. (If you’ve made it this far, I’ve already linked to Backlinko, Netcraft, ContentSquare, JetPack, and Ahrefs.)

And I’m not the only one who thinks that.

Expert insights

“Cornerstone content is great for link acquisition,” says Ryan Jones, marketing manager at SEOTesting. “When I look at all the link building campaigns I have run over the years, Cornerstone content has always been the most successful.”

He adds: “There are several reasons for this, but the main one is that the most important content on your website is often your best content. Because of this, more people are likely to link to it. You can then use the cornerstone content to increase authority on other pages on your site.”

Support content reuse efforts.

The cost of producing content can add up quickly – contact ClearVoice, Who did the calculations so we don’t have to do that?. Even for “a minimally staffed content team,” you’re probably paying around $197,066 per year.

Content repurposing (i.e. reusing all or part of a piece of content across different channels to reach new audiences) is one way to increase the return on this investment.

This means cornerstone content supports your SEO strategy and your broader content marketing plan. Additionally, it can also help you generate income from your content investment.

For example, Data from HubSpot finds that 63% of marketers say social media delivers the highest ROI of all marketing channels, while 43% cite email.

Cornerstone content on your website is the ideal way to keep a steady source of content in the funnel to fuel these other channels.

Expert insights

When I started as a baby marketer, I was responsible for the content of my employer’s blog and social media. During this time, I realized the incredible benefit of having blog and social media content work together cohesively.

I would create two blog posts per month, which equates to about four to eight social media posts.

Not only would blog content support social networks (so I would redirect people to our company pages from there), but social networks would also support the blog (so I would link to blogs in the comments of social media posts).

I will say this: Sometimes it’s better to create content from scratch for a specific channel than to reuse content that was originally intended for another channel. However, you’ll always have ideas for social media or email if you have a database of high-quality, important website content.

How to create cornerstone content

Here’s my proven strategy for creating core content in eight steps. It covers the research, strategy and production elements, as well as a little about content tracking.

I also have some other exciting insights from our experts for you.

1. Choose your core topics.

If I were designing an SEO content plan for a new website using the Pillar Cluster Model (also called the Cornerstone Model), I would start by selecting three to five key topics.

These topics are the overarching areas that I would of course like to cover in detail on my website. I also want to make sure they fit my product, service offering and brand.

Pro tip: Ryan Jones also suggests operating in your “zone of genius” when choosing topics for cornerstone content. “In a business context, your zone of genius refers to the most fulfilling activities that make the most money,” says Jones.

At this point, I don’t use SEO tools as they can overly complicate the process. For now I want to keep it as simple as possible. That’s because I try to strip a website down to its most important parts.

The sticking point? Instead of getting very detailed here, I’m looking for a bird’s eye view.

As a summary: The overarching topics I choose become my primary content pillars. Each of these pillars needs cornerstones or pillar content elements. Of course, there are also subtopics that require additional content (cluster content).

Together, these form topic clusters (i.e., clusters of content that cover a specific topic), with the cluster content supporting the cornerstone content.

Example

Let’s say my website is an informational site where I educate people about marketing. Some key topics that I would probably discuss under the broader banner of marketing and that fit my “area of ​​genius” might be:

  • Organic search
  • Copywriting
  • Social media marketing

Each of the above elements would become a content pillar. For organic search, a rough breakdown of a topic cluster, including cornerstone and cluster content, might look something like this:

  • Cornerstone content 1: An Ultimate SEO Guide
  • Cluster content 1: What is off-page SEO?
  • Cluster content 2: What is on-page SEO?
  • Cluster content 3: What is technical SEO?

To be clear, I wouldn’t start mapping specific content clusters at this point.

I’ll show you another example because the more you see these breakdowns by topic clusters, the easier it becomes to develop the right mindset. With the right setting, you can separate corner stones from group pieces more easily.

2. Don’t forget about audience research.

Now that you’ve established your core or pillar topics, you may be itching to get started with keyword research.

But I wouldn’t recommend doing this without checking with your audience first. (Feel free to skip this step if you already have a clear picture of your audience’s wants, needs, and pain points.)

Audience research is important because successful content resonates with your audience. To generate resonance, you shouldn’t just rely on keyword research tools and their datasets.

Don’t get me wrong, I love some keyword research tools. Ultimately, however, they can only estimate search volume (i.e. potential user interest) for search terms.

Long story short, I always prefer hearing questions from my real audience rather than just making educated guesses using SEO tools.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t use these common audience questions as a basis for your keyword research.

