SEO content: Your 5 best options that gets results and their pros and cons

If a business recognizes the need for quality SEO content, they have several options to acquire it. Here are 5 key approaches:

1. Hire an In-House Content Team:

This involves building a team of dedicated content creators, including writers, editors, graphic designers, and potentially video producers, depending on the content strategy.

Pros: Full control over content creation, dedicated focus on the business’s needs, deep understanding of the brand and target audience, consistent brand voice.

Cons: High cost (salaries, benefits, equipment); requires management and oversight; can be slow to scale initially.

2. Outsourcing to a Content Marketing Agency:

This involves partnering with an agency that specializes in content creation and marketing. Agencies typically offer a full range of services, from strategy development to content production and distribution.

Pros: Access to a team of experienced professionals, scalability, access to specialized skills (SEO, social media marketing, etc.), and less management overhead for the business.

Cons: Higher cost than freelancers, less direct control over the creative process, potential communication challenges.

3. Hire Freelance Content Writers and Creators:

This involves working with individual freelancers on a project-by-project basis. This can be a cost-effective option for specific content needs.

Pros: Cost-effective, access to a wide range of talent, flexibility to scale up or down as needed.

Cons: Requires more management and coordination than an agency; quality can vary between freelancers; potential for communication challenges.

4. Use content creation tools and AI writing software (with human oversight):

Several tools and software platforms can assist with content creation, including AI writing tools, grammar checkers, and design software.

There is no shortage of generative AI solutions out there. A simple Google search for the term will give you more resources than you can ever exhaust.

Pros: Can be cost-effective for certain types of content, can automate some aspects of the content creation process, and can help with brainstorming and generating ideas.

Cons: AI-generated content often requires significant human editing and fact-checking, may lack creativity and originality, and is not suitable for all types of content (e.g., highly technical or nuanced topics). Human oversight is crucial to maintaining quality and accuracy.

But based on the need for content creation tools and AI writing software with human oversight, here are

5 tools that cover different aspects of the writing process:

1. Jasper.ai (for AI Writing Assistance): Jasper is a powerful AI writing tool that can help generate various types of content, from blog posts and marketing copy to social media captions and product descriptions. It offers templates for different content formats and can adapt to different writing styles.
   • Why it fits: It directly addresses the need for AI writing assistance. It can help overcome writer’s block, generate initial drafts, and create variations of existing content.
   • Human Oversight is Key: Jasper’s output should always be reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a human to ensure accuracy, clarity, and originality. It’s a tool to assist, not replace, human writers.
2. Grammarly (for grammar and style checking): Grammarly is an essential tool for ensuring your content is free of grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and stylistic inconsistencies. It also provides suggestions for improving clarity, conciseness, and tone.
   • Why it fits: It’s crucial for the “human oversight” part of the process. Even if AI generates the initial draft, Grammarly helps polish it and ensure professional-grade writing.
   • Beyond Grammar: Grammarly also offers features like plagiarism detection and tone adjustments, further enhancing the quality of your content.
3. Canva (for Graphic Design and Visual Content): Canva is a user-friendly design tool that makes it easy to create visually appealing graphics, social media posts, presentations, and other visual content. It offers a wide range of templates, stock photos, and design elements.
   • Why it fits: Content isn’t just about text; visuals are crucial for engagement. Canva empowers even non-designers to create professional-looking graphics to complement their written content.
   • Integration with Content: Canva designs can be easily integrated into blog posts, social media updates, and other marketing materials.
4. SEMrush Writing Assistant (for SEO Content Optimization): While SEMrush is a comprehensive SEO tool, its Writing Assistant feature is particularly relevant here. It provides real-time feedback on your content’s SEO performance, readability, tone of voice, and originality.
   • Why it fits: It bridges the gap between content creation and SEO. It helps ensure your content is not only well-written but also optimized for search engines.
   • Data-Driven Optimization: The Writing Assistant uses SEMrush’s extensive data to provide actionable insights for improving your content’s search engine ranking potential.
5. Google Docs (for Collaboration and Editing): While not strictly a content creation tool in the same way as the others, Google Docs is invaluable for collaboration, editing, and version control.
   • Why it fits: It facilitates the “human oversight” and collaborative aspects of content creation. Multiple team members can work on the same document simultaneously, leaving comments, suggestions, and edits.
   • Free and Accessible: Its free availability and ease of use make it an excellent choice for teams of all sizes.

These five tools, used together, will give you a robust workflow for creating high-quality, engaging, and SEO-friendly content.

They cover AI assistance, grammar and style checking, visual content creation, SEO optimization, and collaborative editing, ensuring that the “human oversight” element is always present and effective.

5. Repurpose Existing Content:

Before this option will work for you, you need an existing content to work with.

This involves taking existing content (e.g., blog posts, presentations, webinars) and adapting it into different formats (e.g., infographics, social media posts, short videos).

Pros: Cost-effective, saves time and resources, extends the reach of existing content, can improve SEO by creating multiple pieces of content around a single topic.

Cons: Requires careful planning and execution to ensure the repurposed content is relevant and engaging; may not be suitable for all types of content.

Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages.

The best approach for getting SEO content depends on

• Your business’s budget,
• Resources,
• Content needs, and
• Long-term goals.

Often, a hybrid approach, combining elements of different options, can be the most effective solution.

For example, your business might use an in-house team for core content creation, outsource specialized projects to a writing agency or service provider, and use freelance writers for occasional support.