There can be only one magnum opus. And like it or not, your magnum opus dictates the rest of your workflow. When it comes to content creation, your cornerstone content/s is your magnum opus. It can be one singular content or a bunch of content revolving around a single topic; a cornerstone content dictates the flow of your website. So how do you go about creating cornerstone content? Like every masterpiece, there are no fixed steps in creating cornerstone content. But while the process is different for different organizations, we can give you some pointers to get you started.
Do your research: No magnum opus was created in a flash. The first step to create cornerstone content is to do your research. You can’t just sit down and start typing away. You need to do your research and get up-to-date with the current trends regarding this content/topic. How is it currently being used by other people? What has been done before in that particular field of knowledge (or you could create something new)? How does this article fit into your website as a whole? Understand and learn about evergreen content, research your competitors, and understand what type of content is in high demand.
Stay within the guidelines: One thing about cornerstone content creation or any marketing material creation is staying within the confines of market norms and industry standards. There might be specific ways things have been done so far, but unless you want to readership from day one, you can break the rules. But that does not mean throwing all caution to the wind and creating something utterly out-of-the-box with no regard for readership or user-friendliness. You need to understand your reader; what are they looking for? How do they consume information? What is their age group/demographics like? And only once you have answered these questions should you begin writing content that caters specifically to them.
One size fits none: No two people are alike, neither are any two businesses identical in nature. So while there might be specific set ways of doing things, it doesn’t hurt if occasionally veer off track a little bit (within reason). If someone has already done the groundwork, why not make use of it? There is no harm in borrowing a good idea. One should always watch for new and improved ways things can be done better or quicker. But if you are going to do this, don’t plagiarize another person/entity; instead, give them credit where it’s due (and perhaps a link back).
Keep your target audience in mind: This might sound like a cliché but hear us out on this one! Every piece of content that gets published has been carefully crafted with the end-user as the focal point. All facets need to take into consideration who will read the material, what they expect from it? What kind of language will they understand best? The tone needs to be appropriate for the target audience, and only once you have all of these boxes ticked should you begin writing your content.
Plan your content properly: Planning is the key here. Every piece of content that gets published has been carefully crafted with a plan in mind, including cornerstone content. So before you begin writing your magnum opus, make sure to set aside some time (at least an hour at first) for planning what kind of structure/layout will be present in the article? What information needs to go where? How many sections do we need? What topics can be included under each section, and how does it fit into the greater picture of things.
Write: We saved this one till last because no amount of planning or number crunching will lead up to anything unless you actually start doing something about it! You have all these ideas swimming around in your head; now it’s time to put those ideas into practice. Start writing! Don’t worry about the content. As such, just start typing whatever comes to mind. Once you have a rough draft done, then go back and edit where necessary but don’t stress yourself out too much at this stage either. You will probably need several drafts before everything falls into place, so make sure not to pull your hair out if things aren’t working right away (we can assure you that it eventually does).
Optimize your content: What comes after writing? Optimizing. Remember, you are not writing quality content for the sake of it. What good is your magnum opus if there is no one to appreciate it? Plus, you want it to rank high on relevant searches, which is why optimization cannot be ignored. Optimization includes adding the right keywords correctly, using appropriate tags and meta-data along with images, etc.
Update your content: When it comes to SEO, complacency can be the death of you. You cannot afford to rest on your laurels, and this applies doubly when it comes to cornerstone content. We understand that you might feel rather proud of yourself, but take a moment and think about all those other people competing against you. You need to stay one step ahead by continuing with the updates as new information becomes available.
Now that we have covered all of these points, hopefully, it is clear as day why cornerstone content needs to be an integral part of every SEO campaign (and no account would be complete without one). Creating quality content regularly may seem like hard work at first, but once you get into the grove, everything falls into place and becomes second nature. It’s sort of like starting up any new activity or hobby; before long enough, the time has passed, and voila! – You are already an expert in your chosen field.
