Digital marketing doesn’t stop evolving, Google’s demands keep changing and it can be hard to keep up with big boys in your industry. There are two tools that you need to be using, if you haven’t started using them already, well today will have to be the day.
Firstly, what are they?
SEO makes you visible, it’s the strategy that allows your potential customers to actually find you. This happens a little bit slower than the paid ads route, but that costs money every time.
In real-world terms, SEO is basically finding a shop on a road with lots of foot traffic and putting up a display in the window so people know what you do and they know if you’re what they’re after.
Content marketing is what keeps your newfound audience in the store and on their way to buying what you’re selling. This is the time to focus on creating quality content that answers the questions your audience have landed on your site with.
The purpose of this content is to retain your audience and to use storytelling, entertainment and education to position you as an authoritative brand that your audience can trust.
Essentially, SEO makes you visible to potential customers and content marketing reels them in. Together, they form a cohesive strategy that drives traffic and conversions.
Expect;
- Enhanced visibility: Without SEO you’ll struggle to find your place on page 1 of the SERPs, and without that very few users will be able to find you.
- Increased engagement: Google penalises high bounce rates, if your flashy storefront is getting people through the door but you’re not managing to keep them there and keep them engaging then it will not only hurt your SEO efforts but you lose out on potential conversions.
- Building authority: Brand authority is a sometimes undervalued aspect of the SEO and content marketing journey, if you’re trying to build a loyal following and engaged audience or repeat customers (which you are) then answer the questions your audience came to you with.
- Improved conversions: You’ve got more users landing on your site, your content is answering their questions or helping them determine that your service or product is what they need and that’s what leads to conversions.
Best Practices for Integrating SEO and Content Marketing
Here’s how you maximize the synergy between SEO and content marketing;
- Keyword research: Find out how your audience is searching and why they’re not already finding you. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find terms with high search volume and low competition.
- Create evergreen content: Having content with an expiration date really devalues the time you spend creating it. Evergreen content continues to attract traffic long after it’s published. This doesn’t mean to avoid seasonal topics, though, because these remain relevant year after year.
- Optimize on-page elements: Ensure your content includes optimized titles, meta descriptions, headers, and internal links to improve SEO performance (ie show Google you’ve done your research).
- Focus on user intent: Understand what your audience is searching for and create content that addresses their needs and questions, whether or not you’re satisfying a users Google journey is becoming more and more valuable in the quest to rank.
- Update content regularly: Keep your content fresh and up-to-date to maintain its relevance and SEO ranking.
You can pursue both SEO and content marketing strategies independently, but it would be a shame to. Content marketing without the SEO can have you offering up great content to an empty room, whilst solid SEO efforts might get plenty of people through the door just to turn around and leave.
Aligning your SEO and content marketing gives both strategies the best chance at helping you find your audience, keep your audience, and prompt them to engage.
Remember, it’s not just about attracting traffic. It’s about attracting the right traffic and providing them with value. So, optimize your SEO, craft compelling content, and watch your digital presence soar.
SEO for small businesses can seem incredibly daunting and resource-heavy, but if you’re doing it right, it can be what takes your business to the next level.
There are plenty of businesses out there that share the success SEO and content marketing have brought them, and the tales of their massively inflated revenue when they start to take it seriously.
