A growing number of businesses are realizing the impact content marketing has on their search engine optimization strategies, with a recent MarketingSherpa survey indicating 50 percent of the polled marketers name content the most effective SEO tactic.

A growing number of businesses are realizing the impact content marketing has on their search engine optimization strategies, with a recent MarketingSherpa survey indicating 50 percent of the polled marketers name content the most effective SEO tactic. As Search Engine Land reports, 92 percent of marketers say content creation is “very” or at least “somewhat” effective for SEO.

However, the report also notes that content creation is also one of the most challenging SEO strategies – only external link building was perceived as being a more difficult way to boost search rankings. At the same time, Brafton has reported that content marketing has the potential to organically generate high-quality inbound links as journalists turn to company websites for news leads.

“Content creation stands apart in the cluster of tactics, both for its difficulty and its effectiveness. Good content creates buzz and attracts links. For this reason, marketers who commit to the effort required in creating quality content can improve their SEO positions,” the report explains.

Because high-value content can lead directly to more website traffic, many businesses have begun publishing their own content. According to the study, boosting website traffic is a top SEO objective for 72 percent of marketers, while generating more leads and achieving measurable return on investment are key goals for 62 and 47 percent of respondents.

One of the top challenges of content marketing is producing engaging content on a regular basis. Brafton recently reported a HiveFire survey that found nearly three-quarters of marketers (73.6 percent) had trouble creating original content while 73 percent had trouble finding the time to do so. A large share of marketers plan to outsource their SEO content efforts this year, with 14 percent spending up to 100 percent of their SEO budgets with agencies.