Sick to loss of Content Marketing

Why is it that the SEO business is constantly looking for something, anything to save it from itself?

Why do we always hesitation our methods? Even if our methods are right and effective, we're still always looking for something new, something better and nobler than lowly SEO. What is wrong with us?

Is it because we can't take the heat from the naysayers? Is it because we're nomads and we can't wait in one place for too long? Are we that insecure? Is it that we constantly need to trial and develop new ideas? I'd say the answer is ‘yes' to all of those questions.

The real reason we're always looking to rename what we do, though, is that we're never pleased with what we have.

Age of Discontent
 

Our industry is going through a rough patch. SEO professionals are fast to put themselves down, and they're even quicker to put others down.
Even when two SEO professionals use the exact same strategies, they'll simply call what they're doing by another name to divide themselves from the pack. Or they'll add another plan to their SEO playbook and announce that they're better than the next guy.
SEO is SEO and link building is link building. SEO is not content marketing and link building is not link building 

I'm not saying that content marketing doesn't have its position, because it does.
But the goal of SEO is to increase traffic and conversion through higher search engine rankings, which results in more money coming in. SEO means boosting search rankings.
Content marketing is about getting your name out there and getting clicks, resulting in new leads and more money. It's not about search rankings.
An SEO practitioner, therefore, isn't a content marketer. And a content marketer isn't an SEO practitioner.

And I'm sick to casualty of SEO professionals despising themselves into becoming something "more" than someone who just does SEO. Being an SEO pro is amazing!
We should love that we don't have to stoop to the level of content marketing because we don't require it. We get our leads from the search engines because we're badass SEO professionals!
 

The Overlap Zone
 

Sure, there is some overlap among link building, SEO, and content marketing.
In any given content marketing-driven visitor post, you'll probably get a great link for your company. That should be one of the goals of your content. It will maybe be a branded link, though, and the content itself will honestly promote your company or your values. That's all fine and good, but that's not the same as link building.

Great link building guest posts, similarly, can possess some of the same qualities as content marketing. It's great content that happens to include a link.
A link building visitor post, though, is much more diverse – it's not just trying to get a name out there and increase brand visibility. It's valuable content, for sure, but it doesn't live just for branding purposes.
 

The perfect link building guest post makes the booklover want to click through to the link in the bio. The perfect content marketing guest post contains a great link that boosts search rankings. Neither one of those things is reliable, nor therefore they serve different purposes – but there is some overlie.
 

SEO vs. Content Marketing
 

What you're reading right now is a piece of content marketing. I'm writing on behalf of my company, not for the link, but because I want you to connect my opinion with my company.
If you agree or like what I have to say, you'll remember my name or click the link in my bio. If I make you angry sufficient you'll remember my name and/or click the link in my bio.
I'm not doing this to boost my company's search rankings. I am a link builder, but this is a pure content marketing attempt.
Let's take a look at the differences:
 

Goals
 

•    SEO, link building in particular, aims to boost traffic and conversions to websites through higher search rankings. Higher search rankings make sites more visible in the SERPs, create more traffic and generate more income.
 

•    Content marketing exists to build up brands. It makes them more noticeable on the Internet, but not through search rankings. Content marketing is about name recognition.
 

Approach
 

•    Proper link building uses a variety of kinds of links on relevant websites to boost search rankings. These links should be placed on websites that are relevant to your niche, that real humans look through, and any content surrounding the link should be high class, relevant and created by humans. Link building can take many forms, such as reserve links and guest posting. It is more about the link itself than self-promotion. But link building is about the links and the result of those links on the SERPs.
 

•    Content marketing also takes a human approach, but it is limited to content. Info graphics, video, and blog posts can all be used for content marketing. The content must be high quality and discuss your brand's industry, and it might discuss your brand directly. It is about self-promotion, not a hyperlink (and subsequent search ranking increase).
 

Results
 

•    The results of any good SEO attempt are increased search rankings – the first page of Google. People who aren't familiar with your brand are going to find you programmed for your keywords and click on through. That equals conversions, which equal money.
 

•    The result of any good content marketing effort is brand knowledge. The next time a consumer thinks of your industry, hopefully they'll think of you first when they go to make a purchase. They also might click through directly from your content. Conversions from the content mean more money.
 

Be Proud of What You Do

Before you assail me for being a hater, remember that I'm appealing in content marketing right now, I love the stuff.

We need to focus on building great links and optimizing web pages because we're doing grand work. We don't need to rebrand ourselves and we don't need to stop building links.

SEO isn't content marketing and content marketing isn't SEO. There's some potentially great cross there, but one is not a substitution for the other