SEO and Social Media Marketing
Google’s Search Ranking Algorithm
It is no secret that businesses are constantly looking for ways to improve their Google ranking. Thus, Google SEO strategy is an essential part of any company’s marketing plan. As any SEO practitioner can tell you, Google’s search ranking algorithm currently has around two hundred ranking factors. Among those factors are several which most SEO people agree have a high impact on Google’s ranking. This includes domain-level link authority features, page-level link metrics, page-level keyword and content, domain-level brand metrics, usage and traffic/query data, and domain-level keyword usage. Less clear is whether there is a connection between SEO and social media marketing. If there is, many wonder how large the impact is.
The Influence of Social Signals on Google ranking
Google has claimed that domain-level social metrics is not a factor in its algorithm. However, many SEO practitioners believe otherwise. “While Google has flip-flopped on their algorithm’s use of social signals as a factor in search rankings, the official word for now is that social signals (likes, retweets, pins, shares, follows, etc.) don’t factor into search results.”
One thing that is clear is that Google does use social signals to measure the legitimacy, authenticity, and credibility of a website. For example, if you have a large number of followers on Facebook, Google will factor this into your credibility and authenticity. In turn, this will boost your ranking. After all, if you only created phony clickbait content, you wouldn’t have been able to build a large community of followers in the first place. Not only should you be focusing on search engine optimization, you should also be dedicated to social media optimization. Optimizing your social media will boost your authenticity.
Social media may not be a direct SEO ranking factor, but it is an indirect one. Its impact on SEO is mostly due to the increase in the probability of earning direct ranking factors. This increased reach explains in part why there are correlations between content that gets a significant number of shares or likes, and that which ranks well.
It is important for you to keep these SEO and social media tips in mind in order to improve your website marketing. Getting more Tweets or shares, or increasing followers won’t directly impact your website’s SEO ranking within the search results. Social media marketing helps SEO rankings by enhancing the probability of earning direct ranking factors. It also helps by positively impacting user metrics that trigger algorithm variables.”
How to Improve Your Company’s SEO and Social Media Marketing
You can ensure that you are utilizing social media by regularly doing social media monitoring. This will help analyze and assess how your social media sites are performing. “It appears inevitable that eventually social media will tie directly to every website’s search rankings. For now, your social media should act as an extension of SEO. It should be an inbound marketing tactic that directly impacts your reach, popularity, brand identity, and influence online. Consider the rules of SEO when crafting your social content. Create messages that make you stand out from the crows. Keep your content smart, brief, and easy to enjoy at a glance. Most of all, make it irresistible!”