Which one you will give more response.

[pravakar]

[lisamariemary]

[angienewton]

[tknoppe]

[angienewton]

Great explanation, Traci. Thanks

[terrapin719]

[mellymom3]

I would say both are pretty important for the long term. SMO is a lot more fun than SEO though, I'd say.

[eRamos]

SEO and SMO are both absolutely relative, and while we could seperate and analyze them, which I will in a moment, the best method is to incorporate a healthy and logical companionship between the two. Each works at different times and on different elements throughout a users/consumers internet experience.

SEO
Search Engine Optimization - uses methods and techniques at the point of a users search to create interest in your site*, or make a clear distinction on how relative your site is to their search or interests.

Your ability to influence your sites SEO is limited, depending on the search engine** that is being used to find your site. Beyond these limitations you can usually further your influence through the search engine company itself, but almost always at a premium. (Such as Google's AdSense)

It is important, of course, to realize that without some level of SEO, it can be difficult for search engines to properly, if at all, offer your site to potential users/consumers, and that there is quite a bit that can be done to optimize or influence this process.

SEO generally results in increased click-through or traffic, but what about the success, impression, or impact of your site once someone visits? Will they leave with a simple glance, maybe even read some headlines or information? Will something catch their interest, or perhaps provoke them to return to your site again at a later time? Is there a way someone can gain valuable insight into your site or product or services without having to commit to visiting your site in the first place? This is where SMO comes into play.

SMO
Social Media Optimization - uses methods and techniques to either draw traffic from non-search engines (mediums such as social networks, forums, blogs, ect.) or to create awareness and market penetration through virtual word of mouth.***

Your ability to grow or improve these methods and techniques, or increase exposure to them is nearly unlimited and, optionally, for no premium at all. These methods can encompase a wide variety of sharing resources and information geared to provoke awareness, loyalty, or interest in your products or services.

However, SMO is limited according to the medium that you use, and it's likely that particular medium will never be used as frequently as a more generalized method of searching the internet, such as search engines. This can be somewhat counter-acted by spreading your SMOs across a large variety of mediums (MySpace, Twitter, FaceBook, various forums and blogs, ect.) and staying up-to-date and innovative.

The two can thus be used in great conjunction and to complement each other, with SEO leading consumers to the proper products or services you offer and they desire, or by leading consumers to the social media to gain interest or, at the very least, encourage word-of-mouth so that your products and services can better reach the consumers that demand them.

There are, of course, a variety of programs that can automate or simplify a variety of these methods and techniques in both SEO and SMO. While these items are often at a premium they can offer incredible time-saving and organizational elements beyond human ability: though some offer fairly powerful free-ware or spreadable demos as a method of SMO themselves.****

I hope this clarifies some things.

*When I say site, I am referring to any internet resource: blogs, forums, bbs, social network profiles, not just websites.
**Or any Collective Resource such as database lists.
***Virtual word of mouth refers to using non-physical means to communicate ideas and opinions or facts from individual to individual or individual to group. An example would be using a forum to inform friends or strangers or an upcoming movie; or posting a bulletin on your MySpace about an amusement park you particularly enjoyed.
****I've tried quite a few of these products myself, at the moment I do all my SEO personally, but as for SMO, especially because of the sheer volume of person to person interactions that can take place on a social medium, I've been using a program called as of late. I highly recommend taking a look at their demo for anyone that wants to try, or draw attention to their, SMO on any level.