Search Engine Optimization

Social media marketing and SEO are becoming more and more intertwined as time goes by. The search engines have freely admitted that they look at social signals to influence the SERPs. This means that the more times a piece of content is shared on the social networks the more valuable and trusted it becomes in the eyes of the search engines.

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For more social media marketing tips and lessons from Nick Stamoulis, check out the Brick Marketing social media marketing video lesson archive.

Twitter is one of the Big 3 of social networking (alongside Facebook and LinkedIn) and a valuable component of any social media marketing strategy. There are probably hundreds of blog posts out there telling site owners to get a Twitter account because they are “supposed” to. But what are the real benefits of incorporating Twitter into the online marketing mix? Can Twitter actually help your SEO or is it just another place to make noise and hope someone notices?

Here are 3 ways Twitter affects your SEO:

Social Signals
Both Google and Bing have admitted that social media signals are being incorporated into the search algorithm as a ranking factor. While we can only speculate as to how important social signals are, it’s probably save to say very much so. Bing patterned with Facebook to create a more personalized, social SERP and Google launched its own social networking platform. I doubt the two search behemoths would do so if they weren’t assigning some value to social signals.

So how does Twitter play into this? Content shared on Twitter can be indexed by the search engines and actually rank in the search results. The more time a piece of content is Tweeted and reTweeted, the more important it becomes in the eyes of the search engines. Just like your site thrives off of quality links, so do social signals.

Author Authority
Author authority is why it is important to take the time to actually build a Twitter profile and connect with real, human users. The search engines know that when they announce a new ranking signal, the spammers come out of the woodwork and try to manipulate it. If Google says reTweets are important, you can bet that black hat companies are creating hundreds of dummy accounts that exist solely to reTweet their content. Author authority aims to put a stop to that.

The search engines don’t just look at how many times your content is being Tweeted, but who is doing the Tweeting! How long has that person been active on Twitter? Who are their followers? What kind of content do they usually share? They want to make sure that spam profiles don’t artificially inflate the popularity of a piece of content. Having a dozen real profiles Tweet your blog post or article is worth much more than having 100 bots do the same.

Brand Awareness
If you think the only goal of SEO is to rank number one, you’re missing the bigger picture. Of course you want to rank well, but SEO is also designed to increase your overall online presence and brand awareness so your target audience can more easily find you. Twitter is a great way to increase your brand awareness. It allows you to connect with your customers in a new and personalized way. When someone Tweets about your brand/products, they are broadcasting your message to their social network as well, increasing your reach.

Social media and SEO are more intertwined than ever before; just look at the creation of the latest social network, Google+. Google, the undisputed king of search, is making a viable attempt at entering into the realm of social media, solidly owned by Facebook. Meanwhile, Facebook and Bing have formed a partnership to personalize the individual SERP of every Bing searcher. What does this mean for site owners? If you want your SEO to succeed, you have to start incorporating elements of social media into the mix.

Let’s start with the 800 pound gorilla of social networking—Facebook.

1. Promote your content
Social media and content marketing go hand-in-hand so well, it doesn’t make sense to not use Facebook to promote your content. When a blog post/article/video goes live, don’t just let it live on one site and hope that your target audience finds it. Even great content could use a little help getting attention! Post a snippet of your latest blog post to Facebook (not the whole thing!) to not only get a link, but also help drive traffic. If you just post the first paragraph, readers are forced to go to your blog to finish the whole post.

Posting your content to Facebook alerts your social network that there is something new on your page they should check out. It also makes it easy for them to Like or Share your content, further distributing it deeper into their social networks.

2. Cross link your profiles
Facebook may have the biggest user base, but it’s not the only social network your target audience is on. By linking from your Facebook page to Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube and any other social networks you are a part of, you are encouraging your Friends and Fans to connect with you on those site in addition to Facebook. This kind of cross-pollination can help you build multiple touch points with the same customer. If you vary up your content from one account to the next, that gives people even more of a reason to connect with you on numerous platforms.

3. Customize and Optimize
Facebook lets brands create a custom URL for their Page, the perfect place to target keywords. Customizing the URL also makes it easier for Facebook users to find you. There may be more than one company on Facebook with the same or similar brand name. A custom URL will help identify you from the others.

Remember, each social profile has the ability to rank in the search engines. That doesn’t mean they only have to rank for branded searches! By optimizing your Facebook page, your profile can rank for targeted keyword searches. Facebook lets you post as little or as much information about your brand as you want. Properly optimizing and customizing it will help your SEO in the long run.

If you are looking to develop a social media marketing strategy, here are a few essential tips to help you get off on the right foot. Just like any other marketing tactic, social media marketing requires a solid strategy to help you get the most value from your time and effort. This will ensure you branding and messaging stays consistent throughout.

Watch this week’s SEO video lesson from Nick Stamoulis!