Content Marketing Statistics You Need To Know for 2023

Semrush’s State of Content Marketing 2023 Global Report dives into some crazy insightful data all focused on content marketing. Compiled from thousands of respondants to various surveys, Semrush presents some surprises for 2023.

Here are several key findings from the report and what they could potentially mean for content marketers—both soloprenuers and agency teams.

Content Strategy and SEO

“Understanding what your audience needs and values will be your key to content marketing success in 2023.”

Kyle Byers, Director of Organic Search, Semrush

As Semrush’s Kyle Byers puts it, understanding your audience and creating content specifically for them are going to prove critical for content marketing in 2023. The report also found that this is just one of the factors that influence content marketing success. When asked what other factors helped lead to content marketing success, respondents had some interesting answers:

• 46% of those surveyed said they perform search engine optimization (SEO)

• 36% said they’re actively focused on improving their technical SEO

• 37% said they’re placing more priority on research-driven content

• 53% are focused on improving content quality

• 44% reported more success just by improving the quality and value of their content

Budget and Marketing Spend

There were some surprising stats on how marketers are budgeting and spending on their strategies. According to the report, most respondents surveyed are planning budget increases specifically for digital and content marketing. These are some of the stats I found interesting (and a little tantilizing):

• A whopping 69% of businesses plan to increase their content marketing budgets in 2023.

• 28% of respondents are planning for a moderate increase of 11%-25% in spending.

• 27% spend less than $1,000 per month, but would increase.

• 20% spend $3,000-$5,000 and would also increase.

Content Creation and Promotion

The report also suggests that content generated by reliable human content teams and specialists is still a good investment.

And a human touch is necessary for more than just copywriting. So, Semrush asked respondents about the approaches that were most successful for moving their blog content up in the SERPs. These are the results:

• 38% reported analyzing and addressing customer questions in their content to be most successful.

• 27% said doing in-depth search intent analysis before content creation led to success.

• 26% reported working on link building for their content was most successful.

When it comes to content promotion, social media marketing with organic posts came out on top. Here are some more interesting tidbits about promotional methods that led to content marketing success:

• 73% use social media marketing with organic posts.

• 53% use email marketing strategies.

• 51% use paid social media ads.

• 33% invest in organic research.

Content Audits and Optimization

Content audits and optimization are two of the most essential steps to take when researching, drafting, and solidifying a content marketing strategy. Semrush’s report found that businesses, brands, and marketers who regularly perform content audits and update older content can expect substantial results. Here are several findings that speak volumes:

• 33% do an audit twice yearly.

• 24% do only one audit per year.

• 16% have never performed content audits

The majority—61%—of respondents who reported they were most successful with their content marketing in 2022 were those who conducted content audits more than two times a year.

The 61% of respondents who regularly updated their content also saw major improvements to a couple of areas:

• 53% reported improvements to engagement rates.

• 49% saw improvements to rankings and traffic.

Takeaway

Overall, maketers from large companies, to small businesses and agencies, to soloprenuers are seeing the advantages of content marketing as a smart investment. With the majority of those surveyed planning to up their content marketing game, it seems like the best time to dig in and position yourself as the expert and specialist many of these brands need. Get the full report from Semrush, and you’ll see why this is the perfect time to leverage your digital marketing skills.