For a long time, I told everyone who would listen that “SEO is a content distribution channel.”
And while I still agree with this—it remains one of the most efficient and scalable distribution channels—I’ve come to realize that this view doesn’t fully capture the role SEO can play. I am currently reading Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt, and this made me realize SEO is more than just ‘a tactic’ to get your content in front of your audience.
In most cases, SEOs also need to think about strategy. For example:
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How SEO fits into the broader business and marketing strategy – Some companies benefit from simply being more visible in search, like news websites or publishers that rely on ad revenue. Others need to attract high-intent, in-market audiences with their content. As an SEO, you need to set goals that align with these business objectives.
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Understanding customers – This involves talking to customers directly, listening to Gong calls, reading G2 reviews, chatting with sales, and monitoring competitors’ best-performing content to uncover what resonates with your audience.
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Deciding what content to create for which audience segment – SEO often influences content creation by helping identify what topics and formats will best meet the needs of different audience segments.
So yes, SEO is a content distribution channel. But strategic SEOs also spend a lot of time thinking about the product, the audience, and what content will build the most valuable relationship with that audience.