Cornerstone Content is a term that has been used in the marketing world for many years. In this blog post, we will explore Cornerstone Content and some of its benefits. We’ll cover how one of the most popular WordPress plugins treats Cornerstone Content, how it’s different from pillar content, and even share some examples.
1. What is Cornerstone Content and Why Does It Matter?
Cornerstone content differs from pillar content because it is usually more detailed or long-form. It also takes into account the needs of your audience when creating it, which can help with conversion rates and engagement levels on your site. Yoast SEO Plugin defines Cornerstone Content as “large amounts of information about a specific topic.” It will usually be longer than any other content on your page and provide a deep dive into the topic. Cornerstone Content is important because it can help with conversion rates, engagement levels, and ranking in search engine results pages.
Cornerstone content also differs from pillar content because it focuses more on providing detailed information about specific topics to get as much of an audience reaction as possible while Pillar Content provides shorter pieces that cover many different topics but don’t go too deep into each one.
When I teach content marketing, I often share a Content Pyramid approach to visualizing and determining what content to create. At the top of your content pyramid, the content that you want to rank and lead visitors into – that’s cornerstone content.

2. How to Create Cornerstone Content For Your Site
Now that you have a solid understanding of what cornerstone content is, what is the best way to go about creating it? Cornerstone content should have at least 2500 words and not be too general. Cornerstones are also best when they take into account the needs of your audience by addressing their questions or concerns about a topic – it’s this detailed approach that will help with conversion rates, engagement levels, and ranking in search engine results pages.
Do you want to create Cornerstone Content for your site? Here is some advice on how:
– Break down large topics into specific points so readers can understand what they’re getting before reading through the article completely
– Add images throughout the post to give visitors an idea of what you’re talking about (I like Easil because I’m usually pretty bad at design)
– Make sure each piece has unique information that will be valuable to your visitors. You’ll want to avoid writing the same thing over and over again because this content should address specific topics
– Include a link back at the end of each piece so you can provide more information about your content on different social platforms and drive more traffic to your site
– Make sure the posts are updated frequently so that readers are engaging with it and the information on your site stays fresh
– Add links to these articles in other marketing channels like email campaigns, SEO campaigns, etc.
This is a topic we cover at length as part of the Blogging Bootcamp.
3. Benefits of Cornerstone Content
Obviously it’s going to take hours to write a solid article like that, so what are the benefits of Cornerstone Content? These articles can help with conversion rates, engagement levels, and ranking in search engine results pages. Cornerstones are generally longer than most other content on your page – the research shows that “the more words you have per post the better.” In addition to being long-form Cornerstone Content should be educational or entertaining for readers so they want more from your site.
Cornerstone Content also has a big impact when it comes to SEO because of how much time users spend reading these pieces (readers will usually spend about 30 minutes reading content like this). Google prefers websites with well structured content over those without it.
4. How to Rank Higher in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS)
Since we’re obviously creating cornerstone content with the purpose of ranking well in search engines, what are some key SEO considerations? How can I get content to rank higher in Google?
– Make sure these posts are 2500 words or more
– Be knowledgeable about SEO and what you’re trying to do with your Cornerstone Content. Do some research beforehand, so that you know how Google ranks content
– Use keyword phrases in the headline of your article
– Make sure Cornerstone Content has a good balance between visual elements (images) and written text – they should complement each other well without being too general. In order to rank high on SERPS images are key because search engines can’t read articles like people can
This is just one topic we cover at length as part of our Blogging Bootcamp course. You’ll learn all about Cornerstones including how to create them for site visitors’ needs, benefits, and SEO considerations.
5. Tips for Writing Engaging Cornerstone Content That Will Keep Readers Reading
If your article is 2,500 words or more in length, that’s going to be quite long? How can you keep your readers engaged throughout such a long blog post?
– Break down Cornerstone Content into smaller sections so readers can take breaks and digest the information
– Make sure your articles are visually appealing with images. There should be a balance between text and visuals, but you want to make your Cornerstones interactive for both visitors who are reading it on their screens as well as those that will read or skim through it later
– Be clear about what you’re trying to get across in each article – how does this piece of content pertain specifically to one topic? Good Cornerstone Content pieces address specific topics while also providing valuable information on other related topics (ex: an article about SEO could mention basic social media marketing)
– Keep paragraphs shorter and to the point. Give readers some breathing room between information, so that they don’t feel overwhelmed
– Add headers with sub-headers for each section of blog content – this makes it easier to find specific points in your article
– Use clear language and write in a way that is easy to understand. Avoid using complex wording or terms if you can help it
– Include links throughout the articles so visitors can explore related content on your site without leaving their location or page (think hyperlinks)
Wrapping Up
Cornerstone Content is a critical component of your successful content marketing strategy. How often should you publish? Cornerstone Content should be published on a regular basis, not just when it’s convenient for you. It also needs to be educational or entertaining – if your Cornerstones are mainly blog posts that only talk about buying something then they’re probably going to get tagged as “sponsored” content and the publication of sponsored post will decrease over time.
Therefore I recommend you create that kind of content at least once a quarter to help build out those content pyramids. For more information on the content pyramid structure for your site, read on.