Most people tend to think that search engine optimization and content marketing are completely different from each other, with some even suggesting that content marketing can be an effective replacement for SEO. However, many pundits are now coming over to the view that they are distinct, not replacements for each other,and actually, have a beautiful fit and work very well together.

SEO and Content Marketing Overlap Yet Are Distinct

The problem is that in most cases they are not integrated giving rise to confusion regarding their roles and benefits. It should be made clear that while there is a lot of overlap between the two, they are different in a number of critical areas. On the other hand, while they do have differentiators, it is still not possible to entirely separate the two. While SEO is more technical and focuses on a much narrower domain, content marketing, comparatively, is far more holistic and broader. By channelizing its specific technical abilities in a broader way, SEO can be effectively applied to content marketing, and indeed the only way of ensuring that content marketing will be successful is to apply SEO techniques while implementing it.

How SEO and Content Marketing Converge

The convergence of SEO and content marketing can be viewed in the perspective of content marketing fulfilling the demands made on it by SEO. In other words, SEO takes on the responsibility of spelling out the requirements while content marketing assumes charge of satisfying them. As one of the content manager from SandCrest explains, content is always king; however, the way content has to be tailored depends on the requirements of SEO in terms of volume, substance, and keywords.

While SEO has the task of identifying, utilizing, and even monitoring the performance of keywords, content serves as the delivery channel. The content marketing process ensures that the identified keywords are strategically employed in a distributed manner in the content that is composed according to laid down quality parameters that will serve a positive purpose for users.

The Backlink Demand by SEO Is Fulfilled by Content Marketing

A fundamental pillar of SEO is backlink from sites that have an established authority; however, this SEO demand can only be met by content that is of very high quality and relevant. While links can always be acquired commercially, the best way of link building is by publishing very high quality and original content and encouraging other sites to link back. Without content marketing, this vital SEO component cannot be delivered.

Conclusion

Even as we conclude that SEO and content marketing are irreversibly intertwined, there are certain points of divergence that should be acknowledged. SEO is all about technical optimization of the site, while the primary focus of content marketing is elevating the user experience. Some people may like to point out that the purpose of SEO is to improve the performance of the site but that is again solely for the need of the user for accessing the content conveniently and quickly. SEO, therefore, can be termed as a content promotional tool.