SEO in 2013: Content Marketing Drives Brand Authority
By Marc Purtell | @MarcPurtell | Director, SEO
Editor’s note: This is the second post in a two-part series on predictions in search engine marketing and SEO in 2013. The series is based on MediaWhiz’s new white paper,“SEO in 2013: The Year of the Consumer.” Download your copy.
Last week I predicted that AuthorRank will play an increasingly important role in marketers’ SEO strategies in 2013. This week, I examine what 2013 has in store for content marketing and its increasing value to search and SEO.
Content marketing has been a hot topic in digital marketing this year. The positive benefits it has on SEO are invaluable if done correctly. There are two main ways a good content marketing strategy can benefit organic search results: expanding a brand’s reach by syndicating useful content throughout the Web; and including links in syndicated content to build authority back to the brand’s website.
In order to employ an effective content marketing strategy, SEO experts must take more of a PR approach to developing topics to write about. Content must be cutting edge and ground-breaking to gain the momentum needed for success through social sharing and PR. In today’s landscape, there is little to no value in developing content based on a keyword. Instead, it must be based on a compelling idea.
Creating truly valuable content is only the first step in successful content marketing. Once the content is created, the focus should shift to deployment. Finding the right outlets for various topics and media types (infographics, videos, articles, etc.) is crucial to seeing a strong return on content marketing efforts. Syndicating an article on an article distribution network will not add value. Rather, reaching out to respected industry blogs for guest posting opportunities is a great way to promote content.
2013 will be all about maintaining a clean link profile, monitoring that profile to ensure it stays clean, and continuing to build out that profile through content marketing. Although link development will require a more substantial investment than it did in the past, doing it the right way will allow your brand’s SEO results to flourish over time.
What are your predictions for SEO in 2013? Share them in the comments section.
Want more insight like this? Download the new MediaWhiz white paper, “SEO in 2013: The Year of the Consumer.”
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