Friday, October 5, 2007

Question: Is it similiar to say both SEO & SMO works same way on your Business?

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is a term that was recently struck by Rohit Bhargava which refers to the process of ensuring that a website is easy to link to by utilizing the different social media resources including but not limited to, blogs, bookmarking websites and media sharing websites, social connection websites. There are a lot of similarities and differences between SEO Expert & SMO Expert in Internet marketing arena. Because of this, and the idea that one cannot take over the role for the other, it is important to know when, why and where, we use each optimization technique.

Some of the similarities are

1. Inbound Links - If people don't have a good reason to link to your site then they probably don't have a good "real" reason to visit your website either. Be careful though, likability and link bait are not the same thing. Some of the keys to likability are: content, design, usability, New addition.
2. Related Content - This almost does not need an individual category because part of likability is the good content. But, the point needs to be stressed; you can have good content and ideas that does things besides giving people a good reason to link.
3. Pull marketing Attention - Both SEO and SMO are way to attract people to a website without pushing a message on them, but instead showing them what value your website can bring to them.
4. Off Beat Addition: Among all user including you always seeks a offbeat news which you never thought before.. so, you have to little beat strategic about this issue to provide useful content or resource for your visitors.

Some of the differences are...

1. Channels/ Way - This is obvious but needs to be mentioned, SEO is about search engines, primarily the big 3 market player including Google, Yahoo, and MSN. SMO is about the "new" social media sources that have crept up, including blogs, bookmarking websites, media sharing websites, story submission and sharing events websites etc...
2. Target Audience - Obviously Target Audience may be a big factor to differentiate this two.Because if i have required to purchase Sunglass then i will take help search engine and will type t- shirt shop keyword to search best shop to buy. but in social media i will visit and search which i like most within my community
3. Goals - With SMO you might be looking to build community while with SEO you might be looking to sell something. Both SEO and SMO can also share the same goals with different way.
4. Participation - With SMO you should actively participate in the same activities that your audience does,with SEO there is not as much participation as you done with your web search.

As always, in the spirit of get new idea, I encourage anyone to contribute ideas on my topics.