[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]Content is the backbone of a good online marketing strategy.[/inlinetweet] In fact, almost everything we do for SEO revolves around content. We fix the architecture of websites so the content can be found. We solve usability issues so visitors can engage with the content to get them through the conversion process. We optimize keywords into content so those pages will appear in search results. We publish, post, broadcast and socialize content in order to bring traffic to our sites.
You can probably tell where I’m going with this. Just about all of web marketing is about making content accessible. So why is it that SEOs think they can SEO a website without having a content strategy in place?
Mind boggling, huh?
There is tremendous value in all of the things I’ve mentioned above. And some of them can be more critical than the content itself. But without great content, optimization itself will only take you so far.
Any web marketer not advocating a content strategy as part of their online marketing efforts is selling you short. But that’s the point. Content (done well) is one of the most expensive aspects of web marketing. Good content doesn’t write itself, regardless of all the tools being promoted that seem to do just that.
Content writers need to have a good understanding of the topic, enough to write intelligently and creatively about it, answering questions that your audience needs answered. A good writer will likely spend anywhere from one to three hours writing, editing and proofing a single page of content. SEOs looking to offer the lowest price simply cannot offer content marketing strategies or they offer content spinning, which is worse than no content at all.
Without a solid content strategy, you’ll struggle to reach new audiences and drive unique traffic to your site. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]SEO without content is like an ice cream cone without the ice cream.[/inlinetweet] SEO is the delivery mechanism. Great SEO requires great content to deliver.