Content Vs Technical SEO, What You Should Focus in 2023?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) seems to be an all-encompassing topic. More so for Software as a Service (SaaS) firms. Their very goals revolve around a strong SEO plan. But, in reality, there are varied types of SEO, each with its specific strengths. When it comes to choosing, Technical SEO and Content SEO are the two main pillars. They both help in organic traffic and are necessary for the success of the companies. But while they are not mutually exclusive, do SaaS firms really need to invest in them both? If not, which is the better choice? If yes, how can the companies balance their finances? Well, to decide the Content SEO vs. Technical SEO battle once and for all, let us delve into the intricacies of both. 

What Is Content Marketing and Content SEO?

Content marketing comprises the consistent creation, publishing, and distribution of online content. It does not necessarily promote a particular brand. But is aimed at garnering interest surrounding its service or products. The bigger picture is to build a bond with the target audience in the long run through engaging content. 

The various popular forms of digital content include:

• Website content
• Blogs
• Videos
• Infographics
• Emails
• Ebooks
• Whitepapers
• Testimonials / Reviews
• Gifs
• Memes
• Case studies
• Influencers or paid advertisements

Content SEO, on the other hand, is an inseparable companion of content marketing. It is more practical and strives to create, maintain, and optimize the actual content. With content SEO, you can produce original and quality content to please the users. At the same time take actions that satisfy the search engines. After all, without ranking high, reaching the target audience is difficult. 

So, content SEO includes: 

• Incorporating relevant keywords to help search engine bots understand the page better. The keywords should be spread all over the content. From the body, and page titles to URLs and alt tags without sounding unnatural.
• Making attractive meta descriptions, that give a perfect overview of your content and increase clicks.
• Creating relevant content backed with quality research that aligns with the user intent.
• Improving the visibility and authority of your site to drive more traffic. This involves:

• Getting backlinks 
• Encouraging more shares on social media. 
• Using internal links and external links to create valuable content.

The Goal of Content Marketing SEO

Advertising content is necessary for brand awareness and establishing authority in the field. It is also useful to nurture relationships with customers. Both with clients who have been there with you for a long time and those who could be potential leads. But, plain marketing of your content may not give results as per search engine needs. 

In contrast to that, the main goal of content SEO is to produce a balanced piece of content. One that caters to the demands of both the users and the search engines. It does keep the interests of the people on top as they are the end users. But it also emphasizes making content in tune with the Google bots to rank high. 

Content marketing and Content SEO go hand in hand. SEO when integrated into content management strategies, helps to:

• Create the right content in an appropriate format 
• Reach the target people at the opportune time
• Appear high in search results  
• Garner organic traffic 
• Generate new leads 
• Increase lead conversions
• Built a strong loyal client base 

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO takes care of the backend aspects of the website. A well-constructed structure, makes it easier for the search engine bots to locate, index, crawl, and appreciate your site. As a result, you get rewarded with improved search ranking. Also, with no performance, and readability issues, the site automatically becomes user-friendly. This boosts user experience and further influences the ranking factor. Not to forget, all of these also lead to better conversation figures and revenues.

Critical Components of Technical SEO Strategy

Technical SEO is all about helping the web crawlers and the users navigate your site better. Some of the primary Technical SEO elements involve:

1. Page speed

A slow load time leaves the users frustrated. Raises the bounce rate. And makes the Google bots question your site. All of which results in you losing in the ranking game. So make sure each page on your site loads fast. 

2. Mobile-friendliness

Most users rely on mobile devices to search for content. Hence responsive designs that make your site adjust to the screens of the phones are a must. 

3. Schema markup

This helps maintain structured data on your site. Something which benefits Google to interpret the contexts easily. A good structure increases visibility in search engines.

4. Robots.txt

It advises the search engine crawlers on what to crawl and what not to. Make sure you remove duplicate content and low-value pages from the indexing list. 

5. Site and information architecture

Create a well-structured site with proper organization and delivery of content. Then make efforts to arrange the content within that framework. Like a hierarchy of pages to assist users and web spiders to locate content.

6. Sitemaps

Sitemaps are necessary for search engine crawlers to track your site. They should contain all pages that you want to participate in SERPs. 

7. URLs

You need to optimize the URLs to make your content more relevant. Keep it simple, short, and descriptive, and maintain the correct format. 

8. Broken links

Fix the links that give a 404 error. This improves site ranking. 

9. Site security (SSL)

A secured site helps gain the trust of the users and encourages better user engagement.  

Where Do Technical SEO and Content SEO Crossover?

In the Content SEO vs. Technical SEO debate, both may appear as two distinct paths. But they actually share similarities in more ways than you can imagine. Here’s how:

• Ensures the website is optimized for your mobile phones
• Improves the speed, readability, and interactivity of your site 
• Oversees canonical URLs to prevent duplicate content issues
• Writes valuable product descriptions incorporated with keywords
• Creates quality and optimized websites to maintain a positive user experience. 

Technical SEO Mistakes vs. Content SEO Mistakes

Content SEO and Technical SEO are both crucial for business owners to outrank other players. If you do not have a good Technical SEO, it will drag even the most informative content down with it. At the same time, a site with not a single technical issue won’t also rank. Unless it has high-quality content in sync with organic search queries. 

Common Technical SEO Problems That Need Immediate Attention

• Crawl errors that make your site inaccessible to search engines
• Slow loading time
• Presence of dead-end links
• Duplicating the same information on multiple pages
• Not having mobile-friendly features on your site
• Unsafe site with no SSL certificate

Common Content SEO Problems That Need A Quick Fix

• Content that is overtly promotion-driven
• Grammatical and spelling errors
• Inconsistency in the tone and the voice of the brand
• Inaccurate information
• Content that does not respond to client/ search queries
• Using content without giving due credit to the original source
• Lack of depth in the blog posts or other forms of content 

Bottomline, Content SEO vs. Technical SEO is Not Your Ideal Solution: To Achieve Success You Need to Embrace Both

The dynamic duo of Content SEO and Technical SEO are prime catalysts for writing a success story. Without one the other becomes pretty pointless. But the reality is not all SaaS firms have the resources to invest equally in them both. So, if you have to decide on Content SEO vs. Technical SEO and pick one at a time, consider your current situation. 

Go for Content SEO if:

• Your sites already have strong technical foundations
• You want your visibility and organic ranking to improve
• Targeting specific topics and keywords is your present aim

Go for Technical SEO if:

• You are developing a new website
• There are many indexing and crawling-related complications
• Too many technical issues leading to underwhelming website performance
• You have already put a lot of money into content strategies over the past years

Now if you are in a place where neither of the above applies to you, then referring to rival sites may prove helpful. Find your top competitors and compare their content with that of yours. If you see that yours is not so potent in answering user queries. Or have low conversion probabilities, then invest in quality SEO content writing. In contrast, if you see that your content offers more value than those of the rivals. But are still ranking low, then hiring some talented Technical SEO experts might be a good choice. 

FAQs

SEO vs. Content- which is better?

There is no debate between SEO and content because you need both. SEO is necessary for your audience to find you. While good high-quality content aids you with high ranks and more traffic.

How can you differentiate between Content SEO and Technical SEO?

Content SEO is the mode of content creation that entails using key terms or phrases to meet user intent. Whereas Technical SEO works to optimize the back-end aspects of the website. Repairing slow-loading pages and non-existing links for instance.