Last week, I spent an evening scrolling through freelance writing blogs. I like seeing what other people in my industry have to say, and it’s always good to try and consider other points of view. As could be expected, there was a lot of advice on content marketing — specifically, how to write blogs.

As I continued to read, I noticed a trend. People fell into one of two camps.

The first kind of content marketing advice focused heavily on search engine optimization (SEO). They talked about the wonders of backlinks, the number of keywords you should have in every post, and how to get as many shares on social media as possible.

The second kind of content marketing advice focused heavily on content. They talked about proper structure, exciting word choice, and how to take your reader on a journey.

As I read through this advice, I wondered where I fell on the spectrum. Do I focus more on SEO, or on content? I was surprised by how difficult it was for me to answer that question.

SEO Overload

As someone with a focus on brand marketing, I obviously care about reaching the widest audience possible. And SEO is a big part of that.

But as I read through the articles that stressed how important SEO is to content marketing, I noticed something a little disturbing. In an effort to shoehorn in as many keywords and links as possible, the writing quality was sometimes overlooked.

These were some of the first articles I saw on Google, but many of them were riddled with typos and had a choppy, hurried quality. Like the writer cared more about quantity than quality and was simply trying to publish as many blogs as possible.

Content marketing with SEO in mind is not a bad idea, but that doesn’t mean it should be all you focus on.

Content Kings

It might seem smart to go with a freelance writer who focuses on content and content alone. After all, it isn’t called content marketing for nothing, right?

But read through some of these “content king” blogs, like I did. You’ll notice two things. One is that their writing is often hard to read, because they’re trying hard to impress you with their vocabulary. Another is that you’ll rarely find these blogs on the first page of a google search.

I care a lot about the content of my writing. I would never sacrifice quality for the sake of clicks. But what good does that do for my clients, if no one gets to read them?

You can’t expect your blog’s success to begin and end at putting out a smart piece. While focusing on that first word, content, you can’t forget about the second word — marketing.

My Approach to Content Marketing

My motto when writing is simple: focus on the message.

This combines the best of both schools of thought. I focus on the content of the blog, but I’m always careful to make sure that the content ties into a brand’s voice and mission.

I also make sure that it’s written to speak to the target audience.

Exactly how much I focus on SEO — or content — is dependent entirely on what my client’s goals are. If you’d like to discuss your goals with me, you can feel free to contact me!