As social media sites continue to dominate the Internet, it’s important to consider these outlets in any digital marketing strategy. Many companies have turned to Facebook and Twitter with high hopes of drawing in legions of dedicated consumers. Unfortunately, the "build it and they will come" mentality doesn't reach it's aspirations.
While marketers understand that social media is an important source of qualified traffic that can help companies to build and maintain visibility on the web, it can be difficult to assess just how much social media affects SEO ranking.
Google has acknowledged that spiders can crawl social media pages, however, there is no definitive proof that social signals (likes, followers, shares) cause companies to rank higher on SERPs. However, these numbers still have an influence, as they are indicative of your company's online reputation and act as a gauge of your ability to build credibility online.
In addition to building a strong presence online, your social media activity can directly impact your website’s SEO. Read below to learn how.
Building Links: The More The Merrier
Digital marketers are constantly seeking back links from credible sources and social media provides the perfect opportunity. When Google analyzes a site, diversity of links to your site is taken into consideration. Thankfully, social media sharing encourages growing your pool of quality links; however, you must keep in mind that your content should be useful, enticing, and relevant to your audience. Companies that can effectively create and share useful content will ultimately draw in more followers.
Though Google's algorithm doesn't (definitively) take the amount of followers into consideration when it shapes SEO rankings, the more quality followers that you can attain, the more likely it is that they will share your content and help to grow your back links, which are part of the foundation for a healthy SEO strategy.
It's crucial to build your network of followers with real people through genuine and organic interactions. Search engine algorithms are nuanced enough to be able to detect proxy (purchased) followers, so don't underestimate them.
Social Posts Can Be Found In SERPS
Remember, the goal of SEO is to make it easier for users to find your content in organic search results. If you have a strong Twitter presence, your business’s latest tweets can be found in Google search results. When Google bots search for the latest information on a particular topic, it will display the most recent tweets. So, if you've been covering the material someone is searching for, you will rank first on a Google search.
It's important to realize, though, tweets showing up in search occurs more frequently for popular topics. Google's first page of search results often contains other relevant social media content like YouTube videos, Facebook pages, or even Twitter feeds, meaning that you have several opportunities to get your content in front of a large search audience.
Take some time to research the types of social media content that's listed by Google in your niche, and then create engaging social media posts targeting the same keywords.
Social Media Platforms Are Used Like Search Engines
We're in a strange time when Internet users do not use Google exclusively for their searches; millennials have begun searching through social platforms in addition to Google. Essentially, people are beginning to treat social media platforms like they do search engines.
So, regardless of social media' impact on SEO rankings, it's good practice to optimize your social platforms to the best of your ability. Remember, there are numerous ways for consumers to discover or interact with brands on social media and, once a consumer has interacted wit ha brand on social media, they're more likely to purchase from the company, share the company's content, or link to the company's information.
ImageWorks, LLC | CT Social Media Marketing
Implementing a social media strategy is not always a simple task, and can take more time than you have on your hands. When properly executed, a social media campaign can generate website traffic to your website, while bringing in new leads for your business, allowing you to connect with prospective buyers. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, or would like to begin a social media campaign of your own!
Whether you are just getting started or have an engine in place that needs fine tuning, ImageWorks can help you join the Social Media wave to get yourself recognized and generate more business. Market yourself and your brand to the 100’s of millions of online interactive users.
We understand that social media can be overwhelming, and it's not always easy to change with each update or refresh. If you are looking to boost your social media marketing then you may want to take a step back and reevaluate the online presence you already have.
