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8 Steps to Creating Cornerstone Content

In any major building project, it’s a banner day when the cornerstone is laid. The cornerstone determines the entire scope of the foundation for the building. Cornerstones are often engraved with the date and major players in construction. How does this process translate to an SEO strategy?

Cornerstone content is the foundation of your website. It’s what your customer needs to know about your business to get the most out of your website. Not only does it give your customer relevant information, it also helps search engines learn more about your site. That’s the core function of your SEO strategy. Here are eight tips for developing cornerstone content. 

1. Choose Cornerstone Pages Carefully

Cornerstone pages are those that are most relevant to your site. You’re not trying to sell products but provide information to customers instead. You want your cornerstone pages to rank well. These pages should feature prominently in your SEO strategy.

2. Use the Right Keywords

Cornerstone pages must include the most important keywords that immediately come to mind with your business. Although these keywords are generally the hardest to rank for in SEO, these are what your customers are using to find businesses like yours. Supporting content will be the long-tail keywords. When you include a combination of the two, you can rank for a main topic and sub-topics.

3. Include Compelling Title Tags and Headlines

Having title tags and headers that outline information serves dual purposes. Modern consumers skim content to quickly get to the information they want. Search engines use titles and headers to index information. Break up content into manageable pieces for organization and readability.

4. Create Evergreen and Impressive Content

Evergreen content is that which lasts. An article about your product and how to use it won’t change over time, but information about an event does. Cornerstone pages should include information that is timeless. Saving your best content for these pages can ensure that you’re providing relevant information to your customers.

5. Add Relevant Content

Find a balance in your cornerstone content to be informative and relevant without providing so much information that customers can’t find what they want. A cornerstone page doesn’t need the depth and breadth of every niche of the topic. But it does need to be comprehensive. Think about your readers first, then optimize the page for better search visibility.

6. Link Back to Your Cornerstone Page

On of the building blocks of SEO is backlinks. Linking back to your cornerstone pages is a good strategy to demonstrate to search engines what is relevant to your site. Use blog posts and other content pieces to direct your users back to your cornerstone information.

7. Create a Plan to Build Your Website

Just as the construction crew needs a blueprint to successfully create a building, you, too, need a plan to develop a winning website. Develop your cornerstone page. Work on publishing more content that supports your cornerstone. The cornerstone page is your core content. Links off your cornerstone page are sub-topics that provide deeper knowledge.

8. Craft Shareable Content

When customers share content, it’s reflected in your SEO rankings. Think about crafting videos or infographics that people want to share. Sharable content increases organic search rankings and sends other relevant customers to your site.

If you’re struggling to define an effective content marketing strategy, let the MintCopy team help you develop a long-term plan that builds trust with your customers and puts you on a strong footing with search engines. Our SEO writers craft successful cornerstone content that acts as a foundation to get prospects into your sales funnel. Invest in your online presence and digital footprint. Actions speak louder than words, but strong words drive positive actions. 

Use our online form to get in touch. You can also follow us on FacebookLinkedIn, and Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest content marketing trends.

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