Which is the best strategy: SEO or content marketing?

There's no definitive "best" strategy when it comes to SEO versus content marketing - the two are very interconnected and work better together as a unified approach.

If you're asking which one I would prioritize or focus on first, I'd likely recommend putting a strong content marketing foundation in place before getting too advanced with SEO tactics.

The reason is that successful SEO today relies heavily on having a solid base of high-quality, relevant content. Search engines want to provide their users with the best possible results in response to their queries. This means prioritizing content that is informative, well-researched and provides real value to the reader.

Without that substance behind it, SEO tactics like keyword optimization and link building won't be nearly as effective in the long run. You'll struggle to rank for competitive terms if you don't have authoritative, in-depth content to back up those rankings.

So I'd recommend starting with a strong content marketing strategy focused on creating consistently outstanding content mapped to your target audience's interests and search inquiries - blog posts, videos, guides, and other formats that genuinely help and inform your customers.

From there, you can then layer on SEO best practices like keyword integration, optimized page elements, schema markup, and link-worthy asset creation and promotion. However, the emphasis should be on using SEO to increase the visibility of your already great content.

Over time, the two strategies used together allow you to create this virtual cycle of attracting new organic traffic through optimized content, converting those visitors into subscribers and customers, and using those loyal audiences to promote your content further.

So in short, I wouldn't say one is definitively "best." But taking a content-first approach that reliably delivers value to your audience, optimized for maximum searchability is the most sustainable long-term winning strategy.