Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is now regarded as a fundamental part of a digital marketing strategy. Most companies will be aware of the need to incorporate some basic SEO tools, such as keywords, meta tags, and links, in their website. However, the relationship between social media and SEO can still be overlooked.
Companies may have various social media channels to post articles, links, photos, and so on, but many are not taking full advantage of the power of social media SEO. So what exactly does this involve, and how can you use it to best effect?
Social media is a powerful marketing tool, because users regard recommendations and reviews posted by other users as more trustworthy and accurate than those posted on company websites. Platforms such as Facebook are widely used by consumers when they are researching a product or service.
It is not necessary to pay celebrity influencers to endorse your products; indeed, this may have a detrimental effect. Users prefer the authenticity of recommendations from family, friends, and online contacts, and are also looking for photographic proof. Therefore, social media is an ideal platform to generate this organic word of mouth type of marketing.
Social media can also be used to help build up better customer relationships, because it provides a direct and immediate channel of communication. Customers can ask questions and have their query dealt within a quick time frame, and in a way that feels personal and informal.
However, the power of social media SEO now goes beyond these obvious points. It can have an indirect effect on a website’s rankings, which are ultimately just as useful as more traditional SEO techniques for driving traffic to your site.
Google, which is responsible for over 80% of all internet searches in the UK, now indexes all mentions and posts on social media, even if they weren’t made directly by the account holder. Therefore, when an indirect search is made for your product or service, it increases the likelihood that the user will see your website in the first few pages of the results listings.
Another way to utilise social media to boost your web rankings is to diversify your channels, so that you have a profile on all the platforms which are relevant to your business. Not only will this boost your internet presence, but it will also mean that when a search is made for your website, all of your profiles will usually be displayed directly underneath.
This means that not only will you take up more screen space, but competitor’s websites and profiles will be pushed further down the rankings. You can strengthen your social media profiles further by plenty of link building, both to your own website, and to credible external sites.
Social media is now more than an ‘nice to have’ when it comes to digital marketing. Multiple channels which are regularly updated with relevant and engaging content can drive traffic and significantly boost SEO rankings.
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