The term "SEO content strategy" sparks heated debates in marketing circles. Some SEOs argue it's misunderstood and leads teams to create content solely for search engines, ignoring actual humans.
Here's the reality: SEO is just another marketing channel—like email or social media. When done correctly, it's very much "user-first." The concept of having a strategy for organic search is no different than having strategies for other channels.
So what exactly is an SEO content strategy?
SEO content is content created with the primary goal of driving organic traffic from search engines. An SEO content strategy is your plan to create, distribute, and manage this content.
What it isn't? Your entire content strategy.
Put simply, SEO content answers questions related to your product or service that people commonly ask on search engines. But your overall content strategy should leverage multiple channels where your audience is most active.
The power of SEO content: The Sill case study
The Sill is an ecommerce plant store that nails SEO content strategy. They drive nearly 550,000 visitors monthly (almost 7 million yearly) by focusing on educational plant care content.
Their top-performing content includes:
Monstera care guides (90.5K monthly searches)
General plant information (135K monthly searches)
Bird of paradise care (74K monthly searches)
Specific plant care guides (40.5K+ searches each)
Each guide seamlessly links to their product pages, letting searchers shop while they learn. Simple, effective, profitable.
How SEO fits your overall content strategy
Yes, SEO content aims to drive search traffic. But it shouldn't live in isolation.
When you write SEO content, you're creating content around topics your audience actively searches for. This makes these topics perfect for cross-promotion on social media, email newsletters, and other channels.
The Sill does this brilliantly—their "fall plant care" blog post becomes Instagram content, email newsletter material, and more. One piece of content, multiple distribution channels.
When you shouldn't invest in SEO content
Not every business should prioritize SEO content. Here's when to skip it:
Local businesses: Restaurants, auto repair shops, nail salons need local SEO (Google My Business, local PR), not content marketing. Focus on gathering reviews instead.
Small marketing budgets: Quality SEO work isn't cheap. Mid-size agencies charge $5,000-$10,000 monthly. Even internal efforts require hundreds of dollars per high-quality article.
Need immediate results: SEO takes time—six months is the average. If you need leads now, try paid search for faster returns.
When you should invest in SEO content
The decision boils down to this: Does your business sell a product or service that people either search for by name or have questions about?
If yes, SEO content can be incredibly powerful and cost-effective. People search because they have problems, and your product might be the solution.
Once your content gains traction, it builds brand recognition, encourages site browsing, and sometimes converts directly from the page—with minimal ongoing effort.
Examples of businesses that benefit:
HubSpot built an SEO moat around competitive marketing terms
Niche AI companies drive leads by targeting problem-solving content
Any business where customers need education or support
The bottom line
If you're worried about building landing pages or managing your website, platforms like Obsidian allow you to create websites, apps, and software tools with zero technical knowledge. You can easily build any website or application with simple prompts and deploy directly to Netlify or GitHub—perfect for businesses ready to execute their content strategy without getting bogged down in technical details.
TL;DR: SEO content strategy means creating helpful content that answers your audience's search queries. It works best for businesses selling products/services people actively research online, but requires budget and patience for results.