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Search engine optimization (SEO) Social Media Marketing (SMM)

How Social Media Affects your SEO

seo What is SEO? (Search Engine Optimization)

When people search the internet for something, they do so using a search engine, like Google, where they type in one or several keywords into a search box. Google will then show them a list of webpage links which are most relevant to the keywords submitted. The higher your article pages are up this list increases your chances of being selected by the searcher. Page 1 ranking on Google gives you a tremendous advantage. To achieve a high page 1 ranking you need to master SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO is the art of structuring your article (or website) to give it maximum recognition by search engines.

Technically, Social Media and SEO are two different channels for online promotion, branding and marketing. However, they are slightly dependent on each other – in fact, they complement each other — in such a way – that it becomes almost impossible for online marketers to ignore social media while pushing for SEO and vice-versa. There are believers and there are non-believers regarding social media. Here’s how social media affects your SEO efforts no matter what the naysayers say:

Social Media gives your business a personality

Apart from your company blog, there’s really nowhere else where you could truly connect with others, create an extended community, and present your opinions while allowing you to engender others’ trust, understanding and liking for your business. While that has been the reason why it was important to embrace social media in the first place, the search engines have started picking up links off major social networks like Face book, Linked In and Twitter. The more people share and talk about your business or brand, the more you gain.

Social Media is a Major Link Building and Promotion Channel

Link building is critical to SEO and social media has a lot of that to provide for your business. Imagine users sharing your links pertaining to various Q & A websites, professional forums such as the Linked in Answers, and all other links you share on Twitter and Face book every day. We haven’t even started talking about other parallel channels closely related to social media such as social bookmarking, which involves link sharing and collection on sites such as Delicious, Dig, Reedit and Stumble Upon.

Pump your Rankings using Social Media

Matt Cuts – engineer and popular blogger on Google’s web spam team – confirmed on more than one occasion the Importance of Twitter and how Google considers mentions on Twitter as valid links – and factors, as such – that affects your website’s web search rankings. Of course, just as it is for content, the quality of these links and the relevance is always taken into account. It simply means that if you get enough authority figures, popular Twitter users, and thought leaders to share your links, it directly affects your place in the organic Google Rankings.

Contrary to Popular Opinion, Social Media Sells

Although you don’t sell anything directly on social media and while it predominantly remains as an important vehicle to enhance brand recall, social media sells (indirectly). Research points to the fact that over 67% of Twitter users who follow certain brands are more likely to purchase products. Similarly, 60% of Face book users can’t help recommending their favorite brands to their friends and others in their network. A whopping 74% of Internet users on social media tend to base peer reviews and viewpoints of others to influence their buying decisions.

About the author

Vikram

Vikram is a Digital Media Strategy Consultant who helps small business owners grow their
business. He is passionate about blogging, digital marketing, and emerging technologies.

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