What Is Social SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been a cornerstone of any business’ digital marketing strategy since it was introduced in the mid-1990s. Since then, people have been trying to figure out ways they can show up higher in search results across the web.
Since social media started gaining popularity in the 2010s, we’ve seen a shift in the way businesses think about SEO, including social media tactics that indirectly lead to better performing SEO.
That’s the main idea behind what we call Social SEO. The things your business updates and posts on social media channels like Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp and YouTube can help you show up higher or more often in search results.
Does Social Media Directly Impact SEO?
This has been a debate since the beginning of SEO. In 2014, Google stated that social media metrics (think Facebook Likes or Twitter followers) do not affect search rankings. Since then, however, plenty of companies have presented a convincing argument that even if those social metrics don’t directly affect search rankings, many of the factors indirectly lead to more or better search results.
What Factors Can Influence Social SEO?
When thinking about the factors that can help your business show up in more searches, don’t overcomplicate things. The first and most important task is filling out all relevant information on your social platforms.
Fill Out All Relevant Info
Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp and YouTube have tons of fields that get pulled into searches and can help customers find you easily. Completely fill out all of your information sections on each social platform. That way, when people search for services in your city or zip, your business is much more likely to rank above others. You’ve probably heard of NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) before, but social media platforms also have fields like categories and services that help consumers find what they are looking for. Those categories and services need to closely match what you offer. That way, a consumer can make an educated decision to contact you or go to your website to learn a little bit more.
Drive More Traffic To Destinations
Traffic is another ranking factor for SEO. There are tons of ways you can drive more traffic to your site, from organically posting blogs or other long-form content on social media to Pay-Per-Click advertising that directly drives people to a website destination. High-quality content encourages people to click and visit your site and also gets them to stay longer, which search engines value highly.
Show Up In More Social Media Searches
Social media platforms themselves are also search destinations. These search results don’t necessarily increase your ranking on Google or other search engines, but being found more often is still valuable, even if the search happens on Facebook, Twitter or other social media platforms. That’s what makes Social SEO different, you’re able to diversify where and when you’re found. Filling out your information completely has a double benefit of helping you rank higher everywhere.
Keyword Usage In Posts & Reviews
In addition to the information sections on social media platforms, most have some sort of way you can post or update consumers. When you’re thinking about a posting or response strategy, make sure you’re using keywords everywhere you can. List out relevant products and/or services and incorporate those in as many posts as possible.
Also, pay attention to the words your customers use when leaving reviews on your pages. For example, if a customer compliments your “honest and trustworthy staff” make sure you use those same words in your reply. That way, if new customers use a search term like “honest and trustworthy repair shop” you’re more likely to show up at the top because of those keywords.
Conclusion
As you can see, Social SEO isn’t as cut-and-dry as normal SEO, but by doing the right things on social media, you can show up more in searches all across the online landscape. That will put you ahead of your competition!
Optimize Social Media provides social media & reputation solutions that evolve with our clients. As social media experts we manage Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yelp, YouTube and Instagram accounts for our clients daily. We help the modern business owner implement a specialized social media strategy so they can make more money in real life. Enjoy our blog.
