SEO vs SMM: It’s Time We Settle The Dispute

The very essence of debate lies in the fact that when the dispute is
over the supremacy of one rival over the other, there can’t be a clear winner. At least there would be a single facet of the debate, which will differ from the zeitgeist.

The popular choice in whom’s favor are the majority of people, would have a grey area where its rival would reign supreme over the one with a cult following. The scope of dissenting is embedded in the very framework of all something vs. something or someone vs. someone debate. This makes some discussion of a never-ending saga. 

The irony is that no single side qualifies as a legend without being contrasted against the opposite side — for instance, Ferrari vs. Lamborghini, Messi vs. Ronaldo, Brad Pitt vs. Tom Cruise, etc. 

The process of contrasting one thing against the other makes both sides shimmer like never before. The debate of SEO vs. SMM is no different either. There was a time when SEO services was one of the only means to drive traffic to the website, and the SEO industry wasn’t saturated.

The popular search engines like Google were just new entrants in the market and were raising the popularity charts. Around that time, it was as easy as studying keyword in between the paragraphs to rank higher in Google searches. However, things changed dramatically with the advent of social media.

Marketers found a new haven where they could be a part of the cultural zeitgeist and pitch their offerings in a way that enhanced there perceived value in the subconscious minds of the customers. 

Not only this, the markets started hustling to harness the power of social media by penetrating deeper into the market and strengthen their bottom line. SEO, too, has evolved with time.

SEO is divided into two categories, namely: On-Page and Off-Page.

On-Page 

On-Page, strategies are those strategies where direct changes are made to the website. The website admin directly handles On-Page endeavors.

It includes

• URL Structure – If possible, make all Permalink and Keyword in URL active. Don’t go placing keywords in all URLs. Google might penalize you for this.
• Title Tags - Add the targeted keyword in the title tags.
• Headings – Use keywords organically in lines. The entries with keywords should give a fair idea of the type of content on the page. 
• Page load time – impatience is the new in. To reduce your page load time, one should: use compatible image formats, compress to the optimum, shorten your code, reduce the number of plugins, and
  optimize for mobile.
• Internal linking – Link the pages of your website to the anchor text only if they are relevant and create value. The search engine will index all pages and assess the overall amount that you are providing to the visitor. 
• Page content – the Value proposition is done mostly using the material. When visitors to your site have put in a specific query and have come to your place searching for an answer, they better find it. Otherwise, there will be an eventual drop in the rankings. 

Off-Page

This strategies refer to all practices that improve your rankings without making any direct changes to the website template. 

• Backlinks – The more useful your content is, the more and more websites will give links to your website for anchor text from their web pages. Backlinks help in two ways, one they help soak up link juice from the site with higher domain authority, and second, they send qualified traffic to your website, which is more likely to increase your conversion rate.
• Social Media – Social media is instrumental in increasing the prospects of sales. It educates your prospective customers about your offerings, persuade them to buy from you, and serves the content to keep them engaged and help in customer retention. Also, social media is a good reflector of the image that your brand carries. 

Thus, it’s pretty much possible to execute inbound marketing strategies via various social media forums. 

• Social bookmarking – Websites like Reddit and Stumbleupon lets you publish content on them. You get free backlinks plus you get to reach out to a broader set of audience who is interested in the niche you serve. Thus, improving your prospects of enhancing your bottom line.
• Review Websites – Websites such as Google Plus have their advantage in terms of SEO. However, they are also an excellent means of handling your Online Reputation.
• Social Media Marketing - it’s all about marketing your business across various social forums. Venturing into too many social gatherings won’t increase your ranking or establish trust among prospective customers. 

Your posts on social media should be genuinely engaging and getting hits and shares regularly to increase the viability of your brand and establish trust. Social media handles have got links to your website, so they not only increase the traffic to your site but sends hot leads to your site, which are genuinely interested in the offerings.