Digital Marketing has been irrevocably changed by SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Content Marketing. They go together seamlessly and while they are different one cannot work without the other. If you want to increase your brand awareness, boost your website traffic and have a hand with PPC and lead generation then SEO should be your ultimate go to.
But how do Content Marketing influence SEO and vice versa? Well, before we discuss the interrelationship between the two let’s define what they are individual.
SEO is defined by the technical process of growing the quality of traffic and attracting maximum visitors to your website. Whereas content marketing is concerned with creating valuable, relevant and useful content to drive action from a client or lead conversion.
The absent of optimized content marketing is like your body without its soul. In a nutshell, SEO is strategized around content marketing since all websites need content in the form of words, descriptions, articles and blog posts, and the list goes on. This translates to the success of any website is solely placed on the shoulders of SEO and Content Marketing, that is, both must go hand in hand.
Let’s look at how they work well together.
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Keywords: SEO thrives on keywords. Content Marketing uses keywords in Content
The vital component to SEO is keywords. In order to effectively optimize for search engines, you have to research and find the most relevant keywords and then weave them into your content in order to rank higher and be indexed in search engine results pages (SERPs). Jamming your content with keywords, however, will not boost your SEO, you have to be strategic about where you place keywords and the amount that you use in each piece of content. Remember there needs to be a balance between SEO and content.
So how do you apply your keywords effectively? How is keyword research funneled appropriately into a practical approach?
By effectively using content marketing. Simple. The best way to use keywords the lifeblood of SEO is to use it in your content. The rule of thumb to use keywords strategically is by adding them to your headlines and sprinkle them throughout the body of your content. Avoid repeating keywords. Aim to use 5-7 maximum. Place 1 keyword in each subheading where appropriate.
SEO needs content. Content Marketing is content. So tailor your Content.
Create quality and tailored content to boost your SEO. Both SEO and content marketing require consistency. Regularity is a necessity as well as creating content that is unique, give value, and is fresh in order to be rapidly indexed by search engines with a high ranking. Subpar, low-quality content and repetitive simply won’t do well.
Content is king.
Exceptional content is divine. The purpose of content is to draw your audience in and help solve a particular problem they may have, give them valuable information or teach them how to do something. It should be relevant to your business and its purpose, and it should be consistently produced. Tailor your content to your website’s purpose. Your audience wants and needs, and to the demographic your service. Always keep content relevant.
Use important keywords within your niche to write influential content that attracts your visitors. This is the most crucial factor that Google pinpoints to determine the relevance of a page and the ranking of a single piece of content on a given topic.
How do you Tailor Content to boost SEO?
The best way to ensure that you constantly create tailored content for your audience and meet the demands of SEO is by having a well thought out Content Marketing Strategy laid out in your Content Calendar. Planning your content out in advance based on what your audience wants it’s the best way to ensure success with both content marketing and SEO.
Remember SEO demands Content and the more content you create that is quality and gives value on a regular basis the higher your SEO ranking will be. Plan out your content month to month. Tailor it to the trends you’ve been tracking via your website’s metrics. Ensure that you post at least 3-5 times a week. Use vibrant and stunning visual content in all of your content. Once you’ve laid out your content calendar with all the topics you wish to cover that month go and research the relevant and most popular keywords for each topic.
Gather your visual content and be sure to optimize them by adding keywords in the Alt-tags and names of your photos and videos.
Once you’ve posted your content each week, you can track how your audience engages with the content you produced in order to re-tailor it and make it even better the next month.
SEO needs backlinks. Content Marketing provides backlinks.
Another great boost to your SEO is having backlinks, using link-building (or inbound links). Connecting your links with high-domain authority sites like .edu and .org radically increases traffic and establishes you as an authority in your field. Though developing links is possible by connecting with link-building agencies, the best way is creating dazzling, top-notch quality content. To get a link back and boost SEO and therefore traffic, you must have amazing content that is worth linking to.
On the Technical Site SEO requires technical optimization and Content Marketing great UX.
Beyond creating great content and having linkbacks SEO is also about ensuring that you don’t neglect the technical aspects of your website. These come in the form of the robot.txt, metadata, using appropriate tags, and having a clear sitemap. Why is this important? Because it all enhances the user’s experience, which is at its optimum. Content Marketing demands a great user experience and having these technical aspects satisfied and adequately utilized lends to boosting UX.
Again, the link between SEO and content is inextricable. Why do you need a good sitemap? So visitors can easily navigate, find and access your content. Why do you need an optimized robots.txt? So search engines can better crawl your site and indexed the dazzling effort you’ve put into it, and so readers can see the content. Why do you need the right tags in the right places? So your content can get superb indexing, more accurate search results, and more readers of your content.
Everything goes back to having expertly tailored content for your users in order to boost your SEO.
SEO demands consistency. Content Marketing thrives on Consistency.
It’s no secret that Google loves brand spanking new content fresh off of the press. If you’re familiar with the inner workings of SEO then you know that fresh content is the first to get indexed and what’s more it ranks much higher in SERPs than older low-value content.
When new quality content appears on the website with established authority, a SERPs boost is guaranteed.
Which translates to great SEO is hinged on the consistent output of quality content. When you are consistent with your content that means you are using Content Marketing properly.
Content Marketing is an action and requires it to be continuous. You do not stop. You keep producing a steady flow of great content in order to stay on top of SEO.
Conclusion
There is simply no getting around it. Having a strong optimization game means having a great Content Marketing Strategy. It means producing tailored content for your audience on a consistent basis. The biggest take away is that SEO needs Content and Content needs optimization If you want to boost your ranking in search engines, then, your content must be tailored for value, quality and be unique. Content will always reign supreme.
