Ever heard the phrase “content is king”? Well, there’s so much truth packed into this statement. If you’re familiar with the world of an online market then you’ve probably heard the terms “content” and “SEO” thrown around quite a bit. You’ll find that they are typically referred to when discussing the same strategies.
However, if you’re new to the marketing world then this can be confusing and overwhelming. Whether you’re experienced or new to the game you’ll find that content marketing and SEO are often addressed as separate concepts. Some marketers even believe that content will eliminate the need for search engine optimization. This could be the furthest from the truth. In fact, content plays a major role in any SEO consultant New York.
When used together, as they’re best, content marketing and search engine optimization can bring a website to the top of the search engine’s rankings? To understand how they work in harmony it’s important to first know how they differ.
What Is Content Marketing
Content marketing is defined as a broad yet strategic approach to marketing that involves the creation and distribution of valuable content consistently. Content is any type of information that lives on the web which can include but not limited to; blog posts, videos, infographics, product reviews, podcasts and so much more.
Promoted content can either provide valuable insight to the website visitor or can be purely for entertainment. However, for the average business, the content will be more practical in nature and it will be related to the target audience/customer. The goal of content is to actually give your potential customer something they want (which is usually information) for free and then encourage them to convert by including a pitch that offers your products or services.
What Is Seo?
SEO is an abbreviation for search engine optimization Search engine optimization is the process of gaining organic traffic from natural keyword searches on major search engines using a variety of methods. For most small businesses, their SEO concerns are ranking high on the search engines. Did you know that Google alone processes more than three billion queries each day? Therefore, you can expect things to be ultra-competitive even when it comes to using paid placements on the search engines.
SEO can be a complex field which is why the guidance of an expert is necessary for it to be successful. Google’s algorithms are constantly changing in order to be efficient at delivering at providing relevant results in less than a millisecond.
Search Engine Optimization Vs. Content Marketing
SEO focuses on the technical aspect of online marketing. It focuses on important aspects like improving the speed of the website, making it a mobile device friendly, creating sitemaps and organizing the navigation structure. Inbound links is another important aspect of search engine optimization. This involves generating traffic from other authority websites. Inbound link traffic is imperative because it creates a passing authority which is needed to rank well in the search engines.
Content marketing the counterpart of SEO is all about reaching the customer through the quality of the content. Yes, content marketing is a long-term marketing strategy that is crucial because it places emphasis on building a relationship with the target audience by giving them consistent and relevant content.
When the customer finds the content you are delivering as useful or even entertaining they are more likely to purchase your product or service. While there are many differences between search engine optimization and content marketing they need to work together to maximize the results.
How Does Content Marketing and SEO Overlap?
When it comes to good marketing it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Keep in mind, that when people want to know something, they search for the answer online typically through Google. That’s where great content comes into play. While channels like social media and email can be powerful, valuable SEO driven content is what gets the results.
In case you didn’t know, the relevant and useful results that Google yields come from the content provided. Yes, these pieces of content are based on they’re usefulness, quality, and relevancy. Therefore, if your content is to have SEO value then it needs to benefit searchers.
How exactly do content marketing and SEO overlap? Well, search engine optimization gets your content and business in front of people. Content marketing builds authority and overall improve your SEO efforts.
Yes, the relationship between content and SEO has several layers:
High-Quality Content Increases Authority – If your website is filled with quality content you can also expect to increase your site’s authority which leads to higher rankings in the search engines. Valuable content contributes to a positive user experience that’s likely to boost metrics and attracts inbound links.
The More Content= Higher Rankings – Just think, each new piece of content you add to your website is another page that Google can rank. While business owners can’t rely on quantity alone to boost their rankings more pages provides the opportunity to use a range of keywords and the potential to reach more targets.
Content Is A Medium Keyword Optimization – Without content, it would be nearly impossible to include a specific set of keywords throughout the website or target specific niches that could be appealing to potential clients.
How To Combine SEO and Content Marketing
A great SEO driven content driven has the power to drastically increase website visitors and gross sales. So how exactly, do you effectively combine search engine optimization and content marketing? Well, whether you’ve already begun the content creation process or not, it’s all about starting from the foundation level and building upwards implementing SEO strategies every step of the way. Here is a basic outline for doing just that:
Determine the Niche
The first part of aligning SEO with content marketing is ensuring that the content you create is relevant to the audience you are targeting. What unique knowledge will you be imparting that is related to your industry? Therefore, begin by figuring out your brand’s purpose and area of expertise. Therefore, you’ll have to determine what your niche or topic area will be since your website’s content will be focused around it. You need to know your topic area before you publish anything.
