Content Marketing Vs. SEO: Is There a Difference?

For many people, search engine optimization (SEO) is a somewhat mysterious concept. You hear big promises of its ability to use content to help your business grow, but what is it really all about? You may also have heard of content marketing – a strategy where you build your brand authority by building valuable content. 

If you’re just a tad confused about the difference between these two, you’re not alone. It can be frustrating not knowing the best way to generate leads and grow your business online. Understanding the specifics of content marketing vs. SEO will help you identify precisely what your business needs to attract more traffic and expand your online presence. 

What Is the Difference Between Content Strategy and SEO Strategy?

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The ultimate goal of both content marketing and SEO strategies is to drive traffic to your website so that you can generate more leads and make more sales. However, there are some nuances between these two approaches. 

The most significant difference lies in their short-term objectives. In the short term, SEO strategies seek to improve your website’s ranking on search engines. This is achieved largely through keyword research, optimized page speed, and link building. 

By contrast, content marketing is all about engaging with your audience and creating a bond of trust with visitors to your site. Content marketing takes a broad approach in order to communicate directly with your customers and visitors, whatever platform they may use. Consequently, content marketers often write blog posts, social media posts, emails, and display advertisements. At the end of the day, it’s about creating ways to impress and connect with your target audience. 

Does Content Marketing Help With SEO? 

Although there are differences in their implementation, content marketing, and SEO actually tie together incredibly well. Search engines like Google are increasingly evolving to think like humans. This means that content that brings real value to people tends to appear higher in search results. By making your website better for humans (content marketing), you’re also making it more likely that a search engine will favor your site (SEO). There are many more benefits of using both of these strategies together. 

• Get to know your target audience better
• Build better content that is actually worth your investment
• Increase revenue thanks to higher visibility (SEO) and higher trustworthiness (content marketing)

Content marketing ties back into SEO in so many ways. Research into what your visitors will find valuable can help you uncover critical keywords that you can use for SEO. Content marketing social media posts can send traffic to your website, thereby improving your SEO performance. The potential power of these two working in tandem is truly impressive. 

Discover How Content Marketing and SEO Can Work for Your Business

At BKA Content, we know the distinctions between content marketing vs. SEO, and we know how to put both strategies to good use for your business. Learn more about how our content marketing and SEO services can help you grow your business.