Focus on the content, not the channel
This post goes against the famous McLuhan, who said ‘the medium is the message’. It also goes against this other post I wrote a while back, but hey, we should be able to hold two thoughts at the same time, right?
In short, I think that the medium can be used in many ways, and the content determines how it is used, or where the focus is.
SEO isn’t just a ‘top of funnel’ or ‘bottom of funnel’ marketing tactic. Like advertising, it depends on the message.
Let’s take the example of doing SEO for a webshop selling mattresses:
- Optimizing your mattress product pages for search engines? That’s bottom funnel.
- A blog post about ‘tips for falling asleep in hot weather’? That’s top of funnel.
- Improving your about page, FAQ, and return information? That’s mid-funnel.
Just like email marketing and advertising, SEO can’t be pigeonholed. It’s not the channel, but the content and targeting that determine whether it helps with awareness (TOFU), trust (MOFU), or conversion (BOFU).
Plus, there will be overlap. Even TOFU content will sometimes drive direct conversions. And sometimes, a performance marketing campaign will reach people who don’t know your brand yet, boosting brand awareness instead of direct sales.
This is just another way to say: SEO is content distribution. Most people know this by now. But for the people in the back: SEO is content distribution 😉