Knowing the niche will guide will keyword research and SEO content creation process. This puts you in the position to create content that not only informs but also converts. Yes, once you’ve nailed down the area of expertise you’ll be able to
Keyword Research
We’ve already established that keywords are necessary to find your content in the search engines. Once you’ve developed your area of focus you can use this knowledge to for effective keyword research. When doing keyword research you’ll want to aim at topics that your audience will actually care about. Check out these keyword research tips:
Begin with a broad search term that is related to your industry. For instance, if your company provides tutoring services than you’ll likely begin with the query “tutoring”
Narrow down your keyword search terms. Narrowing your keywords is crucial because broad terms are highly competitive and will yield millions of search results. You can narrow down keywords by:
Considering your best selling products or services
Common questions asked by customers
Combine keywords
Make a list of potential keyword ideas
Use long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are three to four phrases words long and tend to be very specific to the product or service a business is offering. Often, when a customer uses such a keyword they’re looking for a specific product and they intend to make a purchase. To generate long tail variations you’ll need to use Google Planner which leads us to the next topic.
Keyword Researching Software
Next, using a quality keyword research planner can help save on time on keyword research. Google Keyword Planner is a popular SEO application used by marketers.
Building the Right Content Marketing Strategy For SEO Growth
When it comes to delivering SEO driven content, providing content that fulfills the needs of the consumer should be the top priority. Perhaps the biggest issue that many business owners and SEO experts make is allowing keyword research to take a front seat in their content strategy. However, the problem with a keyword-driven content marketing scheme is that realistically all of your audience needs can’t be captured in a single search.
When the primary focus is placed on keyword research, it may help you increase organic traffic from the search engines but you’ll also likely to develop content that doesn’t relate to the brand. Keep in mind that the goal of content marketing is to create interesting content that converts to sales. How can you move away from a keyword-first driven content marketing plan? Well, the key is to embrace an audience-centric content strategy. Emphasis should be placed on keyword research after you’ve analyzed your target audience and determined what type of topics are going to best serve the brand.
How To Take A Audience -Focused Content Marketing Approach
An audience-centric approach to content marketing allows you to build meaningful connections with potential customers. It also has many benefits for an organization including; increased sales, improved brand alignment and you’ll be able to see how your marketing efforts are aiding revenue growth. Therefore, if developing relationships with clients is important to your brand than it’s important not to get caught up in metrics and ROI. The first step in generating content that is valuable and leads to a positive user experience is learning your audience and develop a true understanding of them.
Did you know that a lack of buyer insight is the biggest challenges that small businesses face? Here are some tips for creating content that is specifically tailored to informing the consumer.
Consider the audience
In every SEO content marketing campaign, you need to determine just how big your market audience is. Also, you’ll need to identify potential market segments and where they are located. Prioritize the markets you that present the best opportunities for growth and sales.
Get to Know the Buyer
Once you’ve identified every potential market segment for your product or service, it’s time to get to know the buyer. Develop buyer profiles based on topics, challenges, and desires that the customer will care about the most. Knowing these specific details is important because it helps you generate content that is relevant and closely aligned with what the buyer needs.
Focus on what the customer needs
It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on how the benefits your product offers can meet the customer’s needs. However, it should be the other way. When you take an audience-centric approach to content marketing you have to strategize based on what the client needs and how your business or produce can solve the problem.
Become an authority source
It’s no secret that the majority of customers don’t have trust advertisements. No doubt, advertisements are great for generating brand awareness and gaining exposure yet this isn’t what creates long-term relationships. The reality is that simply advertising will go over the heads of potential customers. The best way to combat this is to become an authoritative source, a source that a buyer can put their trust in. Yes, building confidence in your brand’s expertise is necessary to resonate with your consumer base.
Plan out pathways to the buyer
Finally, determining exactly how you are going to get your product into the hands of a buyer is the final piece of the puzzle. Different market segmentations can require varying routes. Your content marketing campaign should take into account buying patterns.
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