By Rick Riddle

First, let’s address the similarities and differences between content marketing and search engine optimization, also known as SEO.

Both content marketing and SEO are almost always the responsibilities of the marketing department.

In addition to this, content marketing professionals and SEO specialists frequently collaborate with one another.

On the other hand, a lot of SEO involves technical concerns such as using analytics tools, creating sitemaps, and creating tags and URLs.

Content marketing can be used as a means to improve SEO, but its purpose is much broader than that.

Unfortunately, these differences can mean there are conflicts between what SEO specialists want to accomplish and what content marketers want to accomplish.

To overcome this, marketing departments can try to adopt some of the five ways to get content marketing and SEO on the same page.

How Content Marketing and SEO Can Work Together

• Content quality must always take priority over SEO. Not only does weak content stuffed with keywords no longer work, Google and other search engines are likely to further up the ante by continually modifying their search algorithms to punish websites with thin and repetitive content. This means the best chance for content writers to help boost SEO is by creating original and engaging content that earns both shares and backlinks. It also means SEO specialists need to temper their desire to push keyword placement in light of higher search engine standards relating to content quality. So there’s might be a need for a review of your content marketing strategy to increase website traffic in case if your efforts were mostly focused on SEO.
• Content creators must embrace the importance of headlines. For many content writers, the headline they create is often a last minute thought. However, when it comes to SEO, headline length and quality are extremely important. When people see a headline in their search engine results, they should be immediately compelled to click on the link to read the content. Writers can make this happen by using power words, including numbers in their headlines, and most importantly making sure the content delivers on what the headline promises. In addition to this, content writers should be educated on the importance of short, effective headlines.
• SEO specialists must conduct proper keyword research. Because keyword quantity can no longer be used as a means to increase SEO, the importance keyword research is even more important. Writers will use fewer keywords, so the ones they do use must attract the target personas. In addition to this, efforts must be made to ensure the content matches what people searching for these keywords are actually looking for. When this doesn’t happen, bounce rates increase, as does a lack of trust.
• Content writers should use internal links whenever possible. Use of internal links in content improves SEO in a few different ways. First, internal linking improves the ability of the Google web crawling spiders to map and index your website. Internal linking is also a great way to breathe new life into old content that hasn’t received as much attention as it deserves. Finally, internal links lead to an improvement in user experience along with improving ranking for specific keywords.
• Both SEO and content marketers should review analytics results together. Traditionally, setting up website analytics and reviewing the results has been a part of the SEO department’s wheel house. If companies are smart, they will change that and bring content marketers into the picture. When it is only the SEO specialists who are reviewing the analytics, all of the conversation about what is and is not working is going to be focused on SEO efforts. That’s extraordinarily myopic, to say the least. However, when content marketing and SEO data is reviewed together, marketers can better identify when SEO has worked best, when content has worked best, and when both have worked well together. They can also better identify when SEO efforts have been problematic and when content efforts have fallen short.

With everybody seeing what is going on and having input into future efforts, collaboration between SEO and content marketers will become more commonplace.

Marketing departments must maintain a balance between focusing on quality engaging content and the technical work of SEO.

The best way to ensure good works is for SEO staff members and content teams to remember that their efforts must complement one another.