How to Effectively Combine SEO and Content Marketing

SEO, AIDA, CRM, KPI, GA… In the world of content marketing, the list of marketing abbreviations and digital advertising acronyms can be overwhelming. So, let’s start with one: SEO. Better yet, how do SEO and content marketing work together for the benefit of your business? They are, after all, complements to one another. Here are some fundamental definitions along with our best tips on how to effectively combine SEO and content marketing.

What is SEO?

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is “the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results,” according to Moz.

SEO, in turn, is the way marketers tailor their content to appeal to search engines such as Google. In today’s world, search engines rule the scene.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you’ve just finished a workout class and are on the hunt for a well-deserved smoothie. Where do you start? I’m willing to bet it’s Google. You might pull up your search bar type in something like “smoothies near me” or “best smoothies for cheap.”

The way that Google provides results based on your search is determined by SEO. Got it? For more on SEO, check out this article we wrote on why SEO is important and this article for 10 tips to maximize your SEO efforts this year!

SEO is the behind-the-scenes information that tells Google, “Hey, this is what information my website has, this is what I’m talking about, and these are the types of people that would find my website interesting!” SEO is the reason that your results page will likely populate sites like Jamba Juice or Nekter Juice Bar and probably won’t suggest visiting a site like Home Depot to find a post-workout smoothie. Google is smarter than you think!

What is Content Marketing?

As best put by the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

Today, the sales pitch style of traditional marketing is decreasing in popularity every day. Content marketing, instead, approaches prospective clients by providing useful, relevant content to help solve problems or answer questions.

Effective content marketing utilizes the “creating and sharing [of] relevant articles, videos, podcasts, and other media.” This helps to establish expertise, increase brand awareness, and bring your business to the minds of prospects when the time to purchase a product or service comes.

How to Effectively Combine SEO and Content Marketing

In today’s day and age, there is no excuse to not be using SEO and content marketing to your advantage. But how can you effectively combine the two? Each component complements the other.

As SEMRush puts it, while you can have content marketing efforts in action—crafting blog posts, sharing on socials, and so on—it is all done in vain without the “real rocket fuel of… SEO work done in the background.” 

The opposite is also true. If you have a strong SEO strategy, it does not matter if the quality of the content you are pushing out is poor. After all, “SEO is not a potion that fixes bad blogs and websites and makes them magically appear on page one of search results.”

This considered, SEO and content marketing need one another. Like peanut butter needs jelly! Here are our best tips to effectively combine SEO and content marketing today.

Write for Humans, Optimize for Bots

This is a phrase we can’t get enough of here at Digital Storyteller! We believe that while keywords are important to keep in mind while writing, writing with a “keyword-first approach” makes content clunky and hard for real human readers to digest.

Additionally, if you make the mistake of writing for bots, you are more likely to fall into the pit of keyword stuffing, which is a big marketing no-no! Always write for humans first, then optimize for search engines.

The basic on-page SEO elements you need to consider include:

• Keywords
• Optimized Headlines
• Meta Tags 
• Internal Linking

But no matter how great your SEO strategy is, no amount of SEO in the world can “fix” a poorly written article. This, in turn, means your content is not getting in front of the eyes you want it to be—which is a complete waste of your time.

When you write for humans, you’re more likely to be crafting quality, useful content. Search engines are getting smarter and smarter every day and one of the “factors that they consider when sifting through content is quality,” according to SEMRush. In fact, search engines can recognize if a piece of content is:

• Poorly written
• Inconsistent
• Chock-full of errors

Search engines also look at how often they publish new content. When you push out quality content on a consistent cadence, search engines like Google recognize and reward you for it.

This is why we utilize monthly content calendars for our clients at Digital Storyteller! Content calendars are one of the most important tools within your marketing toolkit. “A content calendar,” according to DivvyHQ, “allows you to organize your efforts in a visual manner while enabling clear communication of your campaign schedules and editorial plans.”

Get your free content calendar template on the house here!

Keep Links Top of Mind

So, you’ve probably heard of link backing! Link building is a great way to effectively combine SEO and content marketing. But what is it, for those who don’t know? 

Simply put, link building is the process of getting other websites to link back to your own. Why is this important for your business? Well, link building drives traffic from other sites directly to yours. As you continue to build links, it can aid in increasing your site authority and even in giving you a higher ranking on search engines, like Google!

Sites can link back to you through guest posts and contextual links. Importantly, the more quality content you have on your site, the more likely someone is to link back to it.

It’s important to note, however, that not all links are “good” or helpful. In fact, some links can be damaging to your site authority. For example, if an adult site is linking your business for some reason, this will likely damage your credibility. Additionally, when sites that are irrelevant to your business link back to you, it is not very relevant. So, in short, not all backlinking is helpful to you.

Luckily, SEO can help you discover what links and “good” and “bad” for you! Part of the puzzle is monitoring these links. You will be rewarded as significant, credible sites begin to link to you.

Don’t Forget Social Media!

How could we ever!? Social media is a great place where you can combine SEO and content marketing. Here are some pointers:

• Use keywords that you want to rank for in your copy! This includes in your bio, captions, stories, and so on.
• Make your content easy to share! Today, algorithms, like Instagram for example, offer the highest reward for content that is highly shared. Additionally, utilize video content! We all know Instagram is currently competing with TikTok in the video space and will favor this content over all.
• Optimize your profile and the images you use. Did you know that the human brain can process visual information, including images, 60,000 times faster than text? The human brain is hardwired for visual content, so use it to your advantage. Ensure your profile picture and all social posts are aligned with your brand.

Consider Hiring a Professional Marketing Team

Do you want to rank on the first page of Google? “The best way to combine the two disciplines effectively,” according to Oncrawl “is to incorporate your SEO keywords into your content to make it look as natural as possible”—and we completely agree! But we recognize that this isn’t always easy.

Being visible online goes a long way to growing and maintaining your business. When you’re easily found and high-ranking, prospects are more likely to trust you, your business, and the products or services you offer. Being easily found on search engines also allows you to foster relationships with current and prospective clients.

But crafting a personalized content marketing strategy for your business takes time and effort, and sometimes, you don’t have that. Enter Digital Storyteller!

Our outsourced digital marketing agency is here to help create content, optimize your site, and make you more relevant to search engines on all social fronts. To develop an organic content marketing strategy with the SEO you need to make your business thrive, reach out to our diverse team of marketing experts at Digital Storyteller today!