SEO content marketing is a powerful way to get your brand in front of ideal clients, especially online business owners who can work with people all over the world.

Trust me, I’ve been an SEO strategist since 2016 ;)

Although creating SEO-focused content is not a difficult form of marketing to implement, many business owners don’t do it correctly. And the truth is that SEO and content marketing go hand-in-hand.

So what is SEO content marketing?

SEO stands for search engine optimization, which refers to the process of improving your website’s search engine ranking.

You can do this by various on-page and off-page SEO factors. On-page SEO refers to changes to your own website or owned property. Off-page SEO refers to external websites.

Content marketing in the form of a blog on your website is considered on-page SEO, so that’s what we’re diving into in this post.

Content marketing is about creating content that attracts readers to your website so they can learn more about what you have to offer and/or purchase your products or services.

If done correctly, SEO content marketing can be an effective way to increase sales without spending money on ads.

So how exactly does it work?

Here are some of the most important benefits of SEO content marketing…

1) Content builds trust with potential customers

If you're trying to attract ideal customers, you need to show them that you are knowledgeable about your field.

Content marketing is an excellent way to do this because it allows you to showcase your expertise in a way that's organic and natural — instead of seeming like an ad or sales pitch.

If people see that you have valuable information to share, they will naturally want to hear more from you.

Think about it this way…if you had two different service providers (like an online business manager for example), would you build more trust in the one who has dozens of blog posts on their website with tips, tricks, and information compared to the other who just has a static website with information about their services?

Most likely, you’re going to be drawn to the online business manager who has a blog full of free content that you found extremely helpful and insightful.

2) Content helps you rank higher on Google

The benefit of writing SEO-focused blog content is that it increases your ability to appear in Google search results pages (SERPs).

Blog content is evergreen, meaning that it’s not susceptible to social media algorithms. As long as your content is still relevant, blog posts can rank on page 1 of Google for years. Some of my best performing blog posts are 3+ years old.

This is one of the top reasons I love to promote blogging to my clients, who typically already feel stretched thin on time when it comes to marketing.

So how do you reach page 1 of Google? The first step in the blog writing process is doing keyword research.

When someone searches online for something, they use keywords or key phrases that describe what they want to find. The more relevant your page matches these keywords, the higher it will rank on Google, Bing and other search engines.

This improves your chances of being seen by potential customers who are searching for services or digital products like yours.

Example keywords could be “weight loss tips for moms” or “how to find the best wedding photographer.”

Read more: 7 Places to do SEO Keyword Research for Your Blog

3) Content is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website.

You’ve built a website, it’s time to bring in the customers. But where are they going to come from?

There are many different methods available to build traffic to your site and drive more sales, but one of the most effective is SEO content marketing.

People who are using Google are actively searching for solutions to their problems, and your blog content is the answer they are looking for.

This means that you not only have ideal clients and customers coming to your website, but they’re also more primed to buy one of your offers because you’ve helped them for free through your content.

When you create valuable content each week that serves your audience, Google is going to increase your website’s authority over time. This makes it easier for your blog posts to rank on page 1.

But this isn’t an instant solution - it can take 3-6 months to see results. Since Google favors long-form content, I always suggest 1,000 words per post.

4) Content can help you build an email list of interested buyers

Getting people interested in your services to your website is the first step. From there, it’s important to capture their information so you can stay top of mind through email newsletters.

You can do this by adding a freebie, or lead magnet, to your website in a few key places. A freebie can be a few different formats - PDF, audio, webinar, multi day email series, etc.

A key place where you should include a promotional graphic for a freebie is inside your blog posts. This ensures that a reader sees the freebie from that page alone instead of needing to click around (or click out of your website).

You can either have the opt-in form built into the page or link the promotional graphic to an opt-in page. I’d recommend the latter so it’s easier to change the opt-in page instead of going through dozens or hundreds of blog posts.

For a real life example, you can see the promotional graphic for my SEO webinar higher up in this blog post.

5) Content positions you as an expert in your field or industry

The more that your reach grows, the more people are naturally sharing your content to their friends, colleagues, and inside online communities like Facebook groups.

Your name becomes associated with the industry that you’re in.

I can say firsthand that the number of people that are Googling my name is increasing over time as my posts are shared around online. The first time I noticed people were searching for my name was very exciting because it meant I was building up brand recognition as a result.

There you have it!

To recap, SEO content marketing is impactful because it:

1. Builds trust with your audience because you’re offering so much value up front for free

2. Helps you rank on page 1 of Google and positions you in front of people searching for your services

3. Grows your website traffic with evergreen content that can last years

4. Helps you grow your email list so you can stay top of mind to potential clients and customers

5. Positions you as an expert in your industry

Have questions? Drop them below!

If you’re looking for help in increasing your website’s traffic through organic SEO efforts, look no further! Click below to learn more about how I support coaches, creatives, and other small business owners with ranking on page 1 of Google.

Looking for more blogging and SEO tips? Check out these blog posts:

• 6 Reasons Why SEO is Important For Small Businesses

• What Is an SEO Strategy?

• How to Create a Showit Website: 6 Easy Steps