When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it’s commonly believed that social media signals don’t directly impact where your website ranks in the search engines.
So why bother?
Well, social media may not have a direct impact on your SEO, but it still plays a momentous role in getting your content in front of a bigger audience. This means that investing time and money in social media can produce something of a multiplier effect. Think about it this way: you create a great piece of content on social media, such as an original infographic, that attracts some pickup from other users. From here, people are more likely to publicize the data, which may in turn generate more clicks through to your site, which may ultimately lead to site visitors becoming shoppers and entrusting you with their money.
Now, all of these things are not only good for your brand, they’re also boosting your SEO score. People who write about your infographic may link back to your site, enhancing your link equity. People clicking through to the on-site infographic will spend longer on your site if the data’s well presented and interesting, increasing your dwell time (how long people spend on-site after entering via a search engine results page). People spending money with you in this way will also reduce your bounce rate (the number of people clicking off after one page).
Share regular content via social media
In the example above, link-building is a secondary benefit of solid social media presence. By sharing an infographic to the widest possible audience, you can increase the chances of getting it shared, whether it’s on social media, an industry-specific blog, or even a well-known daily like The Guardian. By sharing regular high-quality content, you also boost the chance of this happening.
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Partner with the right people
The stress put on some social marketers to provide quantitative results can lead to problems. When it comes to followings, many organizations get stuck in the mentality of quantity over quality. It’s worth pointing out that an account with 500 followers can have as much heft as one with 5,000 provided 5 of its followers are top industry influencers. You should be strategic about your following, drawing up lists to help you identify key industry influencers and publications in your industry. You increase the likelihood of getting a follow by simply engaging with their posts and showing them you know your onions.
As well as sharing your content to help it find a wider audience, these people are also ripe candidates for partnerships. The golden ticket is regularly engaging with them and developing a lasting partnership, whereby you willingly promote their content in exchange for them doing the same. Be willing to recommend their content on social media with your own informed comments and be prepared to give them backlinks from your own website in exchange. Influencer marketing goes both ways.
Social media may not directly impact SEO, but as you can see, investing time, money and effort in improving your profiles could have the inadvertent effect of giving yours a major boost. As Databox points out, 91% of search marketers are optimizing their brand profiles for SEO. Don’t get left behind!