I’ve been writing a blog for my marketing company for decades. I’ll admit it hasn’t always been as consistent as I’d like - especially around the holidays - but time and again it’s a draw for traffic and helps elevate the site from just a list of services to something useful for brands looking for information. Plus I really enjoy it!
As far as social media goes, the content helps fuel my feeds - but when it comes to Substack content here vs. there can get a little fuzzy.
For a long time I simply copied over content from my blog to this feed - using it more or less as a free email service. But while this can be a great way to drive readers to my Substack page, it does little to generate traffic to my website, which can be a self defeating effort.
Lately this has me to thinking about best practices for the whole Substack v. brand blog conundrum. What’s the best approach, and should Substack even be a part of my social media plan (other than simple posts like an Instagram feed)?
Do you publish on Substack? On your website? Both? And if it is both, how do you avoid confusing Google, upsetting ChatGPT, or accidentally cloning your own content like an SEO disaster movie?
It’s a real question many of us are asking right now (just ask lots of Redditors) especially those of us running brands, building communities, growing visibility, and trying not to lose our minds in the process.
Good news: we don’t have to choose.
We can publish in both places.We should publish in both places.We just need a strategy that makes our content cut a cleaner divide.
Here are some tips on best practices for posting on Substack v. Your Blog.
Your Website = Your “Forever Home” for Content
If Substack is the cozy living room where everyone hangs out, your website is the house itself: the foundation, the roof, the one place you fully own.
Search engines (and now AI discovery tools) care deeply about content that lives on a site you own. Google Discover especially prefers:
brand-owned domains
original images
high-quality, structured content
Translation:Your website should always get the polished, canonical version of anything long-form.
That’s the version you want Google, Bing, Perplexity, and ChatGPT to trust and reference.
Substack = The Conversation About That Content
Here’s the magic formula:
Website version → polished, evergreen, SEO-friendly
Substack version → personal, warm, story-driven, community-facing
I think of my Substack version as the “drinks with friends” experience.
And yes, you can absolutely link back to the full story on your site. In fact, you should.Substack readers love having a deeper dive available… and Google loves seeing your website treated like the primary source.
The Publishing Order Actually Matters
This is the part most founders never hear:
If you want search engines and AI tools to understand your website as the original source, publish there first.
My cadence:
Website post goes live (this is the canonical version).
24–72 hours later, I publish the Substack version that links back to the website.
This establishes authority.Google crawls your site.AI tools pick up the structure from there.Everyone stays happy. Including you.
AI Discovery Has Officially Entered the Chat
Unless you’ve been on a hiking trip somewhere in a remote location you know that SEO isn’t the only game anymore. AI discovery has become the talk of every business platform and marketing newsletter. It’s unfused in every:
Google Search
Google Discover
SGE (the AI-powered Google results)
Bing Copilot
ChatGPT
Perplexity
That’s a whole lineup of digital bouncers deciding whether or not to let your content into the VIP lounge.
The website version gives them what they need:
structure
clarity
source authority
internal links
high-quality media
The Substack version gives them something else: proof that you are an actual human running an actual brand, with an actual voice.
Both matter. Both reinforce each other.Both future-proof your visibility.
Why I’ll Stop Copying and Pasting Between Platforms
Let me save you from this rookie mistake (that I made): Never duplicate the exact same post in both places.
It’s not bad, it’s just… meh.Search engines shrug. AI agents shrug. Readers shrug.
Instead:
Substack gets the feelings, the anecdotes, the behind-the-scenes, the “chatting over coffee” edit.
My website gets the long-form frameworks, the tactical tips, the formatting, the keywords, the structured value.
Same idea, different execution.
You don’t duplicate.You expand the ecosystem.
Internal Links = Secret Visibility Sauce
I will continue screaming this from the digital rooftops: Internal linking is no longer optional.
Every time I link from one article on my website to another article, Google and AI tools see it as:
a signal of topical authority
context
hierarchy
expertise
Substack is where I pull people into that ecosystem. My website is where they explore it.
This One Was a Surprise: Original Images Matter More Than We Think
Google Discover LOVES:
big, beautiful, original images
relevant visuals that tell a story
consistent brand aesthetics
My new rule? Website gets artful flair, Substack gets the person behind the words.
Behind-the-scenes shots perform beautifully on Substack, but your hero images should live where Google can love them.
TL;DR (Because You Know I Love One)
Website = polished, structured, original content (publish here first)
Substack = personal edition with conversation + links back
Never duplicate the exact same post
Use internal links like a champ
Let your website be the source that AI tools trust
Let Substack be the room where your community gathers
Together, they’re unbeatable.
Want to See the Full Guide?
If you want the data-backed, buttoned-up, SEO/AEO-friendly version of this strategy, I posted it over on my website:
Before You Go… Tell Me This:
Where are you currently publishing most of your content? Substack, your website, or social feeds like Instagram or TikTok?
Hit reply. Tell me your current workflow (or lack thereof). I might create a follow-up Part II with real founder examples.
And if you found this helpful, tap the ❤️ or share it with another founder who’s trying to make sense of search, Substack, and this new AI-discovery universe we’re all swimming in.
Carolyn Delacorte is the founder of Boxwood Co — a trailblazing PR + marketing firm that’s served lifestyle brands in the food, beauty, decor, and baby industries for more than 28 years.