Content Marketing and SEO: Architects and Engineers of Digital Marketing

Ask any search engine optimisation (SEO) expert to discuss content marketing, and they will probably say the phrase ‘content is king’ somewhere in their lecture. It is that statement that leads many to believe that SEO is dying and that content marketing is taking its place. But that is just not true. Digital marketing professionals say that content marketing has not killed SEO, and it never will. This is because SEO and content marketing actually work well together, like architects and engineers.

They complement each other

It is futile to argue that content marketing is overtaking SEO because they help each other be more effective. It is a lot like how architects and engineers work together in building structures. Many people often find it hard to distinguish the difference between an architect and an engineer. To put it simply, an architect designs the space and aesthetic appearance of a building while an engineer makes sure the building is structurally sound. Despite the difference in their objectives, one professional isn’t necessarily better than the other. If you take a good look at them, they need each other to succeed. And if you look harder, you will realise that architects and engineers are a lot like content marketing and SEO.

How they work together

If you are going to look at this from a digital marketing point of view, the architect is your content marketing while the engineer is your SEO. An architect can dream any kind of design for a building, but they need an engineer to make sure that the design makes sense so that the building will not fall apart during and after construction. In the same way, a content marketer can dream any content for a client, but they need an SEO expert to make sure that it will not be buried under tons of other content. This means that content marketers should follow an SEO expert’s lead and use effective practices to garner attention on their content. Otherwise, a content marketer will wonder why with all of the good content they are producing, no one visits their website. That is because there is no SEO expert to help them build a foundation and make it firm. A content marketer may be able to think of cool keywords, but if they do not seek the advice of an SEO expert, they will never figure out that the keywords they thought of are actually not popular. A content marketer may be able to write a great article, but if they do not collaborate with an SEO expert, no one will be able to find their work, much less read it. SEO and content marketing need each other to thrive, and that is the reality of it all. If you take one out, the other will not succeed much like an architect and an engineer working together. So, the next time you read an article telling you that SEO is dead and content marketing killed it, know that such a thing can never be true.