When attempting to understand search engine optimization (SEO), our focus often turns to website content—meticulously crafting blogs and optimizing landing pages with strategically placed keywords. However, the realm of SEO extends beyond just traditional web content, encompassing the vast landscape of social media. Social media platforms offer a unique avenue to construct a business profile, drawing in prospective customers seeking anything from a dining experience to plumbing services.
By affording social media the attention it deserves, a more contemporary SEO strategy can be developed, capitalizing on the synergy between social selling and search to attract new customers and re-engage with existing ones.
Social Media: An Excellent Market Research Tool
Before fine-tuning your website content, understanding your audience is imperative. Who are you addressing? What challenges do they face, and how can your services solve them? Social media provides a rich source of insights into your followers, offering a window into demographics, preferences, and reactions. Leveraging audience targeting tools allows you to tailor posts to specific groups, analyze responses, and use the garnered information to shape a more effective SEO strategy.
Additional Credibility and Relevance
Search engines favor high-traffic sites, considering them both credible and relevant. Just as a constantly visited blog or landing page gains recognition, a bustling social media profile catches the eye of search engines. The more traffic your business’s social profiles attract, the higher the likelihood that Google will elevate your site on the search engine results page.
The More Backlinks The Better
Similar to the satisfaction of gaining a new customer through a recommendation, backlinks operate on the premise of websites endorsing your brand. Though social media backlinks aren’t directly counted in Google’s SEO ranking, they contribute to brand awareness, increased site traffic, and overall visibility. By creating a web of backlinks through content sharing and resharing, you add value to your SEO efforts, building a reputable online presence.
While Google may not explicitly acknowledge it, social signals such as likes and comments on social media can absolutely influence rankings by converting social media users into customers.
Keep The Content Coming
Social media is more than a realm of discovery and communication; it is an invaluable source of information and a crucial marketing tool. Integration of social media platforms into your SEO strategy not only generates traffic but also enhances your understanding of the target audience, exponentially strengthening your brand’s visibility.
Author Bio: Aaron Wittersheim is Chief Operating Officer at Straight North, a digital marketing company. He helped startups, middle-market, and Fortune 500 companies improve organizational structure and grow through his expertise in process conception, task automation, technology, and internal project management.
