The Importance of Social Media In SEO Strategy

Failing to take an omni-channel approach to marketing makes it impossible to see the importance of channels like social media in SEO.

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It is easy for industry specialists to lose sight of the fact that, for many business managers, the concept of search engine optimization is either not on their radar or is, at best, a veiled mystery.

This is particularly evident in smaller-scale businesses, which perhaps do not benefit from in-house specialist staff like a larger commercial operation does. This also makes it easier for small businesses to miss the bigger picture in their overall marketing strategy. A great example of this is how different marketing channels like social media in SEO impact the overall strategy.

A 2021 study shows that only about 40 percent of smaller businesses actively employ an SEO strategy as part of their operation. However, because small-scale commercial operations typically operate on leaner financial margins and may often face intense market competition, engagement with a strong SEO strategy should be a higher priority.

Small businesses need to look at SEO as part of their overall digital marketing strategy. Don’t get distracted by technical jargon — you’re goal is to reach your audience and you’ll need to understand how different digital channels impact your strategy.

SEO is a specialist field

Many businesses still rely heavily upon more traditional ‘brick and mortar’ advertising and promotional strategies and do not fully understand or embrace the concept of SEO.

With many business concerns opting for a “do it yourself” route when considering SEO strategy, referral to a specialist consultancy should not be discounted. A professional firm such as Click Intelligence LTD will typically cater to the specific SEO needs of the business, regardless of the scale or complexity of the operation.

Too many small businesses fall into the trap of focusing solely on one online approach. Stop! Remember that to be successful you have to get all the other online components working together to reach, engage and convert.

Unlocking the power of social media in SEO

A great example is supporting your SEO strategy with a social media outreach strategy.

One of the key reservations expressed by businesses concerning engaging an external SEO strategist is that the effects of an SEO strategy do not appear to be tangible or immediate. This is generally true, and the benefits of such a strategy may not become immediately apparent in the short term; however, the longer-term reward to that business cannot be understated.

To address this market reluctance, it may be of some benefit to commence with a focus on a business’s existing online assets and fine-tuning their operation. One such online asset is the business’s social media portfolio.

While most business operators manage and run a social media presence, many typically view these accounts as a sales and marketing or public relations asset. While this is a key benefit, fewer operators are completely aware of the potential of their social media accounts as an aid to search engine optimization.

Boosting organic traffic via social media

Firstly, it should be said that social media accounts do not directly affect SEO, but rather they indirectly affect site ranking when visitors access the website from a link in a social media post. ‘Social media in SEO’ thus improves site visibility by boosting organic traffic.

In that sense, the links posted on social media become of vital importance. In addition, traffic is considered to be a major ranking factor, so the more that content is shared on social media platforms, the more traffic is directed to the website, resulting in a boost in rankings.

The more consistent the interactions from social media, the more reputable the brand becomes, which results in a higher indexing by search engines.

Social media profiles rank high in search results

Social media pages typically accrue a high ranking by search engines and will generally appear on the first page of search results. Obviously, a portfolio of social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc. – has the benefit of increasing profile and search engine visibility.

For the business still grappling with the concept of search engine optimization, nurturing and developing the operation’s social media profiles is perhaps a good in-road into deeper SEO strategy. People are readily familiar with the workings of social media, having used social media sites privately and professionally for several years now, so it becomes a case of moving from the familiar ground into the deeper complexity of SEO.

Social media sites act as search engines

It should be noted that social media sites possess a fairly robust search engine facility, permitting platform users to seek out specific content or pages. For this reason, commercial users should consider the optimization of social media pages and profiles with the employment of relevant phrases and keywords. Likewise, social media posts and blogs should similarly be populated with appropriate keywords to improve visibility.

Developing the technique of optimizing social media sites further benefits the novice or inexperienced business users in laying the groundwork for good SEO practice. Obviously, these fundamentals then find a broader place in the overall online SEO strategy for the business.

In the same way as social media sites, popular video and multimedia hosting sites such as YouTube score favorably in search engine rankings and can similarly find their place on the first page of search engine results. Therefore, optimization of the business YouTube channel is crucial, and relevant keywords should be utilized in video titles and descriptions to gain the best advantage.

Content is king

It comes as no surprise that quality content is vital when considering the optimization of social media presence. Well-presented posts and blog links, together with quality video content, raises brand awareness. Greater engagement on social media posts further benefits overall SEO.

Summary

With the ease of accessibility and user convenience, the online marketplace is growing exponentially, with the number of ‘digital customers’ steadily growing each year.  Consumers are faced with a rapidly expanding selection of sites purveying the goods and services that they desire. Given this aggressive marketplace, positioning a business enterprise is becoming increasingly critical, and it would benefit commercial operators to stay ahead of the curve with their understanding and implementation of sound SEO strategy.

Social media profiles, and the optimization of those profiles, have a clear place in overall business SEO strategy. Social media plays an important role in this strategy in driving organic site traffic and improving brand and content visibility.

For the novice business, social media optimization is perhaps a good starting point to learn and understand the fundamentals of search engine optimization, which by extension, form a key part of the broader SEO strategy.