What Is Cornerstone Content?
Cornerstone content is the set of main, strong pages on your website. These pages explain your most important topics in a clear, deep, and complete way.
They act like the base of your site. Other, smaller articles link back to these main pages and support them.
Definition
Cornerstone content is a small group of high quality pages or guides that
- cover your main topics in detail
- are written to be the best answer for visitors
- use clear structure and simple language
- target important keywords for your business or project
- receive many internal links from other pages on your site
Why Cornerstone Content Matters
Cornerstone content is important because it
- shows search engines what your site is mainly about
- helps your most valuable pages rank better
- gives visitors a clear starting point to learn a topic
- keeps people on your site longer, because pages are useful
- guides your content plan, so you know what to write next
How Cornerstone Content Works
Cornerstone content works by acting as the hub of a topic.
- You create one strong main page for a key topic.
- You write smaller, focused articles about subtopics.
- From each subtopic article, you link back to the main cornerstone page.
- The main page may also link out to these subtopic pages.
- Search engines see many links pointing to the main page and treat it as important.
This link structure helps both users and search engines move through your content in a smart and easy way.
Cornerstone Content vs Regular Blog Posts
Cornerstone content and regular blog posts are not the same.
- Cornerstone content covers big topics in depth, is updated often, is meant to stay useful for a long time, and is heavily linked from other pages.
- Regular blog posts cover smaller or timely ideas, may go out of date faster, and usually get fewer internal links.
You may have many blog posts, but only a few are chosen as cornerstone content.
Example of Cornerstone Content
Imagine a website about gardening.
- A cornerstone page could be a long guide called How to Start a Vegetable Garden. It covers planning, tools, soil, planting, watering, and common problems.
- Smaller posts might be titles like Best Soil for Tomatoes or How Often to Water Cucumbers. These posts link back to the main vegetable garden guide.
The main guide is the cornerstone. The smaller posts support it and send visitors back to it.
FAQs
How many cornerstone content pages should I have
Most sites have between four and fifteen cornerstone pages. The number depends on how many main topics your site covers.
How long should a cornerstone article be
There is no fixed word count. It should be long enough to fully answer the topic, but still clear and easy to read.
How often should I update cornerstone content
Check your cornerstone pages at least a few times a year. Update any old facts, add better examples, and improve structure when needed.
Can product pages be cornerstone content
Yes, if they are detailed, important for your business, and supported by many internal links and helpful related content.
Do all cornerstone pages need to rank for very hard keywords
No. Some can target easier keywords. The key idea is that they are the best, central pages on your main topics.
