Does social media have a role in your search engine optimization strategy? Yes. These days no online marketing strategy is complete without social media... Sorry to all you haters out there but social media is here to stay. And for SEO practitioners, marketers and those that sell online, Social SEO can provide a big boost to your rank.Explain to me what you mean by social media SEO (social SEO for short).
My definition would be as simple as this - the use of social media to boost your sites organic search rank. That's it. Below the surface there is a little more to it, but not much. When you think about it, a key principle of any SEO strategy (white hat or not) is building inbound links. With the popularity of social media, the links from those sites should be considered a key element of your SEO link building strategy.
I know what you are going to say - most of those sites are 'no follow'... Note: If you need a primer on the no follow tag - here is an article to read. And I would agree, but only to a point. There is an emerging trend to move back to the do follow tag for social media links given some of the other ways to prevent spammers from taking advantage of social media. Over the last few months I have see a surge in the number of blogs that are going back to 'do follow' comments - probably because it actually encourages people to post comments.
And in either case, a link, whether 'no follow' or 'do follow' can't hurt - it provides exposure, brand presence and a source of clicks, regardless of whether or not it shares its link juice.
Ok, got it. What social media SEO options are available?
The same ones that you are using as part of your social media strategy. And in case you haven't gotten started on that (I know we are all busy), here are a few ideas:
- Commenting : In my opinion one of the best - at least when it comes to social SEO. Many blogs are now 'do follow' for comments that include urls. In addition, many that previously went 'no follow' are switching back - including sites linked with major publications such as Inc. Tools such as Comment Hunt also can be used to help identify 'do follow' blogs that allow comments.
- Forums : Up there with commenting. Not only do most forums provide 'do follow' links but they also are a great way to demonstrate your knowledge, extend your brand, help the community and pick up some click through traffic. In addition, the profile page on most forums provides yet another place to pick up an inbound link, as does the signature line on your post.
- Sharing Sites : This is a 'catch all'. These are the sites ranging from Twitter to Flickr, Facebook to Linked In, ezinearticles to Scribd. They are places where you can share information about your company, things you have created (pictures, articles, documents) and network with other people. All this sharing provides additional opportunities for you to build links and again brand presence. A word of caution - try and focus activities here and be cautious if you are just using sharing sites for link building. One, they don't always allow 'do follow' links and two, these sites are a representation of your brand where a lot of people go... don't leave people with a bad impression (that you are just there to build links).
Social Media and SEO : Getting started.
Now that we have discussed the basics, its time to give it a try. My suggestion would be this. If you are not already heavily invested in social SEO, put your toe in the water and make a few comments and forum posts. Find popular sites. You'll be surprised at the somewhat instant boost (as long as you follow good SEO practices - keyword rich anchor links, etc.). In addition, you’ll get some click through traffic.
If on the other hand you are already invested in social SEO (perhaps without even knowing it), take a minute to reassess your strategy. Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I investing time in the right places - 'do follow' link sites?
- Have I diversified my strategy sufficiently? Where are there opportunities?
- Am I leaving a good impression on popular sharing sites that will enhance my brand as well as my rank?
- Am I employing good SEO practices when participating in social media to ensure maximum benefit?
