Content Marketing and SEO

A good SEO strategy is not about content. A great SEO strategy definitely is. As Rand Fishkin of Moz pointed out:

"You can't do SEO without content - it's never been possible and still isn't today. Thus, I'd say content marketing is absolutely essential to SEO, but that's nothing new."

Although an effective content strategy and quality goal-driven SEO have always been associated with one another, their relationship has become stronger over the years. Of course, SEO still involves:

getting the technical properties right

improving the overall user experience

tweaking the website for maximum performance

However, it's the full content marketing strategy that actually helps you keep improving your rankings and build the online authority you deserve.

Together, content marketing and SEO represent a perfect combination for boosting the online presence of a person or organization, mainly because they are a combination of traditional marketing approaches and digital innovation.

If you look at the first slide of our content marketing infographic above, you'll notice that content marketing is a century-old strategy, while SEO is a youngster compared to it. However, the development of the digital landscape brought these two together for the best online business outcomes (alongside PPC and other Four Dots services).

With Google's infamous algorithms constantly setting higher content quality standards, the notion such as digital content marketing emerged only as a natural progression of SEO. Namely, the regular production and promotion of relevant content can bring various benefits in terms of SEO, thus enabling a business to cement its positions online.

Our SEO & content marketing infographic illustrates the parallel development of the two strategies through key events the experienced marketers still remember, with the focus on the main SEO and content marketing trends that took place over the years. This is particularly important for those who tend to get confused by constant misinterpretations of how Google's algorithms work and often choose a wrong focus for their digital strategies.

After all, this is the only thing Google and SEO experts have always been transparent about - create great quality content to deserve your search ranking positions and therefore achieve long-term success online.

Overview of Our SEO & Content Marketing Infographic

Pre-Internet Era:

The Birth of Content Marketing

2011:

Google Introduces the Panda Update

9 Out of 10 Companies Start Using Content Marketing

2012:

Google Introduces Knowledge Graph

75% of Organizations Use Blogging

2013:

Google Starts to Prioritize Long-form Content

45% of Companies State that White Papers Bring the Best ROI

2014:

Google Introduces Pigeon - a New Ranking Algorithm Focusing on Local Search

Localized Content Generates More Engagements

2015:

Google Increases the Visibility of Mobile-Friendly Websites

Experts Predict the Rise of Snackable Content

2016:

The Demand for Interactive Content Rises

Podcasts, Quizzes, Polls, Flowcharts Are High in Demand

The Rise of AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

2017:

Brand Story & Awareness Become Top Content Priority

Research & Original Data Deemed Most Effective Content Format

2018:

The Rise of Voice Control and Search

B2B Content Marketers Started Putting Audience First

The Revival of Long-Form Content

Google’s "Medic" Core Update

2019:

Google Introduces 2 updates: BERT and Core Update

Content Focuses on Awareness & Audience Education

Rise of "Snackable Content" Content Marketing

2020:

Google’s Core Update

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

Relevant, Top-Tier, Long-Form Content Stays In Focus

Future: