December 28th, 2020 | Updated on September 20th, 2021
The fact that social media can be used to boost SEO is highly controversial. Some people will tell you that there is no connection. They would be wrong.
The truth is that social media can do wonders when it comes to search engine optimization. However, how this happens is rarely properly understood.
To benefit from social media posts, it is vital to understand the working mechanism. This is what we will cover, and after, we will highlight some beneficial social media strategies that will boost your SEO efforts.
The Influence Of Social Media On Search Engine Rankings
According to Google, social media posts do not impact rankings. However, the search engine was always enigmatic about the topic. What we do know is little, but Matt Cuts did officially declare that most metrics like Facebook likes and Twitter followers, do not influence rankings.
Right now, what is evident is that the algorithm used by Google is continuously tweaked. The goal is always to offer the best possible content for users. Because of this, Google does measure content value and does take into account social media results.
Hootsuite pointed out that websites that had many social shares had a boost of 22% in search engine rankings. This makes sense because when content is popular, it does mean that people see it as valuable. As a result, even if Google tries to tell us that it does not care about social media, practice tells us the opposite.
You can improve SEO rankings with effective social media strategies, like the ones below.
Using Social Media For Branding Purposes
When you want to use the internet to promote your products or services, you need to establish a strong, authentic brand presence. This involves many elements, like tone, logo, ethos, and design. After you create this, you want to use it on social media so that followers can instantly recognize the brand.
Use social media to establish your brand through the following methods correctly:
- Create and share content that expresses the brand’s mission and identity.
- Deliver on-brand messages with all content created so that relevancy remains high.
- Align absolutely everything, from the tagline and the logo to personality and voice.
- Try some of the online tools like socialsellingcoach.ai that could help you organically grow your busines
Basically, when you use social media for branding purposes, you make your entire business better known. Google likes strong brands, and you cannot have a recognized brand these days without the use of social media.
Gaining Quality Backlinks
When you want higher SERP rankings, you need backlinks. Not only that. The backlinks you get should be of high quality. What few understand is that Facebook can be utilized for link building purposes. Some techniques you can use include:
- The business website has to be added to the About section. Also, the section needs to be public.
- Page Buttons can be used to include a new website link. This is beneficial for promoting specific parts of a site, like an online shop.
- Pin the most valuable posts. This allows people to see your best content and check it out quickly. If the content of the link is excellent, organic backlinks can be gained.
- Add website links to videos and photos posted.
Publishing The Highest Possible Quality Content
We do not want only our sites to rank high in search engines. We also want our social media pages to do this. For this to happen, it is important to create high quality, original content that offers real value for visitors. If you focus on the production of useful content, links are organically attracted. In addition, updates can spread faster when you optimize posts for shareability. You can do this through:
- The creation of viral headlines.
- Asking visitors to share content.
- Uploading images that capture attention.
- Adding website links to shared content.
The content written needs to be helpful, enticing, and entertaining. Basically, the goal is to get people to talk about the content and your business.
Engaging In Communication
When you create content, you need to also think about the potential relationship you have with him/her. To build this relationship, you need first to understand the audience’s desires and demands.
Work hard to nurture relationships. Do this by starting relevant conversations. For instance, you can ask for suggestions about different elements you could improve. People will want to share their ideas with you, and you might receive some excellent advice you can implement.
The reason why social media communication is related to search engine optimization is that branding is improved. The visitor sees that the brand cares. He/she remembers and might share the content, or link to it from a website.
Respond to comments to make a perfect impression. Interactive conversations create communities, build authority, offer value, and strengthen bonding.
Building Partnerships
You cannot reach a broad target audience only with organic reach. Because of this, it is a very good idea to foster relationships with other brands and influencers. The main areas of interest are:
- Branding the loyal fans – These are very active users that love the brand. Focus on them as they can build brand mentions and are active advocates.
- Strategic partners – Co-create content with your partners or people that are influential in the industry. This helps leverage social audiences.
- Influencers – Celebrities and influencers can easily promote content. This increases site traffic and brand authority.
Partnerships instantly give you some quality backlinks and increase brand visibility, which is vital these days for SERP rankings.
Final Thoughts
When you use the strategies mentioned above, you mostly increase your social media exposure. You need to do this anyway. At the same time, this increased exposure helps you to get better search engine rankings. While this happens indirectly, it is definitely something that you have to take into account.
The last thing that needs to be said is that you cannot expect substantial SERP gains by merely improving your social media profiles. You still need to use effective SEO strategies, and especially local SEO, which goes hand in hand with social media promotions.
