Why Content Marketing Will Matter in 2013

If you are only going to focus on a few online marketing strategies in 2013, make sure you include content marketing among them. Content marketing is when a business posts original blog posts, articles, long-form content and even social media updates across the Web.


The beauty of content marketing is that it helps businesses to establish a better online brand and meet their SEO goals. Below are two big reasons why content marketing is going to be a game-changer for business owners in 2013:

Updates to Google’s Algorithms

In the past, many companies figured out “black hat” SEO tricks like keywords stuffing and cloaking that fooled search engine algorithms and pushed the sneaky company’s pages to the top of Google search results. In 2012, Google rolled out numerous updates to its search algorithms, including Penguin and Panda. These updates are meant to stop black hat practices and improve search results by rewarding sites with user-friendly layouts and high-quality, relevant content.

Businesses who want to win in the search results going forward should plan to post fresh content to their websites on a regular basis. A business blog is a great tool for publishing a steady stream of new content to the Web. Blog posts can also be optimized with SEO keywords and phrases and embedded with useful links to authoritative outside sources. All of these blog elements communicate to Google that your business is authoritative and should show up higher in the search results. Blogging also has the side benefit of building a sense of community around your brand, making your website a place where customers can go to learn more about your business and products.

Social Signals Matter

SEO industry leaders are talking more and more about how social media signals—such as shares, likes, comments, and Retweets—may be affecting search engine results. Google has not made any formal announcements about this, but the search giant has hinted in the past that it will update its algorithm to take social media authority into account. Google’s own foray into social media, with its launch of Google+, is another sign that search rankings will eventually become more social.

Businesses should develop a content marketing strategy that includes social media. Define a sharing strategy to determine what your company will be posting and linking to on social networks. Companies should plan ahead, and dedicate time and resources to both content creation and content curation strategies across Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.


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