In the evolving world of digital marketing, strategically organizing and optimizing a website’s content is essential for improved visibility in search engine rankings. One powerful technique being adopted by WordPress users is the use of cornerstone content. Combined with the functionality of the Yoast SEO plugin, this method can significantly boost a site’s authority on targeted topics. But what exactly is cornerstone content, and how does one utilize Yoast SEO to optimize it effectively?
What is Cornerstone Content?
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Cornerstone content refers to the most important and comprehensive articles on a website. These are usually long-form pieces that focus on the core of what the website is about and are intended to rank for competitive keywords. They act as the central hubs for a specific topic, linking out to and from other related blog posts and subpages.
Typically, cornerstone articles provide deep and informative insights and are updated regularly. An effective cornerstone strategy not only improves SEO rankings but also enhances user experience by helping visitors navigate key information effortlessly.
Why Is Cornerstone Content Important?
- Better Search Visibility: Helps search engines understand the hierarchy of your site.
- Enhanced User Experience: Offers clear direction through in-depth information.
- Authority Building: Positions your site as an expert source in your niche.
Search engines prefer content that is well-linked and authoritative. Hence, cornerstone content should be internally linked from various other posts and should link out to relevant internal resources as well.
Using Yoast SEO for Optimizing Cornerstone Content
Yoast SEO is one of the most powerful tools available for WordPress users focused on SEO optimization. The plugin makes it simple to manage technical SEO aspects and provides specific features dedicated to handling cornerstone content.
1. Enabling the Cornerstone Content Feature in Yoast
Once Yoast SEO is installed and activated on your WordPress site, go to the post or page you would like to mark as cornerstone. In the Yoast SEO meta box (usually located below the content editor), you’ll see an option labeled “This article is cornerstone content.” Simply check this box.
This does more than just label the post. Yoast begins analyzing the content more strictly, encouraging users to improve aspects that align with cornerstone standards – such as readability, word count, keyword density, and internal linking.
2. Improving Content Quality Based on Yoast’s Suggestions
After setting an article as cornerstone, Yoast SEO becomes more demanding. It evaluates critical SEO elements and offers suggestions for improvement, such as:
- Minimum Word Count: Encourages longer, more informative content (usually over 900 words).
- SEO Title and Meta Description: These must include the target keyword and be engaging.
- Readability: Yoast provides a Flesch reading ease score and highlights complicated sentences or use of passive voice.
- Internal Links: Reminds you to interlink the cornerstone piece from other related content.
These guidelines help ensure your content is not only optimized internally but is genuinely useful for users and discoverable by search engines.
3. Building a Strong Internal Linking Structure
Effective internal linking is the backbone of a good cornerstone content strategy. Yoast SEO filters your posts so you can prioritize linking to cornerstone content. It also suggests articles that could benefit from linking to your cornerstone piece.
Here’s how to strengthen internal linking with Yoast:
- Edit related posts and find opportunities to link back to the cornerstone content.
- Use descriptive anchor text that includes the target keyword of the cornerstone.
- Regularly review internal links using Yoast’s orphaned content filter (content with no links pointing to it).
With a strong internal linking network, you signal Google that the cornerstone content is authoritative within your topic cluster.
4. Creating a Content Strategy Around Cornerstone Articles
A successful SEO campaign revolves around well-planned content. Use your cornerstone content as the foundation for an entire series of supporting posts.
For example, if your cornerstone content is about “digital marketing basics,” consider writing supporting articles on SEO tactics, keyword research, content promotion, and analytics tools. Each supporting article should link back to the main cornerstone piece, further boosting its relevance in the eyes of search engines.
5. Optimizing Cornerstone Content Over Time
SEO isn’t a one-time task. Regularly updating cornerstone content ensures it remains accurate, relevant, and competitive in search rankings. Yoast SEO makes this easier by offering alerts and tracking progress through the content insights feature (in premium versions).
A few best practices for ongoing optimization:
- Update statistics, tools, or references in the article.
- Improve sections based on user feedback or behavior analytics.
- Add new links from articles published recently.
Monitoring the SEO performance of cornerstone content through Yoast’s analytics tools or Google Search Console can help you track improvements and refine your strategy.
Best Practices When Using Yoast for Cornerstone Content
To get the most out of Yoast when working with cornerstone content, follow these best practices:
- Focus on One Keyword or Phrase: Don’t dilute the SEO focus. Choose a high-value, competitive keyword.
- Maintain High Readability: Keep sentences short, avoid jargon, and aim for scannable headings and lists.
- Link Smartly: Use contextually relevant anchor text and avoid overstuffing links.
- Minimize Keyword Cannibalization: Make sure other articles do not compete for the same primary keyword.
Conclusion
Cornerstone content is one of the most effective tools for establishing authority and improving search engine rankings. When paired with the robust features of Yoast SEO, it becomes easier to implement a structured and highly optimized content marketing strategy right from within WordPress.
By identifying cornerstone pieces, following Yoast’s enhanced SEO recommendations, and continually optimizing and linking them throughout your site, you set a strong foundation for long-term SEO success and better user engagement.
FAQs about Using Yoast SEO for Cornerstone Content
What is the difference between regular content and cornerstone content?
Cornerstone content is your most important, detailed, and high-value content that targets the most competitive keywords and serves as the foundation for related posts. Regular content typically supports these major articles with more specific, targeted information.
Is the cornerstone content feature available in the free version of Yoast SEO?
Yes, the feature to mark posts as cornerstone content is available in the free version. However, advanced features like content insights and internal linking suggestions are part of Yoast SEO Premium.
How many cornerstone content pieces should I have?
This depends on the size of your website and topics you cover. Generally, having 4–10 cornerstone articles for a medium-sized site is ideal. Each should cover a pillar topic in-depth and link to relevant subtopics.
How often should I update cornerstone content?
You should update cornerstone content at least every few months. Keep it current with the latest data, practices, and insights. Regular updates show search engines that the content is active and relevant.
Can a product or service page be considered cornerstone content?
Yes, if it’s highly relevant and central to your business. However, ensure it provides comprehensive information and is linked contextually from other pages to gain search visibility effectively.
