That’s a good question. Most marketers who are new to the game tend to assume that it’s a choice between one or the other. However, here’s my two cents as a longtime marketer—a hybrid approach that combines the two marketing disciplines is what I would recommend.

The thing is, SEO and content marketing aren’t completely separate aspects of digital marketing. The two overlap in more ways than you can imagine. Take a look at this survey that lists on-page content, a critical element of content marketing, as one of the most effective SEO tactics that marketers use today:

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Here’s how I see it. SEO works by bringing users to your site and content marketing can help keep them engaged and ultimately convert. The two have to work in tandem. If you have bad SEO, no one will see all the great content that you’re producing, and you have no one to convert. On the flipside, what is the point of having great SEO and bringing people to your site when you don’t have quality content that can convert them?

Quite simply, you can use both to bring the best out of each discipline. The question now is, how can you effectively combine SEO and content marketing?

Here are my tips on the best way to do it:

1. Set clear, actionable, and measurable goals

Be clear about what you want your marketing efforts to achieve. Assess what activities and what methods overlap between both methods and set quantifiable and measurable objectives that you can track.

For example, raising your numbers in terms of web traffic and conversion rates is a good place to start. This can help you understand how much resources you have to put in and allows you to find out which areas you have to optimize so your strategy can steadily grow your business.

2. Get to know your audience

Brands must always aim to get to know their target audience. When you’re trying to support your marketing efforts with SEO and content marketing strategies, this becomes even more important. You want to start by mapping out a customer journey that will help you understand how different users interact with your different channels of communication. You want to learn about their buying behavior and find out what their pain points are. This will help you find out exactly what they are searching for so you can become more visible to them by using the right keywords and phrases.

3. Develop content with both strategies in mind

SEO for SEO’s sake usually sacrifices the quality of the content. Most end up focusing too much on getting as much mileage from their keywords and phrases that they forget they’re supposed to deliver relevant, high-value material. Content marketing on the other hand, with no consideration for SEO, means you’re not giving your well-researched, exceptionally developed content a chance to be seen by the right people.

So, be sure that when you start creating content that you do so keeping both the tactics in mind. Choose relevant topics, research and leverage on the right keywords, optimize for mobile, and speak to a specific audience.

SEO and content marketing are by no means quick or easy solutions. On the other hand, they are effective, especially when you create a hybrid approach that maximizes the opportunities that both present. If you’d like to talk to me more about this, I’d be happy to answer your questions. Simply reach out to me at Leadspanda.