The first thing most people think about when it comes to online marketing is search engine optimization (SEO). The truth, however, is that SEO is a part of internet marketing and something that should be considered as part of your online marketing plan but it should not be the only thing in that plan. Although the terms are used somewhat interchangeably, each is a platform that serves its own unique purpose.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The purpose of SEO is to bring a website to the top of search engines. The way a company can improve its ranking is to publish content–blogs and articles–that has relevant keywords with the proper density. Another aspect of SEO is social factor. Every time someone “likes” or “tweets” a specific blog or article, it will impact page rank. Backlinking within an article or blog is also helpful.

Internet Marketing

So whereas SEO is the more technical side of marketing in terms of page ranking, online marketing is the human side of marketing. Online marketing focuses on interaction with people via social media, videos, and articles, and it is vital to a company’s success.

While SEO is the technical side filled with keywords, links and page content, Internet Marketing is the more human aspect of the two platforms. In fact, Internet Marketing plays a huge role in a company’s success since it focuses primarily on interaction with people through article marketing, video marketing, and social media. SEO, in fact, is part of this, as is social media, banner ads, blogging, email marketing, and so on.

Does a business have to do both? For maximizing traffic to its website, the answer is a resounding “yes”! About half of a company’s focus should be on SEO, with the other half focusing on Internet marketing. A good understanding and utilization of both will help a business grow its online presence, which should result in more customers.

Need help making sense of it all? For more information on developing a proper SEO and online marketing campaign, call Wit Digital at 720-408-0080.