Social media can impact your online marketing efforts in various ways. Some of those ways exist outside of your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, but some work right along with it. Social media is important in its own right, but it can also boost your
website's search engine results as well. Here is what you should know about social media and SEO for your business.
People are clicking links, but they seem to be clicking a lot of them on social media sites. All those Twitter retweets and Facebook shares are important. As a marketing tool, these links extend your reach, and people do not have to go out of their way to find them.
If the social media link points to your content, then they are indeed improving your SEO efforts. That’s why content marketing is very important. A link to good and relevant content can find a complete life of its own on social media.
All that sharing will definitely lead to and interest. Also, major search engines do index social media sites. So a link that appears often can in fact turn into yet another high authority "backlink" to your website.
See also: Increase Traffic to Your Website
One thing is for sure, your social media profiles do show up in search engines. That means that someone may see one of your profiles before they see your main webpage. That also means they may click through.
So what are they going to find when they do? Your profile on a social network or other social media site can represent someone’s introduction to your brand. It is important that you keep your social media profiles current, updated, and with content that can turn into conversations with potential clients.
See also: Linked In for Lead Generation
There is a search bar everywhere these days. Those search bars can lead someone to your brand or profile within that social media site. Or, they can link to your page or other information about your business outside of the social media site.
If someone is searching for videos in your area of expertise on YouTube, then you would want yours to show up. If someone is looking for an idea related to your field, they should find it in their Pinterest search. Remember that social media is a legitimate path to discovery for many people.
Think of some of your own search habits. Have you used the search features incorporated into social media sites? Many people do. In fact, there are literally billions of search queries happening on these sites all the time, outside of major search engines.
There are situations in which social media marketing can influence SEO. Equally, there are things that affect social media that have nothing to do with your SEO strategy. Social media has its own reach, but that reach can both directly and indirectly influence your search rankings.
Even when social media marketing does not directly influence search engine rankings, it is still an awesome marketing tool on its own. Your social media authority is important, and it should represent a strong part of your marketing strategy.