Source vs Medium.

Now, you want to travel from point “A” to point “B” by an airplane. In the given scenario, the point you are starting from (“A”) to reach the destination (“B”) is the source and the mode through which you are traveling to your destination (airplane) is the medium.

Point “A”- Traffic source

Point “B”- The destination website

Airplane- Medium

 

Source and Medium are two important tools in digital marketing that help in creating traffic for the website. They are different from each other and yet can be confused to be the same. But there is a thin line of difference between the two.

 

SOURCE

§  In digital marketing, the origin through which customers/potential customers land on your website is known as source.

§  Understanding the contribution of the different sources will help businesses shape good SEO, SEM, and SMO strategies.

§  In other words, it is direct traffic created for the website.

o   Direct traffic: When the customer/potential customer reaches your website directly, i.e. typed your website address directly on the search engine which led to your website.

It is basically a hyperlink which directs the user to the website without any referrer.

MEDIUM

§  It is a digital marketing term for a tool which acts as a support system which helps in pushing the customers/potential customers to the destination website.

§  There are various ways to reach the destination website other than searching for it directly. Each of those ways is a medium.

§  The various types of medium are-

o   Social media: Advertising of the brand on networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.

o   Blogs and articles: Adding hyperlinks to the keywords in your blog/article which when clicked upon, directs the user to the destination website.

o   PPC: Pay per click is when the advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked. It is basically buying the visits rather than organically earning it.

It is basically a hyperlink which directs the user to the website with the help of a referrer.

 

WHICH IS BETTER?

The focus of digital marketing is to generate traffic and convert that traffic into sales. There is no right tool that will always work. When used in the right manner, all the tools will give positive results. A company should after consulting experts decide on that tool that will work best for them.

Having said that, medium as a digital marketing tool is always preferred. The reason being, to catch the customers/potential customers' attention, the brand needs to be present at the right place and the right time. Using a medium, a business can ensure the availability of and about the brand.