Content Production and Strategy are the Most Difficult SEO Tasks, According to New Report

If you work in SEO, chances are content is one of your biggest challenges. Creating high-quality, engaging content on a consistent basis is hard enough. But developing an effective content strategy to drive organic traffic and conversions? That can feel nearly impossible some days.

You‘re not alone in your struggles. According to the latest "State of SEO" report from Search Engine Journal, content-related tasks are hands-down the most difficult part of SEO. Of the nearly 4,000 SEO professionals surveyed, 13.8% cited "content (production/marketing/strategy)" as their #1 challenge.

So why exactly is content such a thorn in SEOs‘ sides these days? Let‘s unpack the data and see what insights we can glean. We‘ll also explore how emerging AI technologies may hold the key to overcoming your biggest content hurdles.

Content is Officially the Most Difficult Task in SEO

There‘s no question that SEO encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, from technical optimizations to link building to data analysis. But when push comes to shove, content reigns supreme as the most difficult task for SEOs across experience levels.

In the "State of SEO" report, content challenges took the top spot regardless of whether respondents were SEO newbies or 20-year veterans. The most commonly cited reasons were:

• Google‘s rising standards for content quality, especially with the new E-E-A-T guidelines emphasizing first-hand experience
• Increasing difficulty controlling what users see in search results
• The rise of AI-generated content making it harder to stand out
• Loss of organic traffic to new AI-based SERP features like Bing‘s chatbot results

As one respondent put it, "Google‘s quality standards keep going up and their SERPs keep getting more complex. Consistently creating helpful content for users is tougher than ever."

Simply put, the bar for what constitutes "good" content in the eyes of search engines is higher than ever before. Gone are the days when you could churn out mediocre 500-word posts, stuff them with keywords, build some spammy links and call it a day.

Today, truly succeeding with SEO content means:

• Going above and beyond to provide unique value and expertise
• Deeply understanding and satisfying user intent
• Structuring content logically and making it visually appealing
• Establishing E-E-A-T signals through author credentials, citations and links
• Providing a top-notch user experience with fast load times, mobile friendliness, etc.

Meeting all of those criteria on a regular basis is no small feat, especially for smaller teams or solo SEOs wearing multiple hats. There are only so many hours in the day, and content is often time-consuming and resource-intensive.

However, content also happens to be…

The Single Most Effective SEO Strategy, Based on Results

When it comes to the tactics that drive real SEO results, content once again takes the cake. In the "State of SEO" report, respondents rated "focusing on an overall content strategy" as the #1 most effective technique based on their recent experiences.

Topic clustering, another content-centric strategy, wasn‘t far behind in the #2 spot.

Other "traditional" SEO tactics like link building and keyword optimization still work, but they deliver diminishing returns if your actual on-page content is lacking. After all, what good is ranking #1 if most people click away after a few seconds because your content doesn‘t match intent or provide value?

As SEO guru Barry Schwartz explained in a recent interview, "It all leads back to the content… The core algorithm update, the helpful content update, the product reviews update – it all leads to content, content, content!"

In other words, great content forms the foundation upon which all other optimizations are built. Things like page speed and keyword usage still matter, but probably not as much as the overall quality of your content.

If you want to future-proof your organic traffic, stop chasing algorithms and start prioritizing your audience. Focus on crafting content that genuinely helps people and solves their problems. Establish your brand as a go-to industry resource. Build your credibility and authority.

Do that and you‘ll be much better positioned to weather algorithm changes and outperform competitors in the long run. Which brings us to our next point…

SEOs Plan to Double Down on Content Moving Forward

Clearly, mastering the art and science of content is critical for SEO success both now and in the future. And it seems most SEOs are well aware of this fact.

In addition to being the most difficult and effective aspect of SEO, content strategy/production is also the area where SEOs plan to invest the most resources going forward. 13.5% of all respondents said content would be their #1 focus over the next 12 months.

Data analysis came in a distant second place with 9.8% of responses. Other areas of focus included building email lists, optimizing for search intent, link building and technical SEO.

