{"id":6773,"date":"2022-11-07T12:45:20","date_gmt":"2022-11-07T12:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/"},"modified":"2022-11-07T12:45:20","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T12:45:20","slug":"how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/","title":{"rendered":"How SEO and content marketing work together"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SEO and content marketing go together so well. They just work.<\/p>\n<p>For best results, you shouldn\u2019t do content marketing without considering how SEO fits in.<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, you shouldn\u2019t do SEO without understanding how content provides substance and connection to what ultimately matters at the heart of it all:\u00a0<strong>your audience<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With both content and SEO working together, you\u2019ll hit two bullseyes:<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEO drives targeted, relevant traffic from Google<\/strong> \u2013 not random people who won\u2019t care about what you do or sell, but rather prospects who could join your audience and convert at some point. It\u2019s so powerful, SEO drives <a href=\"https:\/\/videos.brightedge.com\/research-report\/BrightEdge_ChannelReport2019_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1,000% more traffic<\/a> than organic social media.<strong>Content marketing builds trust, authority, and loyalty with those prospects<\/strong>. If you\u2019ve been paying attention, most modern consumers do diligent research before making purchases, and they want to like and trust the brands they give their money. <a href=\"https:\/\/demandgenreport.com\/resources\/research\/2022-content-preferences-survey-b2b-buyers-crave-concise-research-based-content-to-inform-purchasing-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">55% of buyers<\/a> rely more deeply on content for researching and making purchase decisions than they did a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>To put it lightly, SEO and content marketing have an incredibly symbiotic relationship. Let\u2019s explore how they harmonize.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#First_what_is_content_marketing\" >First, what is content marketing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#What_is_SEO\" >What is SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#What_are_the_major_differences_between_SEO_and_content_marketing\" >What are the major differences between SEO and content marketing?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#How_does_SEO_complement_content_marketing_and_vice_versa\" >How does SEO complement content marketing? (and vice versa?)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#1_SEO_drives_relevant_traffic_to_nurture_content\" >1. SEO drives relevant traffic to nurture content<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#2_SEO_and_content_boost_visibility_and_brand_awareness\" >2. SEO and content boost visibility and brand awareness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#3_SEO_and_content_work_together_to_improve_the_user_experience\" >3. SEO and content work together to improve the user experience<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#4_High-quality_SEO_content_helps_your_pages_rank_better\" >4. High-quality SEO content helps your pages rank better<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/07\/how-seo-and-content-marketing-work-together\/#Dont_leave_home_without_both_SEO_and_content_marketing_working_in_tandem\" >Don&#8217;t leave home without both SEO and content marketing working in tandem<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_what_is_content_marketing\"><\/span>First, what is content marketing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/library\/channel\/content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Content marketing<\/a> is the creation, publication, and distribution of online content (from blogs and videos to ebooks and podcasts).<\/p>\n<p>This content is not intended to sell something or promote the brand, but rather educate, entertain, or empower prospects. This nurtures their interest, engagement, and trust over time so they eventually <strong>become<\/strong> customers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_SEO\"><\/span>What is SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/guide\/what-is-seo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SEO, or search engine optimization<\/a>, is the process of optimizing and improving your website (and your website content) so it\u2019s visible in search results, where people are hunting for information, answers, products, and services.<\/p>\n<p>It can\u2019t be understated how important it is these days to show up in search engines, especially Google. Google Search, Images, and Maps drive <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/2018-search-market-share-myths-vs-realities-of-google-bing-amazon-facebook-duckduckgo-more\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">92.96% of global traffic<\/a>. If your website and pages rank highly in the search engine, you\u2019ll earn a good slice of that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_major_differences_between_SEO_and_content_marketing\"><\/span>What are the major differences between SEO and content marketing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SEO and content marketing are different but related.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s put it this way:<\/p>\n<p>SEO is what brings targeted traffic to your site, including your content.SEO includes a set of actions you can carry out to optimize your website and content to show up in searches.Content is how you keep those people on your pages, nurture and eventually convert them into customers.Content can be optimized for specific keyword searches that connect to the audience (and <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/use-seo-influence-b2b-buyers-every-stage-buyers-journey-274876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">buyer\u2019s journey stage<\/a>) you want to bring in.<\/p>\n<p>To sum up, each one supports the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But how, exactly? In what specific ways do content marketing and SEO intertwine for the benefit of brands, search engines, and the users who need them?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_SEO_complement_content_marketing_and_vice_versa\"><\/span>How does SEO complement content marketing? (and vice versa?)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>SEO and content marketing are very much a yin and yang situation. One improves the other and vice versa. <\/p>\n<p>With both in your strategy, the results will be much more impressive than using either alone.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_SEO_drives_relevant_traffic_to_nurture_content\"><\/span>1. SEO drives relevant traffic to nurture content<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You don\u2019t write content so it gets sucked into the black hole of the internet. You write content with the hopes that some weary readers will find it and come away with giant light bulb moments.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll associate those moments with your brand and your expertise. That\u2019s formidable.<\/p>\n<p>Content that doesn\u2019t get read is useless. If you want it to contribute to the success of your marketing, you need people reading it so it can do its job nurturing leads.