Example

Some of the ways you can engage with your audience include:

  • Talk to them directly
  • Social media surveys
  • Forums like Reddit or Quora

Personally, I love working with customer support or sales teams. These teams often have direct contact with customers and are therefore aware of common customer inquiries, support tickets and other frequently asked questions.

Pro tip: A few years ago I ran marketing workshops for local businesses and always devoted a large portion of the sessions to questions from the audience. If you can do this activity, I highly recommend it! I’ve received some incredible content inspiration that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.

And the resulting pieces still drive traffic to my personal blog.

3. Conduct keyword research.

Now it’s time to warm up your SEO tools. HUZZA! Generally, in the keyword research phase, I start with one topic (or cornerstone area) at a time.

In my experience, it’s easy to end up with a gigantic spreadsheet full of keyword research data before you experience complete data overload, leading to analysis paralysis.

Or, in the worst case scenario, you find that much of your research is completely useless – a complete waste of time.

One thing I would like to say about this is that I no longer work on larger content projects. My clients typically have a publishing volume of around four to five pieces per month.

People working on larger SEO projects will probably have a different method than me. Neither is better nor worse; It is a different approach depending on the needs of the customer.

For each content pillar, I will conduct keyword research on a base piece of content and about three to five cluster pieces of content (or supporting content). I will then rinse and repeat this for up to two to three more content columns.

And that ends up being the first sprint of a cornerstone content plan.

Example

Let’s go back to my previous example. I design content pillars for a website, publish content related to marketing and focus on the organic search pillar.

First, I’ll stick with my draft pillar cluster idea from step one and focus on keyword research for the pillar content portion:

  • Cornerstone content 1: An Ultimate SEO Guide
  • Cluster content 1: What is off-page SEO?
  • Cluster content 2: What is on-page SEO?
  • Cluster content 3: What is technical SEO?

My favorite keyword research tool is Keywords everywhere. In my opinion, you really can’t go wrong with the price and it fits my keyword research style perfectly.

Plus, as an author, I constantly come across hidden gems when researching in the SERPs. So even if I don’t implement the strategy, I can give those keywords back to the strategist if they want them!

First, I double-check that the keyword’s Everywhere Chrome extension is enabled and set to the correct region. For this example I will use “USA”.

Setting the right region for keywords everywhere

I’m going to go on the wild side and make an educated guess about the search term “SEO guide.” The term ensures a decent search volume.

But the competition is too strong for my taste. You can estimate this using cost per click (CPC) or competition metrics in Keywords Everywhere. You will see these under the search bar.

Conducting keyword research for cornerstone content

You can also look directly at the SERPs. At first glance, the websites that rank for this search term have such a high level of authority and expertise on the topic that it would be almost impossible to rank alongside them. (Unless you were also a site with high authority and expertise in the field.)

Check out the Serp competition while doing keyword research for cornerstone content

Based on the above insights, it’s time to look for hidden treasures on the right side of the browser. Here, Keywords Everywhere shares “People Also Search For,” “Topic Keywords,” “SERP Keywords,” “Similar Keywords,” and “Long-Tail Keywords.”

Under “hidden gems,” I look for keywords with low competition and a reasonable search volume that warrants becoming pillar content.

Nevertheless, I like to remain flexible here. If keyword research takes me in a different direction that benefits the target audience, then so be it! As the saying goes, “We can’t fight the waves, but we can learn to surf.”

Use keywords everywhere to find long-tail keywords for cornerstone content

I researched some long-tail keywords and found that the SEO guide topic is generally extremely competitive. So I take a distraction.

My first new cornerstone content within the organic search cluster will now cover the different types of SEO. I’ll break down the initial keywords for this piece as follows:

Target keyword. Types of SEO in Digital Marketing – 50 Monthly Search Volume

Related keywords.

  • Types of SEO in Digital Marketing with Examples – 10 Monthly Search Volume
  • Types of Search Engine Optimization – 880 Monthly Search Volume (Since high authority sites dominate the SERPs, I see this as a longer term investment. That’s why it is not my target keyword, even if the search volume is higher.)

Pro tip: To make sure an idea warrants an entire article, check the results pages for the target keyword. At first glance, I can see that Google is prioritizing pages dedicated to answering this query. This is in contrast to this query only forming part of a broader content, for example as a single H2.

Use the serps to find out if a keyword should be a core piece of content

4. Distinguish between basic content and supplementary content for your topic clusters.

Okay, this is an awkward step to separate because if you’re like me, this usually runs parallel to your keyword research. (I’m in the process of filtering out basic and supplementary content during my keyword research.)

However, as I said in the keyword research phase, my way is not the only one! That’s why I’m happy that Mersudin Forbes, who has over 15 years of SEO experience, shared his insights on distinguishing key content from complementary content.

