SEO versus SMO

SEO and SMO are two general website promotion methods, each with its own techniques and strategies. They can be combined or applied separately but simultaneously. Website owners or marketers may also focus on one of the two methods and ignore the other. Read on for details regarding both methods and a comparison of SEO versus SMO…

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of optimizing websites and pages so that they will show up closer to the top of search results, thus bringing more visitors to them. It also includes making sure the search results will provide information which makes them attractive to click on for search engine users, as well as gaining inbound links on other similar websites, which also improves search result rankings.

SMO, or Social Media Optimization, involves using “social media” systems to promote a website. According to wikipedia.org, this includes using social bookmarking services (such as Digg and StumbleUpon), video sharing websites (like YouTube), blogs, internet communities, and picture sharing services to promote a website. Submitting a webpage to del.icio.us and encouraging visitors to the webpage to recommend it (perhaps by putting a del.icio.us logo link on the page) would be an example of SMO.

As to the question of comparing SEO versus SMO, the best method to focus on partially depends upon the individual website being promoted. SEO is less effective for time-sensitive pages, such as news articles; they are likely to no longer be relevant by the time when search engines finish finding and indexing them. Using SMO can more quickly attract internet users to such webpages. Some social bookmarking services, like Reddit, specialize in news.

On the other hand, SEO is often preferable (versus SMO) for pages with an entirely commercial purpose. For example, posting a link to a webpage selling portable television sets in a blog’s comments or on a forum would likely lead to it being removed because it would be viewed as “spam”, and such a page probably wouldn’t meet much success on social bookmarking services, unless perhaps if it was offered at an unusually good price or had very unique features. In some cases, SMO efforts can create inbound links which benefit SEO as well.

SEO and SMO both offer some of the same benefits, and are more complementary versus other promotional methods. Appearing near the top of search results, being listed as a Wikipedia source, becoming a highly recommended link on Digg, or having many inbound links from other websites all help to improve a website’s credibility, increase the number of website visitors, and don’t necessarily require spending money.