<\/p>\n<p>One of the best ways to ensure the right eyes land on your content? Use SEO tactics to optimize it with <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/heres-how-to-leverage-long-tail-keywords-for-your-seo-324210\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">keywords<\/a> your targets are searching for.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/videos.brightedge.com\/research-report\/BrightEdge_ChannelReport2019_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">68%<\/a> of all website traffic comes from searches. That means, whenever someone in the world opens a browser, they\u2019re starting their online session with a search most of the time. SEO helps drive the chunk of people who need you to your nurturing content.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_SEO_and_content_boost_visibility_and_brand_awareness\"><\/span>2. SEO and content boost visibility and brand awareness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Want more people to associate your name with key industry terms? Start showing up consistently in their searches for those terms with SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Even better, start showing up with amazing content that answers their questions and eases their specific pains \u2013 the ones only <strong>you<\/strong> can solve with what you know and what you sell (or, if you\u2019re a marketer or SEO specialist, what your client knows and sells).<\/p>\n<p>The better you do this, the higher your site and content will show up in results. Ultimately, earning a top 5 spot in organic (non-paid) results in Google promises the best chance people will not just see your listing, but also click on it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>CTR, or click-through rate, is the percentage of people visiting a webpage who click a specific link. The <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-ctr-stats\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">best CTRs<\/a> on a search engine results page belong to the top 5 positions.<\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_SEO_and_content_work_together_to_improve_the_user_experience\"><\/span>3. SEO and content work together to improve the user experience<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SEO and content aren&#8217;t just about ranking in a search engine and driving traffic and leads.<\/p>\n<p>Together, they also help you provide a better <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/content-better-user-experience-386253\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">user experience<\/a> to your audience across your website.<\/p>\n<p>SEO is laden with <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/advanced\/guidelines\/webmaster-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rules and guidelines<\/a> that govern:<\/p>\n<p>How your website should be structured and optimized.How you should approach building pages and content.How you should link to other sites and your own.The level of quality you should aim for.And more. <\/p>\n<p>It also prohibits deceptive or manipulative behaviors that aim to trick users or game the ranking system.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>Following the guidelines for your site and content doesn&#8217;t just ensure you&#8217;ll rank better \u2013 it also ensures your audience will have a good experience once they find you.<\/p>\n<p>And that contributes to everyone&#8217;s goals:<\/p>\n<p>Search engines want users to find what they&#8217;re looking for quickly and efficiently, and they want to provide results that are relevant and helpful.Brands want prospects who find them on Google to eventually turn into customers \u2013 and there&#8217;s a better chance of that happening if the brand provides a good user experience: from relevant, useful content to a fast-loading site that&#8217;s well-structured.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_High-quality_SEO_content_helps_your_pages_rank_better\"><\/span>4. High-quality SEO content helps your pages rank better<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s no secret that <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/tips-optimize-content-people-search-engines-388271\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">high-quality content<\/a> will help your blogs, articles, and even your landing pages and sales pages climb the search rankings.<\/p>\n<p>Content quality is, in fact, one of the most important elements that will influence your SEO success \u2013 if not <strong>the<\/strong> most important.<\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/guide\/seo\/content-search-engine-ranking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land&#8217;s What Is SEO guide<\/a> puts it:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Content should be your first priority when thinking about SEO.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After all, the content on your website:<\/p>\n<p>Determines whether you&#8217;re relevant to a user&#8217;s search query and whether you&#8217;ll add value to their lives or waste their time.\u00a0Influences how long they&#8217;ll stay on your site (will they read that entire blog? Browse your other content? Look at your &#8220;about&#8221; page and services\/products?).Should provide evidence that they can trust you.<\/p>\n<p>These are essential signals to send out to your prospects, and all of them begin and end with your content and its quality.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Dont_leave_home_without_both_SEO_and_content_marketing_working_in_tandem\"><\/span>Don&#8217;t leave home without both SEO and content marketing working in tandem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let&#8217;s not mince words here.<\/p>\n<p>Content marketing set up in a strategy by itself does not have the same power as when it\u2019s mashed together with SEO.<\/p>\n<p>Content without smart SEO will get far less traffic, fewer reads, less engagement, and fewer conversions.<\/p>\n<p>SEO without high-quality content equals a thin, uninspiring, useless website that attracts no one and earns nothing.<\/p>\n<p>The secret sauce comes together when you blend the two.<\/p>\n<p>SEO pulls in traffic and leads. SEO gets a brand seen on a different level. SEO ensures the user experience measures up to high standards and satisfies users.<\/p>\n<p>Content engages leads and keeps them on your site. Content nurtures their interest, trust, and loyalty. Content keeps them coming back for more.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t leave home without a healthy mixture of both in your strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/seo-content-marketing-388978\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How SEO and content marketing work together<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SEO and content marketing go together so well. They just work. For best results, you shouldn\u2019t do content marketing without considering how SEO fits in. Conversely, you shouldn\u2019t do SEO without understanding how content provides substance and connection to what ultimately matters at the heart of it all:\u00a0your audience.\u00a0 With both content and SEO working together, you\u2019ll hit two bullseyes: SEO drives targeted, relevant traffic from Google \u2013 not random people who won\u2019t care about what you do or sell, but rather prospects who could join [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6773\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}