SEO and SMO – What’s the Difference?
On the surface, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media Optimization (SMO) can seem very similar. After all, their general end-goal is roughly the same. Every business aims to be successful by extending its reach, however there are different ways of accomplishing this feat. While the goals of SMO are to make your product or business more popular, the goals of SEO are to use search engines to increase online traffic.
The processes behind SEO and SMO are vastly different. SMO aims to create content that is appealing to large social media audiences. SEO, however, approaches content from the perspective of being appealing to the Google robots that control search algorithms. SEO experts love keywords! They have the ability to determine which keywords are the best to use, and where the best places to use them are. But what determines which keywords work best? SEO is all based around what people are searching for. The process takes current trends in what a majority of people are searching for, and uses that information to optimize web pages. This is how your business’s web page will get to “Page 1” of the Google search results!
SEO creates web traffic naturally, without spamming key terms or buying ad space. SMO is similar in that it also relies on the creation of organic traffic. Much like how SMO experts want to get people talking about their businesses, SEO experts want to get search engines interested in their businesses. SEO focuses on solely using search engines as a research for promotion, whereas SMO uses specific social media platforms. SMO is a great way to spread your company’s message and gain brand recognition in the short-term, and SEO ensures that your company will be getting more long-term web traffic.