“Your thinking about ‘cornerstone’ content needs to focus more on how you prioritize, segment and structure content discovery on your site,” says Forbes. “If your users can easily find what they need, it is likely (technical issues aside) that search engines will too.”

Example

Forbes recommends distinguishing between important content “that answers the core problems you solve and your customers’ pain points and ‘supplementary’ information that supports your services or answers.”

He breaks it down like this:

  • Main pillar/content = Cornerstone content that users should quickly find in your navigation and structure.
  • Supplementary/cluster content = You can place supporting elements under the main content pillars and use them as a reference between the pillar content elements and the supporting elements.

Pro tip: Forbes recommends using tools like Keyword insights“This aggregates all search queries and the way people search for your information online/via search engines into a set of narrow topics and related articles, all automatically sorted into main topic pillars and content clusters.”

5. Use a content tracker.

Once you start getting a series of topic clusters going with basic content and supplementary pieces, you end up with a lot of data.

This means you need a place to store and work with the data and track content production.

Whether you follow my method with Keywords Everywhere or work with something like Keyword Insights and collect a lot of data at once, this point remains.

For this topic cluster (Organic Search > SEO Types), I want to add the target and related keywords for the base content to a dedicated content tracker.

I would also want to rinse and repeat the above process for three to five more pieces to increase the foundation stone content.

If you’re interested, I’d check out complementary articles that individually cover the different types of SEO I presented in the cornerstone. This could be an article about on-page SEO, off-page SEO and technical SEO.

Example

I usually have a “Content Ideas” tab or something similar in a spreadsheet to track the content ideas for pillar clusters. On this tab, I usually have at least Title, Focus Keyword, Supporting Keywords, and Column columns. I will also have columns that will help me track the entire production process.

An example of a content tracker used to track cornerstone content

If someone wants a “DIY” content strategy (i.e. I create a strategy they can implement internally), I add more columns. For example, I’m adding more details about URL structure and internal linking because this is what I see business owners getting wrong most often.

Another example of a content tracker used to track cornerstone content

For some strategists, this might be too “handy” – especially for a one-off content strategy. But I want the client to follow through on the plan rather than have it gathering dust in a Google Drive folder somewhere.

Pro tip: Want to avoid being overwhelmed by data? Break your content ideation and tracking into smaller steps. For context, my first round of keyword research for a content strategy typically includes around 12 content ideas total.

If you publish four posts per month, that’s a three-month strategy. The concrete division of the 12 ideas could be roughly into three topic clusters, including a cornerstone and three complementary parts for each.

6. Create a content brief.

Now that you’ve researched your core pillars and analyzed your complementary pieces, it’s time to create a content brief.

A content brief is a document you can give to your writers so they can create your cornerstone content.

I know a lot of people use tools to automate content briefing, but honestly I don’t find them helpful. I’d rather dive into the results pages myself to see how we can build enough consensus to please Google while differentiating ourselves as a brand.

(Again: My way is not the only one! Many people in the industry are seeing good results using content briefing tools.)

For me, briefing writers means searching for the target keyword directly through Google using a VPN set to the region my client is targeting. Then I quickly scan the top competitors to see what they cover in each piece.

But I also look at what they don’t cover Because here we can stand out as a brand and offer a better user experience.

Example

Have you never created a content brief for authors? Don’t stress, here’s what I usually add to my list:

  • My contact details in case the author needs clarification
  • The purpose of the article
  • Links to any documentation such as style or brand guidelines
  • SEO data points
  • Target keyword
  • Related keywords/keyword clusters
  • Meta title
  • Meta description (to be added by author)
  • URL
  • Recommended content length
  • Recommended internal links
  • Focus of the article
  • Table of contents
  • Recommended H2s/H3s
  • All comments on specific headings

7. Start producing content.

Once you have your content brief, it’s time to hand it over to your writer and trust them to work their magic.

Remember: Every time you take a crucial action, like informing an author or publishing content to your site, you should update your content tracker.

Otherwise, the content production process can become uncontrolled and uncontrolled and become very chaotic very quickly.

8. Continually update and improve your content.

Ryan Jones, the marketing manager for SEOTesting, recommends updating your cornerstone content regularly, and I couldn’t agree more. “All SEOs know that Google prefers fresh content,” says Jones.

“Keep your content current and update regularly to ensure you are providing your readers with the best content possible!”

Aside from pleasing the Google gods, once you publish a piece of content, you can start gathering real insights into performance data.

This means that instead of making educated guesses about user behavior, you can see how or if people are finding your content.

