Cornerstone content plays a pivotal role in the success of any business's content marketing strategy. It serves as the bedrock upon which your entire content ecosystem is built, providing a multitude of benefits and advantages. By understanding the significance of cornerstone content, you can harness its power to establish authority, enhance search engine visibility, engage your audience, and generate long-term traffic. In this article, we will explore why cornerstone content is indispensable for any business, and show you how to identify which types of content should be cornerstone pieces.
Establishes Authority
Cornerstone content allows you to demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself or your brand as a trusted authority in a particular field. By providing comprehensive and valuable information on a specific topic, you can showcase your knowledge and build credibility among your audience.
Increases Search Engine Visibility
Well-crafted cornerstone content tends to be more in-depth and comprehensive than regular blog posts or articles. Search engines recognize this and often rank cornerstone content higher in search results, increasing its visibility and attracting organic traffic to your website.
Provides Value to Readers
Cornerstone content serves as a valuable resource for your readers. By addressing their pain points, answering their questions, and providing in-depth insights, you can offer practical solutions and enhance their understanding of a specific topic. This value delivery helps to build trust and loyalty among your audience.
Boosts Engagement and Social Sharing
Engaging cornerstone content can generate higher engagement rates and encourage social sharing. When readers find your content informative, they are more likely to share it with others, spreading your message and attracting a wider audience to your website or platform.
Supports Content Strategy
Cornerstone content acts as a cornerstone (hence the name) for your overall content strategy. It forms the foundation upon which you can create supporting articles, blog posts, videos, podcasts, and other formats that link back to and build upon the core information provided in the cornerstone piece. This helps to create a cohesive content ecosystem and improves the overall user experience.
Attracts Backlinks
Well-crafted and authoritative cornerstone content tends to attract backlinks from other websites, blogs, and online publications. Backlinks are valuable for search engine optimization (SEO) as they signal to search engines that your content is trusted and valuable, improving your website's authority and visibility in search results.
Generates Long-term Traffic
Cornerstone content has the potential to generate consistent, long-term traffic to your website. Since it provides evergreen information that remains relevant over time, people will continue to discover and reference it, leading to a sustained flow of traffic and potential conversions.
Identifying the right cornerstone content for your business is a crucial step in building a successful content strategy. But it's not an easy solution. It takes time and involves identifying the core topics or themes that align with your expertise, target audience's interests, and business goals.
The good news is if you or your business has already been creating content there is a good chance you already have the raw ingredients you need to create cornerstone content. Look through the content you've already created and see if they qualify as cornerstone pieces. Here are some key considerations to help you in the process of identifying your cornerstone content:
Does the content have Relevance and Significance?
Start by evaluating the topics or themes that are most relevant to your industry, products, or services. Look for subjects that have a broad appeal and are of significant interest to your target audience. Consider the key pain points, challenges, or aspirations that your audience has, and how your cornerstone content can provide valuable insights and solutions.
Does the content have Comprehensive Coverage?
Your cornerstone content should provide comprehensive coverage of the chosen topic or theme. It should aim to be the go-to resource for your audience, addressing key aspects, subtopics, and related areas. Think about the depth and breadth of information you can provide to truly establish your authority and differentiate your content from competitors.
Does the Content Have Growing Demand?
Pay attention to the trends and discussions happening within your industry. Identify topics or themes that are experiencing a surge in popularity or generating increasing interest among your target audience. Look for areas where there is a growing demand for information, solutions, or insights.
Does the Content Align with Content Strategy and Business Goals?
Your cornerstone content should align with your overall content strategy and contribute to achieving your broader business goals. Consider how the chosen topic or theme relates to your brand positioning, target market, and desired outcomes. It should support your marketing initiatives, help attract your ideal customers, and contribute to the growth of your business.
