How to Develop a Cornerstone Article to Drive Traffic and Authority

In the digital age, creating quality content is crucial for driving traffic and establishing authority in your niche. A cornerstone is more important than other types of content because it can attract and bolster your website’s authority. But what exactly is a cornerstone article, and how can you develop one? This article will guide you through creating a cornerstone article. I5 can serve as a solid foundation for your content strategy.

What is a Cornerstone Article?

A cornerstone article is a comprehensive, in-depth piece of content that covers a broad topic relevant to your industry or niche. It is designed to be the definitive guide, providing valuable insights, detailed information, and actionable advice. Cornerstone articles are typically longer than regular blog posts and are structured to be easily navigable and highly informative.

These articles serve several purposes:

• Authority Building: They position you as an expert in your field.
• SEO Benefits: Well-optimized cornerstone articles can rank highly on search engines. This will drive organic traffic.
• Content Hub: They act as a hub by linking to other articles on your site. This enhances the user experience and encourages deeper engagement.

Steps to Develop a Cornerstone Article

1. Identify Your Topic: Choose a topic that is broad enough to cover various subtopics but specific enough to be relevant to your audience. The topic should align with your business goals and address common questions or problems in your industry. Conduct keyword research to find high-volume. Relevant keywords can guide your topic selection.
2. Research Thoroughly: Gather information from various reliable sources. Look at existing top-ranking articles, academic papers, industry reports, and expert opinions. The goal is to accumulate a wealth of information you can synthesize into a comprehensive guide. Google Trends is a helpful tool for identifying keyword trends, as well as just being fun to look at.
3. Create an Outline: Organize your research into a logical structure. Start with an introduction that outlines what the article will cover and why it’s important. Break down the main topic into subtopics, each with its section. Ensure your outline flows naturally and covers all relevant aspects of the topic.
4. Write High-Quality Content:

• Introduction: Clearly state the purpose of the article and what readers will gain from it.
• Body: Each section should delve deep into a subtopic, providing detailed information, examples, and actionable tips. Use headings and subheadings to enhance readability.
• Call to Action: Summarize the key points and provide a clear call-to-action (CTA). This encourages readers to engage further with your content or services.

5. Optimize for SEO

• Keyword Usage: Include your main keywords throughout the article. The title, headings, and meta description are the best sections for your keywords.
• Internal Linking: Link to other articles on your site to create a content network. This enhances user experience and boosts SEO. You can find pages that reference your text by using this Google format:
  • site: yourwebsite.com keyword
• External Linking: Reference other sources to back up your claims. This provides additional value to readers.
• Readability: Short paragraphs, bullet points, and images make the content easy to digest.

6. Add Visual Elements: Incorporate images, infographics, charts, and videos. This breaks up the text and provides visual appeal. Visuals can help explain complex concepts. This makes your content more engaging and easier to understand.
7. Promote Your Article Once your article is published, promote it across various channels:

• Social Media: Share it on your social media profiles and engage with your audience.
• Email Marketing: Include it in your newsletters to drive traffic from your existing subscriber base.
• Guest Posting: Write guest posts for other blogs and link back to your cornerstone article.
• Influencer Outreach: Reach out to industry influencers and ask them to share your article with their followers.

8. Update Regularly: To maintain its relevance and authority, update your cornerstone article regularly. Add new information, update statistics, and refine your content to reflect changes in your industry. This keeps your article fresh and signals to search engines that your content is current and valuable.