Can Great Content Alone Drive Traffic without Marketing or Links?

You have probably published a new article or page on your site and wondered why there was no search engine traffic coming in.

Well, when search engines were still young, it was fairly easy to rank on the first page for many of your desired keywords because: 1) there was less competition worldwide, and 2) search engines were not as advanced as they are now.

Nowadays, publishing new content on your site is easy, but the hard part is getting your content pages to rank on the first page for your desired keyword(s).

So are the days gone when you could simply produce great content and it would magically appear on the first page next day? No, but it is definitely harder to get an edge in today’s competitive Internet market.

But, don’t lose hope. There are still instances when great content alone may be able to rank on its own power.

When great content may be enough by itself:

• If you are producing amazing content (article) that is fairly lengthy.
• If your industry or niche does not have a lot of competition.
• If you are targeting a very specific geo-location. Low competition.
• If you are an authority in your industry and your site has a strong SEO profile.

When great content needs the help of marketing:

• If your industry or niche has a lot of competition.
• If your content is not text-based, but rather an infographic, a list, video, or some other type of media.
• If your content is related to payday loans, viagra, or some other highly spammed industries.

I believe the industry or niche you are in is the biggest factor. If you do business in insurance, loans, credit cards, or shopping, you’re going to need a lot of marketing power behind your content. For lesser known industries, it’ll be easier.

Content Marketing

There are many ways to promote your content. You can utilize social media to promote your webpage or business. You can use Youtube and the hundreds of other video sites to promote your videos. You can guest post an article on a popular 3rd party blog. Content marketing is really not that hard as long as you have a plan and the manpower to execute it.

Earned Links or Shares

This part usually comes after you’ve done some content marketing. As more people discover your amazing content, they begin to link to it or share it if they like it. This is the way SEO was intended, and this is the way that Google wants us to grow our backlinks. Naturally.

Challenge for a New Website

For a new website, it is more difficult to get your content noticed because no one knows who you are. You’re starting off at zero. You don’t have an army of loyal readers or customers who will help you spread the word.

Advantage for an Established Website

For established websites, it’s much easier to promote your content because you already have a base of readers and customers who will help you spread the word. This group of loyal people will help you earn your links and go viral on social media.

What content creation/marketing challenges do you face?