This subject contributes to a broader conversation regarding the effectiveness of search engines versus social media platforms in enhancing visibility for your brand. In this post, we’ll focus exclusively on the organic aspects of each, pitting SEO against social posting.
The Mediums, Their Elements, And Visibility
Mediums are where visibility takes place. They are the canvases used by advertisers to illustrate their message to their target audience. The elements of a medium are what can be used or manipulated to capture the audiences attention. Mediums can be physical, like a billboard, or digital like a web page. Below, we will explore the digital mediums of SERPS and feeds.
SEO and Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS)
Search engine optimization, or SEO, serves a medium called SERPS, which can show a variety of elements after someone does a particular search. Most people are familiar with the title tags and meta descriptions that make up most of a text result, but there are a number of other elements that text results are made up of, and many others types of results as well. I’m going to talk specifically about Google’s search results below.
Google’s text results now show a favicon in the upper lefthand corner, in addition to the site name, and the domain and breadcrumb of the url. Google may also show a “text result image” on the right hand side of the text result, and/or rich attributes like ratings or other structured data at the bottom of the result.
Local pack results, which show up next to a map, similarly have a number of visual elements. Some of the most important include: Business name, rating, type of business, address, phone number, if you’re open or closed, website link, directions link, and call button. You can also add images, and people can leave written reviews for others to read.
SERPS can also show image results, video results, and exploration features as well. So, there is a lot of opportunity to showcase your business and catch a prospects eye in search engine results pages in various ways.
Search engines like Google, Bing, and YouTube are still heavily used, making good placement on SERPS a great way to boost visibility for your brand or business.
Social Posting and Social Platform Feeds
The medium for social posting encompasses the various social platforms’ “feeds”. Each feed may be labeled differently depending on the platform in use (for example, Facebook uses “timeline”, but TikTok uses “for you”), but the primary element within each medium is called a post. These posts contain a variety of elements, some of which are listed below. While not all platforms utilize the same elements, each may feature unique components, but most platforms will at least include the following in its posts.
A user profile picture and name: typically in the upper lefthand corner, which you may be able to hover over or click, and will give you more information about the user, and may allow you to message them or like their page.
A content area: normally the focal point of the post where you see an image, carousel, or video.
Body: an area where you can write text.
Social platforms give people more control over the creatives they show people, allowing for more creative and interesting ways of capturing peoples attention.
Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users, and TikTok has over 1 billion active users. There are certainly a lot of eyes between those two platforms’ feeds alone to get your product or service more visibility, and many other social platforms exist as well.
User Psychology Of Search And SOcial, And Visibility
User Behavior of Search and It’s Role In Visibility
A person using a search engine such as Google, Bing, or YouTube (YouTube can easily fit into the category of social as well) has the purpose of researching a topic, or finding a solution to a problem. This equates to a high probability that the person will both see well-placed results, and interact with results by clicking, hovering, watching etc. Because of this, the importance of SEO cannot be overstated. It is imperative for a person, brand, or company to rank well enough to be placed high in the search results, because the probability of being noticed by someone with strong intent is great.
User Behavior of Social Media and It’s Role In Visibility
A person using social media has the purpose of either sharing, comparing, connecting, or being entertained. Awareness isn’t high if a person is sharing, since they are focused on their own content. But, awareness is high if they are comparing, or seeking entertainment. Unlike SERPS, placement isn’t as vital in social posting because users scroll through and consume a lot of posts. What is vital though, is the creativity of the content and the message. If your post is unable capitalize on the awareness of the user due to poor creativity, then visibility will not result in any interaction and will be inconsequential. Another important consideration, as was alluded to above, is the amount of posts people consume. In addition to posting creative content, posting frequently is best to improve visibility.
Deciding Between The Two
Consider Your Industry’s Relevance To The Platform
SEO: Businesses in all industries should emphasize increasing visibility on SERPs, as the results are relevant to whatever you’re offering, whether it’s information, a product, or a service. The question isn’t so much a matter of “should” you include SEO in your marketing, but rather “how much” time and resources should you should allocate.
Social Posting: Many businesses, such as IT companies, law firms, and various types of manufacturing or B2B companies, don’t naturally lend themselves to developing creatives, making social media efforts to enhance visibility a challenge. Other businesses fit quite naturally into the social landscape, such as fashion and apparel, coffee shops and eateries, travel and hospitality, and entertainment and media. However, both can relevant to the platform if the creatives are worth noticing, and the visibility gained can be much more memorable.
Consider Your Messages’ Relevance To The Audience
SEO: Due to the precise nature of search engine results matching with the query being made, it’s difficult for a message on the SERPS to not be relevant to the target audience. What is more important is learning what your target audience is searching for, so that you can focus on creating content that will deliver on what they want, and rank for the queries that will put your business in front of them.
Social Posting: As mentioned above, manufacturing companies and law firms aren’t a natural fit for social media platforms; however, they can be creatively positioned on a social platform feed in a way that captures people’s attention and encourages them to digest their message. Conversely, a fashion company is a natural fit for social media platforms, but it can struggle to creatively position its products on a social platform feed, resulting in less notice and engagement with its content.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the comparison between the effectiveness of search engines and social media platforms in enhancing visibility underscores the nuanced interplay between different mediums and their elements. By focusing exclusively on the organic aspects of both, namely SEO against social posting, we gain insights into how each medium operates and influences whether a user notices a brand, or company.
Mediums serve as the canvases through which advertisers convey their messages to their target audiences. Digital mediums like SERPs and social platform feeds offer distinct opportunities and challenges for visibility enhancement.
SEO, operating within SERPs, relies on optimizing various elements to achieve high visibility in search results. With search engines still heavily utilized, securing a prominent position in SERPs remains crucial for brand visibility.
On the other hand, social posting on platforms like Facebook and TikTok leverages the creativity of content to capture users’ attention. While some businesses may face challenges in naturally fitting into the social landscape, innovative approaches can help them stand out and engage with their audience effectively.
Understanding user behavior on each platform is key to maximizing visibility. Search engine users typically have strong intent, making SEO efforts essential for capturing their attention. In contrast, social media users engage in sharing, comparing, connecting, or seeking entertainment, highlighting the importance of creative content to drive visibility and interaction.
Ultimately, the decision between SEO and social posting depends on factors such as industry relevance to the platform and the message’s resonance with the audience. While some businesses may find a natural fit in one medium over the other, creative positioning and strategic content creation can enhance visibility across both platforms, ensuring meaningful engagement with the target audience.