Hello Reader,

Back in the dark days, when I was working in marketing agencies, there was a big issue that I was always shouting about.

In most of these agencies, the content team was housed within the SEO department.

It made me want to pull my hair out, because if you ask me, SEO should be part of the content team, not the other way around.

There are two reasons for this:

1. Without content, the SEO team would not exist. You cannot do SEO properly without high-quality content, period.
2. There are SO many types of content that aren't SEO-focused

Last week, I wrote about how the long-form blog article is still an essential part of any SEO strategy, but today, let's shift focus away from SEO and talk about the other types of content that should be a part of your overall content strategy.

There are way too many to list, but here are some of my favorite content marketing genres that aren't all about the SEO traffic.

📽️ Video Content: I have a small bug growing YouTube channel where I upload my videos, and it's netted me more than one client. If you have interviews, explainers, webinars, or anything else shot in front of a camera, that counts as content.

🎨 Visual Content: Infographics aren't dead --- I was using one just the other day as part of my research for the memoir I'm writing. Visual content makes everything more readable and engaging, whether it's a sales page, your About pages, a social post, etc.

🤳🏻 Social Content: Every business should be visible on at least one social media platform. Otherwise, you're putting all your eggs in the Google basket, and that is a very risky move. Everything else you're creating deserves to be shared on social media.

❓ Interviews: People like to hear from experts. That is what makes your content trustworthy and engaging. Personally, I like to ask experts to give me a brain dump, and then impress them when I turn their ramblings into high-quality, exciting content.

🤓 Reports and Studies: If you have the ability to create custom reports and studies, you can use it to leverage PR attention and make yourself more of an authority in the eyes of your clients and customers.

💻 Landing Pages: The blog is where you'll post most of your SEO-worthy content, but those aren't the most important pages on your site. What content will you put on your homepage, your about page, your services pages, your sales pages? All this should factor into your content strategy.

📋Templates and Assets: These make the best lead magnets, if one of your goals is growing your email list. I have many of these on my site, and to date, they have done the most heavy lifting when it comes to growing my audience and earning me new business.

The list goes on, but let me make one final point.

If you're going to be creating all of these types of content, why not optimize them for SEO?

Why not...

✅ Check for keywords you can slip in, so more people can find your content

✅ Structure your content so it's easy for users to navigate and enjoy

✅ Add page titles and meta-descriptions that make people want to click

✅ Post the transcript of your video online, so folks who prefer text over video can read it

✅ Add internal links so people can go from your new content to other pieces you want them to see

This is the thing about SEO... it's not just about getting more traffic to your site. It's about making all of the content you create more accessible, findable, navigable, and enjoyable for your primary audience.

This is why it pays to have a content strategist who brings both creativity and SEO-smarts. Wondering where you might find someone like that? Reply to this email and I'll tell you. 😉

- Liam