Social Media vs. SEO: Why You Need Both to Actually Grow Online
Let’s settle this once and for all: Social media and SEO are not rivals. They’re more like that chaotic-but-perfect duo, the Ant & Dec of digital marketing. Each brilliant on their own… but genuinely unstoppable together.
At TLH Marketing, we hear the same debate all the time:
“Should we put our time into social or SEO?”
“Which one actually moves the needle?”
“Where should we invest if we want results now?”
Short answer? Both.
Long answer? Keep reading.
1. Social Media = Speed. SEO = Staying Power.
Social media gives you instant visibility, likes, comments, reach, shares. The dopamine hits. The excitement. The quick brand wins.
SEO, on the other hand, is the long game, consistent traffic, leads on autopilot, and credibility with Google. It’s not flashy, but wow does it deliver over time.
You need the speed AND the staying power.
Think of social as the fireworks.
SEO is the electricity powering the whole show.
2. Social Brings People In. SEO Helps Them Decide.
Social is where people “meet” your brand, personality, tone of voice, behind-the-scenes, team wins, offers, products, vibes.
SEO is where they go to check you’re legit.
To compare.
To buy.
To research.
To stalk your website before making a decision (don’t lie, we all do it).
If your social is great but your SEO is non-existent? People find you… and then disappear.
If your SEO is strong but your social is tumbleweed? People find you… and assume you’re closed.
3. Social Media Feeds SEO (Even If Google Pretends It Doesn’t)
Google swears up and down that social signals are not a ranking factor. Cute.
But here’s what IS a ranking factor:
- More branded searches
- More time spent engaging with your content
- More people sharing and linking to your stuff
- More traffic to your site
What creates ALL of those? Social. Media.
Every time your posts drive website clicks, brand awareness or traffic spikes, SEO benefits.
They’re basically in a situationship. Google just won’t admit it.
4. SEO Saves You Money. Social Makes You Memorable.
SEO:
- Generates free traffic
- Reduces reliance on ads
- Brings in leads who are already searching for what you offer
Social:
- Builds trust
- Humanises your brand
- Strengthens relationships
- Drives repeat sales
- Makes people actually LIKE you
If you want conversions, you need both logic and emotion. SEO gives you logic. Social gives you vibes.
And buyers need both.
5. Social Media Metrics That Actually Matter
People don’t discover brands in one place anymore. They wander around the internet like they’re browsing in Tesco at 10pm.
Examples:
Social: “I keep seeing this brand everywhere… let me check them out.”
SEO: “Okay, now I’m Googling them because I think I might actually buy.”
Journey = both.
6. Together? They Create the Perfect Funnel.
Here’s how the dream team works.
Social Media:
- Get attention
- Build community
- Showcase personality
- Drive traffic to your website
SEO:
- Capture intent
- Convert traffic
- Build authority
- Generate long-term leads
It’s the marketing equivalent of pairing wine with cheese. Sure, you can have them separately… but why would you?
So… Which Should You Choose?
If you want fast brand awareness → Social
If you want long-term traffic → SEO
If you want actual business growth → Both. Always both.
This isn’t social versus SEO. It’s social x SEO, multiplying your results when they work together.
How TLH Makes Social + SEO Work Harder Together
At TLH Marketing, we build strategies where:
- Your social content supports your SEO keywords
- Your blogs fuel your social calendar
- Your posts drive website traffic
- Your SEO brings in audiences who then follow you on social
- Every channel amplifies the others
It’s all connected, and we make sure it actually works. If you want the social sass and the SEO substance… You know where we are.
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