To understand the link and difference between these two commonly used yet confused terms, it is first necessary to understand them in isolation.
Table of Contents
What is Content?
Let’s start with the basics, shall we? The term ‘content’ is pretty basic, but for those who are not aware, content is high-quality helpful information that tells a story in a relevant matter. Content can be presented in all forms such as audio, video, or textual form such that it informs entertains teaches, or enlightens those who consume it.
What is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is a strategy where the relevant content; blogs, posts, emails, videos, and social media posts is shared with existing or potential customers. Such posts nourish and establish relations with the customers and increase customer retention. The efficiency of content marketing and the accuracy of the content being created can be increased by opting for professional content marketing agencies. These agencies would not only provide you with SEO services but also with researched content that is in demand in the market.
Types of Content Marketing
Content marketing can come in many forms, out of which the most popular and easiest one is blog writing. In blogging the website writes about their area of expertise which people refer to for learning about a certain topic. The other forms of content marketing are E-books, informative videos, quizzes, podcasts, and apps which also serve the purpose of teaching and informing their consumers about the right information.
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing the content on your website in such a way that it reaches the relevant audience. This process ensures that your content ranks high on the search engine pages and attracts a maximum amount of customers who are looking for the same products or services your website offers.
How SEO Works?
Search engines make use of ‘crawlers’. Never heard of this term before? You are in for a treat. Crawlers are programs that scan a page or website for relevant content before presenting it as a result of a search query.
The data acquired is then converted into an index which is selected by the algorithm at the time of search queries. Optimization is done by taking into consideration key elements of the content such as internal and external links, Meta descriptions, title tags, and keywords. This increases the chance of the content being understood and interpreted by the crawlers accurately.
It might sound simple in theory but is actually not so in practice. An easy and time-effective way of achieving it is to make use of SEO companies that have the repute of being well-experienced in creating in-demand content and simultaneously making it available to the relevant customers.
Benefits of the Two Working Together
It is not a question of which is better but instead how the two work together to improve an already brilliant product.
Content Becomes Search Engine Friendly
Although, using and concentrating the frequently searched keywords can make a huge difference to your content by making it easier for the crawlers to understand the crux of the blog, making your content search engine optimized goes further than just using the right keywords. SEO also refers to dividing the content into smaller portions which are then narrowly focused upon. It might not be second nature to those of us who are new to this field, but it certainly is to the best SEO agencies there are. Professional content marketers are well aware of the small technical changes to your blogs that will transform your blog from the least viewed blog to the most viewed one.
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Boosts Visibility and Relevant Traffic
Content that doesn’t get read is useless, no matter how brilliantly written it is. Hence, the aim while writing content is to make it desirable and relevant enough to be read frequently. If your blog answers consumers’ specific questions and eases their certain pains, with the use of the right keywords, there are greater chances of it being viewed often. If optimized correctly, it can first rank high on the search list and then in the top five searches of the search engine.
Improved User Experience
SEO and content marketing, when connected, give an improved user experience. The two mechanisms ensure that the structure and content are optimized. The level of quality increases while optimizing the links, internally and externally. The cheat codes for all these mechanisms are at the fingertips of the SEO and content marketing agencies.
How to Strategize Content Marketing
Schedule Your Blogs
The first step towards content marketing is, of course, content creating. Make sure you have figured out your forte and have your focus topics listed. Once that is done, you need to start planning your blog titles. If your marketing is managed by an SEO company, the blogs along with the different tangents of the topics will be divided among a team. The topics and perspectives need to be unique so that the world is getting something new out of your blog.
Pick Your Cornerstone Content
Setting up your cornerstone content is also essential to build a proper identity of your website so that the customers can associate your product or service with you and you only. Your identity and what you offer should have the ability to stick in people’s minds so that they can come back to your website when need be. This can be easily done with a few cornerstone blogs. Cornerstone blogs are the blog that defines your identity and are the ones that you are the proudest of.
Design Your Site Structure
To enable the customer to navigate freely and comfortably through your website, it is essential that your website is planned out and not haphazard. A proper website structure ensures that the customer easily finds what they are looking for without getting lost in the complicated design. An easier way to do this of course is by letting a content marketing company handle this because they would be well aware of the expectations of the users and would help you rule out anything that might hinder you from getting potential customers.
Keep Your Content Fresh
The content you are offering to the world needs to be up-to-date and the latest in terms of trends. You cannot talk extensively about a topic that nobody is interested in anymore, because that would attract no audience. You also need to leave some space for the latest minute news updates that would only help the audience trust you more as they will consider you as the authentic source that has all the necessary information in one place.
Conclusion
SEO and content marketing cannot work and gain benefits in isolation. Both techniques need to coexist to maximize the traffic and retain the customers once they reach the website. Hence, the two should be interwoven together to get the best of both worlds.