What do SEO, social media and peanut butter cups have in common?

We will tell you in a minute.

At Kafen8, clients ask us - which is more important? SEO or Social media? This is a natural question, especially when time and budget need to be prioritized.

Our answer to clients is a maddening one. We say, “both”.

Annoying, we know, but let us explain.

First, let's get on the same page by defining each term.

What is SEO?

SEO is the acronym for "search engine optimization."

The term was coined in 1997 by a team of web developers to describe how they could create websites that would rank as highly on search engines as possible. Today, the practice of SEO involves a mix of technical know-how and strong content creation to increase your online visibility.

What is social media?

Social media refers to any online platform where users can share content with one another.

Social media accounts are typically free to create and provide users with a range of tools for sharing information, photos, videos or any other data. Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Clubhouse, and LinkedIn are all platforms that come to mind when you think of social media.

Social media platforms have become so popular that they now play an important role in the everyday lives of many people – and almost 4 billion people are using it every day.

Is SEO more important than social media? Is there a relationship between the two?

Let's dig in.

SEO, social media and the content marketing funnel

You might have heard about the content marketing funnel. (Here's a great article on the content marketing funnel if you need a refresher.) The purpose of the content marketing funnel is to serve the target audience content that's relevant to where they are. Are they aware there's a problem? No? Ok, give them Awareness content that makes them aware of it. Are they trying to find solutions to a problem? Give them some Interest or Consideration content. Are they trying to find the best solution for them? It's time for some Purchase content.

Both SEO and social media can help drive people who have never heard of your brand to become buyers.

• Your friend posts a selfie on Instagram wearing cute glasses with a caption that says "blue light blocking lenses are saving me from a daily headache". (this is awareness content on social media)

• You, having no idea what blue light blocking lenses are, go to Google, and find an article about the science behind blue light blocking lenses. You also find some websites that sell them. (articles that explain the problem = awareness SEO content. Website listings = consideration SEO contnet)

• You go back to your friend's post, because you though hers were cute. You look and see that a brand was tagged in the post. (advocacy content on social media)

• Then you search for that brand in google, and find their website and see they have great reviews, so you purchase a pair. (reviews = purchase SEO content)

• They arrive, are adorable and you post a selfie with a caption that says "nerd chic" (advocacy social media content)

As you can see, it's all about being visible on the consumer's journey. And in today's world where the consumer journey is becoming less and less linear and taking a straight path down a funnel is less and less common, it's important to have both SEO and social media content ready at each stage in the content marketing funnel.

Does social media help SEO?

Yes!

There's less and less of a distinct line between SEO and social media. YouTube, a social media platform for sharing videos, is a great example. It's both a popular social media platform and the second largest search engine behind Google, with over 3 billion searches every month.

Instagram has changed their search algorithm so that all copy used on the platform is searchable - not just hashtags.

If you search a person's name, chances are, a link to their LinkedIn profile will pop up.

Does SEO help social media?

It can.

If you have a well-trafficked website with share buttons on it, you can drive more traffic and followers to your social media profile.

Many social media platforms are using SEO best practices to help their users find content. For example, Facebook's algorithm is now looking at the types of articles that people share and like on the platform - if you start sharing a lot of articles from your website about cat grooming tips, chances are those will show up in other user's news feeds .

SEO and social media are like peanut butter and chocolate

The relationship between SEO and social media is a lot like peanut butter and chocolate. They’re both good on their own, but they're better together. Each helps bring out the best in the other, and the combination of both SEO and social media add up to your brand's visibility online.

Just like any recipe, the better quality of ingredients you use, the better the recipe will taste. So keep that in mind when creating content - the higher quality content, the better.

Want some help creating the ultimate peanut butter cup of a content marketing strategy? Give us a shout.