Pro tip: I recommend checking Google Search Console to see what terms people are using to find your most important content. If you haven’t optimized these terms yet, you can use the data to update your content.

A content update could be as simple as updating some existing H2s with these terms or adding new sections to the article when people ask questions that your content doesn’t specifically answer.

Tips for creating cornerstone content from experts

You’ve heard enough from me, so let’s go back to our experts Ben Goodey, Ryan Jones and Mersudin Forbes. They reveal their top tips for creating basic content.

Think about your audience’s next steps.

“An Overlooked Step: What Happens? after “The reader has read it?” says Ben Goodey.

“Your core content is your readers’ entry point into the topic and your brand. But when they’re done reading, think about what next steps you want them to take.

For example, you want them to download something useful and relevant that you created, or subscribe to your newsletter to learn more about (your core topic).”

Research thoroughly.

“Make sure the content you create is comprehensive and well-structured,” says Ryan Jones. He also emphasizes the importance of using data, statistics and credible sources to support your arguments.

“Readers (and search engines, of course) are more likely to trust and engage with informative and accurate content.”

Link to supporting content.

“Be sure to link to supporting content as well,” says Jones.

“For most websites, cornerstone content will bring in the most acquired backlinks. Don’t be afraid to link to other content to share that link value with other sites you want to review.”

Consider readability.

“Make the content readable! “Don’t think you need a 5,000-word article if the research doesn’t support it,” says Jones.

“Break up your content with images, videos and expert quotes. Make sure your corner content fully covers the topic but is readable and engaging. Make it content that users want to use!”

Remember: Cornerstone content is not just informational.

Some schools of thought say that product or sales pages should not be classified as cornerstone content. Actually, I don’t agree with it. Why? Well, Mersudin Forbes puts it better than I could have done myself.

“Cornerstone content can only be confused with informational content,” says Forbes. He explains that “they can also be core businesses, core services or core products. Whatever covers the core of what you do and why you do it.”

Cornerstone content examples

Now let’s look at some examples of cornerstone content. I’ll analyze why each one works and what I like about them.

1. “Instagram Marketing: The Ultimate Guide” by HubSpot

I may be biased, but when it comes to creating ultimate guides, HubSpot is one of the best publishers. For that matter The Ultimate Guide to Instagram MarketingThe first thing that strikes me is its comprehensive nature. This is usually what you want for cornerstone content.

The article also starts with some statistics that show that the article is research-backed and evidence-based, which establishes credibility right from the start.

I also like how attention was paid to readability. For example, there are lots of images, headings and examples throughout.

2. HubSpot’s “Ultimate Guide to SEO in 2024”

Okay, now you can definitely accuse me of bias in this selection since I’m the author of HubSpot’s Ultimate SEO Guide.

Like the previous example, this piece is comprehensive. Here, I’ve taken an in-depth look at the definition of SEO, described the different types of SEO, shared top tips from other industry experts, and more.

I also thought about the audience’s next steps with this piece. Not only did I include relevant internal links throughout, but I also pointed readers to the “Complete SEO Starter Pack” with a clear call to action at the end of the post.

3. Sound of Life’s “90s Music Trends That Defined a Decade”

Sound the bias alarm again: We leave the race with another content article written by your friend Rachael.

To be fair, I’m there Music trends of the 90s that defined a decade because a) I know it’s a column piece and b) it’s based on it Zoe Ashbridges excellent SEO content strategy, my writing skills and the excellent work of the publisher’s editorial team, We beat Wikipedia for the featured snippet.

This example shows that with the right elements, your pillar content can beat even high authority sites like Wikipedia. In my humble opinion, the piece works because we covered a lot of relevant information about 90s music trends.

However, instead of just covering mindlessly keyword-driven headlines, we made sure the article was editorialized from a specific perspective. The editorial team also did a fantastic job curating and embedding Spotify playlists and songs to break up the text and improve readability.

We’ve also linked to supplementary content throughout the post and added relevant internal links and a clear call to action at the end of the article.

an example of an internal link in a cornerstone piece of content

source

Cornerstone content created your way

As with so many areas of content planning, there is no one-size-fits-all way to create a basic content strategy. I emphasize this because your client’s budget, needs, and publishing frequency will ultimately dictate your approach.

However, many fundamentals remain the same. Be it the logic of filtering out cornerstones from clustered content or the art of making the end piece more appealing to your readers.

My biggest takeaway? If you’re new to Cornerstone content, I encourage you to experiment with the methodology on your personal website and see what results you get.

I gave you a starting point today, but testing is the best way to learn how to create basic content your Away.

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