How SEO and content marketing go hand-in-hand

In the ever-changing world of marketing, digitalization seems to be the only way forward. Business owners everywhere are realizing the importance of adopting an effective SEO and content marketing strategy that’ll take their products or services to the next level.

The era of digital marketing is not new. Marketing professionals are aware that internet usage among American adults has increased considerably. In fact, Pew Research states that it’s increased by over 5% in the past few years! Businesses that are able to leverage these changes and stay ahead of the curve will benefit from what digitalization has to offer. According to research, SEO strategies offer a 14.6% conversion rate, while traditional outbound marketing only witnesses a 1.7% rate.

As more people pick up their cellphones, spend hours scrolling through their social media feeds, and make quick internet searches, the importance of digital marketing continues to soar.

Under the large, billowing umbrella of this word—that has undoubtedly haunted many tech-resistant business owners—are two features of digital marketing: SEO and content marketing.

For several people, hearing these two terms in the same sentence may be confusing. Many wonder whether SEO and content marketing are compatible strategies, still, others scratch their heads over which one they should opt for. Investing in professional SEO services for a business can only go so far in producing the results you want to see. To truly make the most of your efforts, you need to leverage content marketing alongside a robust SEO strategy.

Today, we’re looking at this age-old lore and breaking it down. SEO and content marketing aren’t just two opposing strategies that can be forced together, they actually work well together!

They’re influenced by each other

For as many as 57% of marketing experts, on-page content is an effective strategy to help them meet business KPIs and achieve goals. By optimizing the business’s website and adding quality content to it, you can boost organic traffic and effectively generate traction.

By working toward the same goals, content marketing and SEO help you enhance your digital marketing strategy in a way that reaps benefits. They say content is king and this couldn’t be truer. However, high-quality, value-adding content is essentially useless if it doesn’t reach your target audience.

That’s where SEO comes in.

Content marketing provides you with engaging, quality content that’ll help you establish industry authority and generate website traffic. SEO, on the other hand, will ensure this content is discoverable for your target market.

Simply put, content marketing offers the product, while SEO strategies package and deliver that product in a way that sells.

As Forbes put it, SEO without a content marketing strategy is like having a body without a soul. So, how does SEO add soul to your content marketing strategy? Let’s take a look.

SERP Rankings

There are 3.5 billion Google searches every day. Ranging from information about plumbing and cleaning services to queries about clothing items and product searches. Thousands of people are typing in their varying queries into the Google search bar every second.

As a digital marketing professional, your aim is to give these potential customers exactly what they’re looking for. The tried and tested trick to increasing organic traffic for your website is to appear on the first page of SERP rankings.

According to HubSpot, 75% of internet searchers don’t look past the first page of search results. Hence, a collaborative strategy that leverages SEO and content marketing can help you achieve your SERP ranking goals. Using a comprehensive SEO strategy to include geolocation, keywords, and quality content will help you rank higher. All of these factors can be incorporated into the unique content you create as your inbound marketing strategy.

Backlinking efforts

With the changing tide of digital marketing, various trends come and go. As you adopt the most popular content marketing strategies, you need to make a place for yourself in a competitive market. Many of the small businesses make up 98% of New York City’s economy. For example, rely on hiring link building services to boost their business’s credibility.

This highly-effective SEO tactic aims to improve your search rankings by focusing on link building efforts with authority websites. According to a Moz study, Google’s SERP rankings rely on the kinds of backlinks incorporated in your content and whether authority websites are linking your content too.

It’s not just the quantity, but the quality and nature of the links that can help you achieve success with this SEO strategy. So, how can you reap the greatest benefits when you hire link building services for your business? It takes more than just linking a certain website in your content. You need to produce stellar, value-adding content that’s worth linking back to as well.

When you start to publish exceptional content, you’re increasing your chances of getting a backlink. With this, you will eventually increase your website’s organic traffic.

Exceptional user experience

To get website visitors to keep coming back, lead them down the conversion funnel. And drive up sales relies on seamless customer experience. Almost 83% of online searchers are looking for an exceptional, smooth surfing experience when they visit your website.

Regardless of their device—whether it’s a cellphone, tablet, or desktop—you should be able to offer an unforgettable user experience and make a lasting impression. A collaborative SEO and content marketing strategy can effectively improve user experience and drive up the number of website visits.

The technical optimization of your site will result in UX and UI enhancements, but how will this be achieved?

Content is the key to improving user experience by offering valuable content that users will be interested in engaging with. An optimized website will inevitably increase your website’s credibility. It will also build customer loyalty, time spent on-site, and offers relevant and informative content that’s easy to navigate.

Not only will you improve the visitor’s experience, but technical onsite improvements will also make it easier for search engines to crawl your website and make your content accessible and searchable for more users!

A final word

Integrating an SEO strategy into your content marketing campaign isn’t just a choice; it’s a necessity. Implementing vital SEO features—such as backlinking, keyword search, and high-quality content—is only possible through a dedicated content marketing strategy in place.

Working together, these vital elements of digital marketing can boost your online presence, optimize your efforts, and lead to boundless success!

Continue Reading: 5 content marketing strategies to know in 2020