SEO tactics vs strategy

Distinguishing Between SEO Tactics & Strategy

‘Strategy’ and ‘tactics’ are terms commonly bandied around, especially in our industry, but are you confident you could put your finger on exactly what they mean or what the precise difference between the two of them is?

Put very simply, while tactics look at the how of doing something, strategy is all about the why. For your SEO campaigns, the reality is that neither one will really deliver the best results without the other. (Even though you still need to understand them as separate entities.)

Strategy can be described as constituting multiple tactics, since it is the planning action; while tactics are the concrete steps taken to implement your strategy.

Here, we take a closer look at each one in turn:

  • SEO Strategy

In a nutshell, this outlines how you will achieve your brand goals. It should incorporate a time-limited plan and the actions needed to meet digital marketing goals. Once you know the sort of customer you’re keen to attract, the exact volume of growth you want to go for and anticipated ROI, your SEO strategy will help you to meet these goals.

Your individual strategy will depend on your own brand and target market, but might include:

  • A higher volume of website traffic
  • Return on your investment in SEO
  • A cost-effective plan
  • Enhanced brand awareness
  • Improved user-friendliness of your website

What about SEO tactics?

Again, tactics will vary and this list is certainly not exclusive. However, some examples might include:

  • Incorporating more backlinks
  • Optimising your website for voice search
  • Embedding videos and optimising for YouTube
  • Becoming more active on social media platforms and with blogging

Try and think in terms of tangible, daily actions that are definitely achievable as you work through your overarching SEO strategy. (One example could be a decision to follow 10 Instagram accounts a day.) You need to look at each tactic and assess how you will use it in meeting your established strategy. You may well find that, as you complete these tactics, each one can be developed further, and may even need a mini-strategy of its own.

In conclusion, strategy should always come first and be the driving force behind your tactics. While it’s possible to opt to execute tactics without a solid strategy behind them, that’s unlikely to get you the results you most want for your brand. That’s because, without a strategy, you won’t have anything against which you can monitor and assess how successful you’ve been.

How we can help

Front Page Advantage has extensive experience working with a broad range of organisations of different sizes, industries and sectors on strategy and tactics. We could help your brand, too. Get in touch today and we’ll be pleased to go through both aspects with you in great detail to come up with a plan that’s tailor-made to suit your individual business, so that you’re in the best possible position to get the results you want.