Interestingly, SEOs with 20+ years of experience were just as likely to prioritize search intent optimization as content production. This suggests that seasoned pros recognize the importance of aligning content with user needs at every stage of the buyer‘s journey.

But the overarching theme is clear: Content is king, and its reign won‘t be ending anytime soon. As an SEO, your #1 priority should be creating content that hits the sweet spot between what users want and what search engines reward.

Of course, that‘s easier said than done, especially as content standards continue to rise and competition gets fiercer. Fortunately, you don‘t have to go it alone thanks to…

The Power of AI for Overcoming Your Biggest Content Challenges

For many SEOs, the idea of scaling up content production while simultaneously improving quality probably feels like a pipe dream. There are only so many hours in the day, right?

Enter artificial intelligence. The intersection of AI and SEO is ushering in a new era where machines can shoulder much of the content creation burden, allowing you to focus on high-level strategy and creativity.

Now, we may be a bit biased since we‘re an AI-powered SEO tool. But we genuinely believe that AI is the key to thriving in an increasingly content-centric SEO landscape. Here are a few ways our tool, SEO.ai, can alleviate your content woes:

• Automated Content Creation – Stop staring at a blank screen. Our AI generates high-quality first drafts on any topic in seconds, giving you a strong foundation to build on.

• Semantic Analysis – Ensure your content comprehensively covers a topic and includes related contextual subtopics search engines expect to see.

• Title Optimization – See how your proposed title stacks up against top-ranking competitors and receive data-driven recommendations for improvement.

• Real-Time Content Scoring – Get instant feedback on your content‘s strengths and weaknesses, with specific suggestions for optimizations.

• Audience Insights – Analyze your target audience‘s online behavior to craft hyper-relevant content that resonates.

• Brand Voice Consistency – Maintain your unique style and tone across every piece of content, even if multiple team members are involved.

• Efficiency at Scale – Produce more optimized content in less time without sacrificing quality or blowing your budget.

To be clear, AI tools aren‘t meant to replace human writers. Our goal is to streamline your workflows, spark new ideas and provide data-driven insights you can combine with your own industry expertise.

AI excels at analyzing patterns and generating language at scale. But it still needs human oversight to fact-check outputs, insert brand personality and make judgment calls on quality. Combining the best of both worlds is how you‘ll maximize your content‘s impact.

Are You Ready to Embrace an AI-Powered Content Future?

When it comes to winning at SEO, content is both your greatest challenge and greatest opportunity. As the "State of SEO" report shows, how well you tackle content strategy and production is a make-or-break factor for organic success.

Meeting sky-high expectations for quality, E-E-A-T, user experience and more is undeniably difficult. There‘s a reason content tops the list of things keeping SEOs up at night. However, with the right strategies, processes and tools, it‘s far from impossible.

While "traditional" SEO levers like keywords and metadata still have their place, building a strong content foundation needs to be your top priority. Every piece of content you create is a chance to demonstrate your expertise, engage your audience and earn search engines‘ trust.

None of that happens by accident. You need a defined strategy, efficient workflows and consistent execution. You need both creativity and data. And increasingly, you need to leverage artificial intelligence to stay competitive.

Change is the only constant in search. Resisting AI‘s growing influence is like swimming against the tide. Early adopters who learn to harness these incredible capabilities to complement human talent will have a major advantage.

Remember, even the most sophisticated AI still needs competent humans to steer the ship. Your role isn‘t going away; it‘s evolving. AI can automate the tedious parts of content creation, but it can‘t replace your unique insights, experiences and creative vision.

So here‘s our challenge to you: Lean into the content-centric future of SEO. Recognize the immense power you wield with every blog post, landing page and product description. Prioritize quality and audience empathy over short-term hacks and cheap wins.

Most importantly, keep an open mind about how AI can enhance your SEO efforts. Explore tools like SEO.ai and see firsthand how they can level up your content strategy. Your audience (and your organic traffic) will thank you.