Search vs. Social: The 9 Big Differences… and What Works Where [INFOGRAPHIC]

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They are both key channels for content marketers. They’re both inbound traffic sources. But social media and SEO are very different. In fact, they’re opposites.

Here’s the side-by-side breakdown of the differences (and similarities) between social media and SEO.

First, here’s the big picture:

• What is search engine optimization (SEO)?
• SEO is about being discovered and getting traffic through search engine rankings. It fills the top of the funnel and creates awareness.
• What is social media marketing?
• Social media is about connecting, building relationships and getting traffic from social media networks. It strengthens the middle of the funnel and creates engagement.

Go one level deeper and you’ll find that the audiences, the actions and the outcomes are all very different.

Let’s take a close look at the opposite natures of social and search. This post will help you answer the search vs. social question for yourself, decide which content to promote in which channel, how to spend your time and where to set your expectations.

1. Audience psychology

Different context. Different mindset. Different intent.

The reasons people go to a search engine and open up a social media app are completely opposite. This is a useful way to think about it.

• Search users are busy
• Users of search engines have specific needs and they know it. They type it into a search bar with the specific expectation of getting answers or help.
• Social users are bored
• Users of social media have time, but no specific goals. They’re tapping, not typing.

In other words, no one goes to Google to browse. And no one goes to social media with a plan. With this in mind content strategists need to find the fit between our topics and our promotion channels.

“But I heard that kids are using TikTok to search for stuff.”?Probably, you’re referring to this quote from this?article.

“In our studies, something like almost 40 percent of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.”

Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior VP, Google

That quote is referring to a very narrow use case: lunch. TikTok (and social media more generally) is a terrible place to search for answers to questions. Try checking tomorrow’s weather on Instagram. Open TikTok and tell me Tom Hanks’ age. Try using Facebook to see how much Tylenol a 6 year-old can take.

First, the need or curiosity appears, then we select the place to satisfy that information need. In other words, we have channel preferences, but information needs.

Social pro,?Adrienne Sheares, looked into this and summarized it nicely…

2. Topics

With the psychology of users in mind, we can quickly see why certain content, topics and headlines perform better in search. Other topics and headlines perform better in social media.

• Social media
• Content that stirs an emotional response often does best, especially emotions such as anxiety, anger and awe. Trending topics often do well in social media.?Strong opinion.
• Search optimization
• Research-based content often performs best, such as detailed, how-to instructional posts and articles that answer common questions.?Evergreen topics?that don’t quickly go out of style often are perfect for SEO.

Consider the following headlines. These are actual articles we’ve published and promoted, so we’re able to report on which channel worked well for each. It’s a social media vs. SEO showdown...

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