Content-Driven SEO: What It Is and How It Improves Your Search Rankings

The goal of search engine optimization is to help your website achieve better search rankings and attract more customers. Some business owners accidentally overlook one of the most powerful techniques: content-driven SEO. Discover how fusing SEO and content marketing can provide superior results than both individually.

What Is Content-Driven SEO?

Put simply, content-centric SEO revolves around combining the right keywords with good content. This strategy offers the search-ranking benefits of SEO and the user engagement of content marketing.

SEO in a Nutshell

In broad strokes, SEO relies on keyword phrases to get the job done. But if you only fill a web page with a bunch of keywords and repetitive text, the results aren’t pretty. It’s why many users are fed up with AI-generated spam plaguing search results, and why Google updates have focused on ignoring low-quality websites.

Beautiful Content

At its core, content marketing is about making people happy, whether they’re consumers or business owners. Great content solves problems and helps users make smart decisions. That type of content is the perfect foundation for long-lasting SEO.

How Does Content-Centric SEO Help Your Website?

Content-driven SEO includes web pages, blogs and buyer’s guides, eBooks, FAQs, search-optimized images and infographics, and videos. All of these elements have a huge impact on how visitors and search engines view your website.

Engaging With Potential Customers

These days, people of all ages go online to find information, from DIY project guides to product comparisons. Over 75% of users interact regularly with blogs. Americans invest 200% more time reading articles than emails (about 10 posts a day). Interesting and helpful content stands out and attracts clicks.

Highlighting Your Brand

In addition to giving visitors the answers they need, high-quality blogs reflect well on your brand:

• Personality: If the tone of your writing is friendly, your company comes across as kind and caring.
• Professionalism: Expert information tells readers they can trust you and your services.
• Prestige: Explaining how your products or services work can convince readers that your solutions are exceptional.
• Peculiarities: Humor, an edgy tone, or informal expressions appeal to certain audiences.

Content-centric SEO doesn’t feel pushy or promotional. It sounds like a trusted friend offering good advice.

Helping You Rank

Content quality is one of the main characteristics search engines care about. Backlinks are important, but content is always a top ranking factor. Google’s Gary Illyes said, “Without content it literally is not possible to rank.”

Increasing Your Sales

Many people support brands they like, so investing in amazing content delivers excellent ROI. You can use blogs to clear up concerns that hold some visitors back from taking that final step, persuading them to become customers.

Finding Leads

For business-to-business organizations, SEO-infused content is one of the best avenues for generating and nurturing leads. Content is three times better at bringing in leads than traditional marketing channels, and at nearly half the cost!

How Do You Write SEO-Driven Content?

When you create content for your website, it pays to take the time to consider SEO. That way, you get better value for your investment: articles that help your customers and support your online visibility at the same time. Follow this checklist to write blogs with stellar SEO potential.

1. Create a List of Topics That Appeal to Your Target Audience

Content-driven SEO is fantastic for increasing traffic to your website, but you need to focus on getting clicks from your target customers. How can you learn about their needs, interests, or browsing habits? Look at the following:

• Posts on your website that already get the most traffic
• Topics on competing websites that have significant engagement
• Questions your customers frequently ask on social media or over the phone
• Purchasing trends in your business software

Small business owners often have a good idea of what their local clients care about. For example, residential plumbers who work mainly for families could write about common plumbing problems, maintenance tips, winter weather preparations, and similar topics.

2. Research Keywords

To maximize the SEO value of blog articles, you need to do keyword research. There are several free platforms available, such as Moz Keyword Explorer, Ahrefs Keyword Generator, and Semrush Keyword Magic Tool.

To use these tools:

• Type in a basic keyword or topic
• Look at related keyword suggestions for the topic
• Focus on keywords that have good monthly search volume
• Skip phrases with high keyword difficulty

Some tools allow you to enter a competing website’s URL to see the keywords that send it the most traffic. This can give you a good list of topics to cover with SEO-driven content.

3. Organize Your Content Plans

Next, build an SEO content calendar. Schedule topics that support your main SEO goals first, such as core articles revolving around your products. A central topic for plumbing businesses would be “When Should You Call a Plumber?”

Under each main topic, list a few subtopics or related questions. Plumbing subtopics could include “10 Warning Signs of Pipe Leaks” or “How Often Do You Need Drain Cleaning?”

4. Use Keywords in Your Outline

Your targeted keywords should be the core of each article. It makes sense to include them in your H1 heading, some H2 headings, and so forth.

Don’t overdo the usage, but make sure that readers (and search engines) have a clear idea of what your article is about. Choose one primary keyword for each blog and a few related secondary keywords to mention.

5. Build an Engaging, High-Quality Article

It’s time to fill in the main structure of your outline using good content. Build out your article by:

• Going into detail on the topic
• Explaining difficult terms or concepts in simpler words
• Answering questions
• Sharing trustworthy suggestions
• Offering practical tips

In other words, avoid fluffy “word salad.” Give your audience valuable information that helps.

6. Use Equivalent Keywords

Google Search is smart enough to understand user search intent. “How to change flat tires” is the same topic as “How do I change a flat tire?” Including a variety of related keywords can help you rank for many different searches using the same article.

How Can You Maximize the Benefits of SEO-Driven Content Marketing?

Just good enough isn’t good enough in the world of SEO, especially if you have keyword competition. Follow these tips to stand out.

Add Extra Value

Search engines and users want amazing content, not the same info everyone already knows. As a business owner, you’re in the perfect position to make blogs something special:

• Share behind-the-scenes details or pro tips
• Approach articles from a unique point of view, such as common mistakes to avoid
• Reach out to friends in the industry to include expert quotes
• Create comparison guides between two similar products
• Ask customers if you can share their success stories

Hands-on experience enriches blogs, scores major SEO points, and shows off your expertise to customers.

Use a Natural Approach

Always think of people first and search engines second. People respond best to a human voice.

Compare a few examples using the keyword “steel tubes supplier”:

• Bad example: “We are an expert steel tubes supplier, with square steel tubes, round tubes, and stainless-steel tubes. Choose the best supplier for steel tubes today.”
• Good example: “What should you look for in a steel tubes supplier? First, a variety of tubes, such as square, round, and rectangular configurations in many sizes. At 123 Co., we carry stainless steel, carbon steel, and other metals.”

If you plan your article well, keyword phrases should fit smoothly into paragraphs. Never sacrifice the quality of writing just to force in more keywords.

Review and Refresh Your Star Blogs

High-quality content holds its value for ages, like a rare wine. Take good care of the pieces that get the most traffic by refreshing them with up-to-date information and keywords every year or two.

Know When To Ask for Help

Whether you’re an architect, a dentist, or a general contractor, you know how important it is to choose a professional when unexpected problems arise. The same thing goes with content marketing and SEO.

Keep an eye out for “warning signs” that your SEO efforts need expert assistance:

• Traffic to your website drops suddenly.
• Customers tell you they have trouble finding you online.
• Your bounce rate (people who leave without spending much time on your site) increases.
• You feel overwhelmed by the time investment to produce high-quality articles.
• Changes to Google algorithms seem too confusing.

As longtime SEO content pros, we keep up with the latest industry trends. Our team is large enough to scale with your content needs, from 1,500-word guides to complete eBooks.

Keep Investing in Content-Driven SEO

SEO content is the first step in improving your search rankings, not the last. As you build a “library” of articles that users trust, the SEO benefits grow. The more clicks you get, the more prominence Google gives you, which drives even more clicks!