A Beginner's Guide to SEO and SMO

Search engine optimisation and social media optimisation are two of the most popular tools for digital marketing out there at the moment. Although many think these methods are very complex, they can be broken down quite easily. Even if you know quite a bit about them already it’s sometimes good to go back to basics! Here’s the beginner’s guide to both SEO and SMO.

SEO – What is it? What does it do? How can I use it?

Even if you have not heard of SMO the chances are you will have heard about SEO. Search engine optimisation has been around for nearly as long as search engines themselves, yet is constantly adapting and improving. Search engines set their own rules and algorithms that determine how far up the rankings your website will be. Knowing these rules can help you optimise the search engines and feature higher up the rankings, perhaps even as the number one result. There are several key factors to bear in mind when it comes to SEO although the main two are keywords and content. Using analytic tools can point you in the right direction when it comes to keywords; such as what people search for in relation to your main topic. An analytic tool can also show you how much competition there is fighting for the top page. As for content, it must be unique for search engines to even consider ranking it highly. If it is just copied from another website then you will find yourself slipping down the pages pretty quickly.

SMO – What is it? What does it do? How can I use it?

Social media optimisation is a fairly new way of digital marketing, however it can work in a similar way to SEO. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter are used by millions across the World, making it a great place to try and pick up customers or at least traffic to your site. SMO involves setting up profiles on social networks for your business, website or brand and then posting relevant content on them to attract followers. Those who are interested in what you have to say are likely to follow you and sometimes even share your networking sites with their friends and family. This can bring more traffic to your website, as well as customers. As with SEO there are several key factors to bear in mind, however keywords (or trends) and content will play a big part. Knowing what people are interested in, or talking about at that particular moment can make sure that you stay relevant and fresh. Updating your profiles with content that is interesting can increase the number of times your page or profile is shared too. When it comes to SMO it may be a case of trial and error before you know what works for you.

So, there we have it. Back to basics on two of the most talked about digital marketing methods today. You may have known it all, or learnt something completely new. Now it’s just a case of making them work for you and your site!