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How does SEO play a role in content marketing strategies?

18/07/2024

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Victoria Roscow
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In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, the buzzwords are endless. SEO, core web vitals, EEAT – it can feel like you’re swimming in a sea of acronyms. But fear not, we’re here to demystify these terms and explain how they can elevate your brand. Buckle up; it’s time for Dark Horse to decode the digital jargon.

 

What is SEO?

Let’s start with the basics. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It’s a range of carefully curated techniques applied to enhance your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). The goal? To drive organic traffic – those precious clicks that don’t come from paid ads. Imagine SEO as the digital equivalent of setting up a shop on the busiest street in town. The better your SEO, the more likely you’ll be found by people looking for what you offer. 

There’s more to it than meets the eye though, you need to show Google that you know your stuff to appease its algorithm. SEO involves a mix of on-page techniques (like optimising your meta tags, content, and URLs) and off-page strategies (such as building high-quality backlinks). It’s about understanding what your audience is searching for, creating content that meets those needs, and ensuring your site is technically sound.

 

What is SEO Content?

Now that you’ve got a handle on SEO, let’s dive into SEO content. This is content meticulously crafted with the primary goal of ranking high on search engines. Think of it as the cornerstone of your SEO strategy; SEO content is all about following a structure which includes a content title, headers (also known as HTML heading tags), metadata, internal links, relevant target keywords.

Thrown a blog together and hoping for the best? Wrong. Publishing any dusty old blog won’t get you to where you need to be; at the top of the SERPs. Creating SEO content takes skill, experience and reaches far beyond what you may think, it includes:

  • Blog posts: Informative, engaging articles designed to answer questions your audience is asking
  • Product pages: Detailed descriptions that not only sell but also rank well for relevant search terms
  • Landing pages: Focused pages created for specific campaigns, products and services that are optimised for search
  • Infographics, videos, and other assets: Engaging content formats that can also be optimised for search

 

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is the broader strategy that encompasses creating valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The formats of content marketing are the same as SEO content, covering blogs, product pages, category pages and services pages.

With this in mind, content marketing isn’t purely about getting found in search engines. It’s designed to build a relationship with your audience through storytelling, education, and entertainment, providing real value and establishing your brand as a reputable, trusted resource.

 

4 Ways SEO complements Content Marketing

Bonnie and Clyde, Rick and Morty, Jekyll and Hyde… well, maybe not the last pair, but what we’re trying to say is that the best things come in pairs. SEO content and content marketing complement each other perfectly. Great on their own, but together, they’re the dogs bollocks.

 

  1. Powerhouse partnership: Working symbiotically, well-executed SEO shines the spotlight on your content, improving visibility. SEO content gets you noticed by search engines, driving traffic to your site; content marketing ensures that once visitors arrive, they find valuable, engaging information that makes them stick around.
  2. Engagement boosts SEO: High-quality content marketing leads to higher engagement rates, this engagement signals to search engines that your content is valuable, boosting your SEO efforts.
  3. Establishes your brand: Search engines favour content that embodies the principles of Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT), which is part of Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. Consistent, expertly written content marketing builds your brand’s authoritativeness and trustworthiness, making people more likely to click on your site in search results, further improving your SEO.
  4. Strategy: Combining SEO content with content marketing creates a comprehensive strategy that addresses all stages of the user journey – from discovery to engagement to conversion.

In essence, SEO gets people in the door, while content marketing ensures they stay and come back for more. By understanding and leveraging both, you can create a robust digital marketing strategy that lines your pockets and crushes your competition.

Differences between SEO and Content Marketing

Content marketing focuses on creating, and publishing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. Content marketing by itself does not have the same power as when it’s blended with SEO; it will get far less traffic, fewer reads, less engagement, and fewer conversions. On the other hand, SEO without high-quality content equals a sparse, uninspiring website that attracts no one and leaves you crying into your coffee wondering what went wrong. The secret sauce comes together when you combine the two.

SEO 

  • Pulls in traffic and leads 
  • Focuses on optimising technical and on-page elements to make a website more search-engine friendly
  • Adds structure through a set of proven guidelines
  • Success is measured by metrics like search engine rankings, organic traffic, click-through rates, and backlinks

Content

  • Engages leads and keeps them on your site
  • Focuses on producing high-quality content that provides value and resonates with the audience
  • Nurtures audience interest, trust, and loyalty 
  • Success is gauged by audience engagement, social shares, lead generation, conversion rates, and customer retention

You wouldn’t make toast without buttering the bread, so make sure you have a comprehensive mixture of both in your strategy.

 

SEO done right

Looking for an SEO agency in Manchester that turns yawn-worthy copy into traffic-driving and money-making SEO Content? You’re in the right place. Auditing, updating and creating new content is what we do. 

SEO and content marketing can be a complex minefield to navigate, which is where Dark Horse comes into play, we’re here to guide you in battle. We know how to whisper sweet nothings into Google’s ear to make a difference to your bottom line. A word to the wise though, people will flee in a cold sweat and screams will be heard across the hills as we crush your competition. Ready to make some noise? Get on the blower today

 

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