Content marketing and link building are both valuable in their own way. Many SEOs would even agree that successful websites must have them both included in their website marketing strategy. With the wave of Google algorithm changes it is clear that content marketing trumps link building as evidenced by the three points provided below.
Content Value Is More Measurable Than Link Value
A number of business owners pay good money for link building but have no way of measuring the individual value of the links that they receive. Of course the increased page rank and visible increase in traffic are some indicators that the links are doing something but those very links could very well have also contributed to the demise of many websites. Business owners need to have a way to measure how much of a contribution links are making to their end goal and so far there is no easy way to do so.
Conversely it is very easy to see the value of content just by looking at the number of links, social votes and traffic that it generated. Your site statistical data will also show which search terms were used to bring traffic to that specific page. Most importantly it is much easier to determine the revenue that the content created by considering all the factors mentioned before. This in the end gives the business owner a much clearer picture of where the money went versus a report of an increase in page rankings as often reported with link building.
Content Marketing is Cheaper than Link Building
Believe it or not content writers are much cheaper than link builders. It is extremely difficult to find a good SEO company. The time and money that you invest finding and finally settling on the right company must be factored in. You also have to consider the cost of using the wrong company. Many a small business owner has already paid the price with decreased rankings due to the blackhat techniques of some SEOs. Once you hire a good writer you will immediately see the value of your money spent.
It Stands Up Well to Algorithm Updates
In order to benefit from lots of organic traffic the focus has to change from shady SEO tactics to strategies that fall within Google webmaster guidelines. Content marketing should have a major role in your SEO strategy if you are looking for results that last. Today we might be able to make reasonable assumptions on what Google wants but that might change tomorrow. As long as there is an internet good content will always be required.
