Posted on May 12, 2020
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media Marketing are two common methods to introduce and promote a brand’s products and services. They are both effective at ensuring the brand receives the much-needed traffic to establish themselves as a business and gain online visibility. So which should you use?
SEO uses a set of tools and techniques on a website to promote web traffic through search engines – which in turn improves overall site visibility. The success of SEO is often measured by the website’s ranking as an organic search result ie where in the search results for a particular word or phrase does your website appear – the goal for most businesses is the first page on google for targeted search terms.
Two of the main focus areas for successful SEO are creating and promoting high quality, relevant and timely web content and building links from other related and highly rated websites to drive organic traffic.
On the other hand, social media marketing focuses more on attracting a social following. Popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and others, the different platforms have different demographics which may be more or less relevant to your business.
There are always ongoing debates about whether SEO or social media marketing is a more effective investment of time and money at attracting customers and making sales. Here are a few facts to consider before choosing one (or both) for your business..
They Operate On Two Different Platforms
SEO attempts to drive traffic through search engine results, while social media marketing attempts to direct users from a social media platform to the website. It’s a fact that social media marketing has negligible impacts on website rankings in search engines, while SEO isn’t fully effective without some integration with social media marketing.
Inbound links from social media pages have zero impact on SEO performance, but websites can still enjoy sizable direct traffic through social media integration. Social media platforms have far higher levels of engagement with the audience compared to websites. It means that if potential readers and buyers are not found in large numbers on social media, it is better to focus more on SEO.
Different Consumer Behaviour
Search engine and social media users have different behaviours. SEO is more useful for people who are directly looking for specific products and services. In social media, people are more influenced by peer recommendations. This also means that SEO is more appropriate for people who are already well-informed about products and services. Peer recommendations in social media could happen when consumers are still choosing between different product models or service options.
They Are Opposites
In many ways, SEO and social media marketing are not only different; they can almost be considered opposites. SEO appeals to search engine algorithms and is based on specific metrics. It takes years and a lot of effort to build credibility in search engines. It is easier to become credible and build a loyal audience via social media – however, users usually don’t have the initial intention to buy products.
Depending on your line of business and who you anticipate your customers to be, will help inform where you should invest your online marketing budget.
Contact BeMore Online
To learn more about search engine optimisation and how it can help grow your business, contact BeMore Online today.
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