Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Marketing (SMM) are two different ways for business and website owners like you to inform the public about your products and/or services using the power of the internet. However, there has been an ongoing debate on which of the two is more beneficial and effective. To determine which you should choose, below is a detailed discussion about SEO and SMM.

What Is SEO?

SEO is a combination of different strategies, tactics and methods to attract more visitors to the website. This is done by pushing the ranking of a website in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). SEO helps businesses and website owners get more visibility, gain higher web traffic, and ultimately have more customers or readers to the website. The traffic gained through SEO are all organic which means this is done without paying the search engine directly to get the website to appear on the first page.

What Is SMM?

SMM is focused directly on getting attention through social media and use the strength of readers/netizens to gain traction. SMM encourages readers/netizens to view the material online, whether it’s a video, a press release or a twit, and share and spread it to other people in their social media networks. This approach utilises social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, Google+, and so much more.

Which One Is More Beneficial?

Studies show that businesses benefit more from SEO since most customers tap search engines when looking for things they need online. SMM only comes into the picture when people already look for recommendations online on which products/services are better than others. This is usually after they’ve done research using search engines.

Furthermore, in terms of generating profits, SEO may be the better option as people who search online are those who are already ready to make purchase. Meanwhile, those who see your company through SMM are just simply browsing. While they may share your posts, there’s no guarantee that they’re going to buy what you’re offering.

In terms of the budget and turn-around time, while it may take a while for its effects, SEO is more cost-effective and provides more consistent results that last long term for your company. In fact, high rankings can last for weeks or months.

Meanwhile, for SMM, frequent spending is necessary to get desired results. This means you need to have a huge budget. Moreover, SMM results normally last for a shorter period although they may also provide some quick results.

Basically, deciding which one to choose between the two depends on your purpose and your budget. If you can afford it, use both approaches simultaneously. On the other hand, if you only have room for one, start with SEO. Apart from driving traffic into your site and building your reputation, SEO can help improve your revenue because, as mentioned above, this approach has a high potential of bringing you online users with the intent to buy your product or get your service.

Keep in mind, however, that to achieve favourable results with SEO, proper methods or techniques must be employed. So, make sure that you hire SEO specialists for your company to reap the benefits of this approach.

Want to learn more about SEO and how it’s going to benefit your company? Talk to our SEO specialists! Call us 019609023 today!