SEO vs. SMO What is the Difference?

Introduction 

In the digital marketing realm, it is easy to get caught in the cobweb of acronyms. Whether it’s SMM, PPC, SMO, SEM, or SEO, different digital marketing fields serve different purposes. In fact, when startup businesses are not part of the modern-day digital marketing landscape, it can be challenging to differentiate SEO from SMO. Statistically, users perform over 100 billion searches every month in the SEO landscape. 

But the good news is that the differences between SMO and SEO are not subtle that creates less confusion. Mostly, the use cases of SMO and SEO are significantly different. The focus of this article is to touch on the fundamental differences between SMO and SEO. 

Fundamental Difference between SEO and SMO 

• Social Media Optimization 

Social media optimization or SMO refers to a technique that makes it possible for businesses to promote their brand on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. SMO has become an organic way to raise brand awareness. 

Local businesses make the most out of SMO to promote specific products or services and improve their overall reach to the customers. SMO also involves optimizing a site along with its content. The idea is to influence more users to share and use social media and sites. This mechanism ultimately allows businesses to boost visibility and establish a ubiquitous presence online. 

• Search engine Optimization 

Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, is a technique that optimizes websites in order to increase the flow of organic traffic on search engines and improve ranking on search results pages.  

When it comes to SEO, keywords are the name of the game. In fact, “how” and “when” to use relevant keywords for specific articles can improve or tank ranking on the search engine results page. SEO has become a standard way for businesses to improve site visibility and rank high on Google search results for the past few years. But to divert the direct traffic to a specific site – brands take into account a wide range of quantitative and qualitative factors. 

SEO Vs SMO: Key Components 

Search Engine Optimization 

• Tags 

Title tags are another important aspect of SEO that shows the nature of content in the form of HTML code. SEO specialists use top keywords in the title tags to make the content as identifiable and accessible as possible on the search engines. 

• Keywords 

When it comes to SEO, the objective is to rank as high as possible on the search engine results page. In terms of keyword planning, the use of specific phrases and words renders a positive impact and ultimately improves ranking. SEO professionals usually use a keyword planning tool to find the most relevant keywords that align with the business offering and target audience. 

• Content 

In SEO, content is the Holy Grail that determines whether or not a brand will be able to meet the search engine requirements set forth by Google. The high-ranked content uses the most relevant keywords without comprising the quality or the value of the material. 

• Navigation 

User-friendliness is important when it comes to search engine optimization. Without smooth navigation, search engines devalue the site and improve the ranking of competitive sites. Businesses focus on the best SEO practices to make their site highly user-friendly and easy to use. 

• Links 

Internal or external link building is one of the hallmark elements of SEO practices. The idea is to link back to websites that can promote and increase overall visibility. It is the main reason quality sites have more than one internal link. 

Social Media Optimization 

The objective of social media optimization is to attain and retain the attention of as many users as possible. This attraction works as an organic growth on social media platforms. 

• Straightforward Sharing 

Although social media platforms are evolving at a faster rate, social media experts make sure the content sharing parameters are simple and easy. The easier it is to share the content, the more users feel compelled to share it through a clickable button. This works like a mobius circle that increases more visibility to the site. 

• User Value  

When it comes to social media optimization – it is all about how brands provide value to their users and maintain that value for an extended period. In the long run, the content has to pay off for users. Suppose the nature of business revolves around healthcare. In that case, the content can be about essential health tips that can educate users and improve their lives for years to come.  

• More Attraction  

The more posts users share on social media, the more attraction it creates for the brand. In a modern sense, social media has become the art of how to pique, inspire, and get users to share the posts.   

• Shareable Content 

In order to garner the interest of users consistently, businesses create accessible and shareable content on social media platforms. When it comes to social media optimization, the goal of brands is to influence people to share more content. 

Interconnected Role of SEO and SMO 

In the quest to grow business in a competitive business online landscape, a strong understanding of SEO and SMO can make all the difference. Think of SEO and SMO to broaden marketing strategy for good. Without SMO and SEO strategies, brands cannot execute effective advertising strategies. 

In short, SMO makes it possible to improve SEO ranking, and SEO increases traffic to the business website through social media pages. In a way, businesses leverage SMO and SEO practices to boost site ranking and customer engagement at the same time. 

Final Thoughts 

It would be fair to state that SMO and SEO complement each other. SEO improves site ranking by driving more visitors, whereas SMO drives traffic through social networking sites. Although SMO and SEO operate on a different scale, both render an impact on each other. 

In fact, SEO and SMO tie together with every facet of digital marketing. It makes all the more reason for brands to prioritize SEO and SMO from the beginning. In hindsight, businesses now strategize SEO and SMO practices to meet their annual goals within a specific budget.