Does Social Media Boost Search Engine Optimization?
Does Social Media Boost Search Engine Optimization?
Social Media Marketing is the new gateway to growing a business. It is no longer enough to have simply a webpage. Full Web presence is essential in the growing market. Those businesses and corporations that develop and maintain a presence that reaches beyond simple information on the internet are generally more successful than those that do not. Consumers are using search engines such as Google and Bing to find products and services. Those marketing campaigns that include social media are more likely to appear in search results and, therefore, more likely to be successful.
The channels through which companies may become connected with a broader consumer base are many. While the most popular social media sites may seem unprofessional, the statistics of Facebook and Twitter users beg to differ. These sites are no longer afterthoughts or side-notes. Any business wishing to boost SEO will find it difficult to do so without an organized and sophisticated approach to such social networks. In fact, Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+ are so popular that they are essentially driving most of the traffic received by other websites. In other words, if it is not on one of these sites, people are not looking at it or for it.
It is true; keywords used on such social networks will have very little effect on the traffic your website receives. That is not the point. The point of integrating social media into a marketing strategy is to develop a reputation. The greater the presence of a company within the social network, the greater the importance that company will receive within search engines. It also presents a business at the forefront of any conversation involving the goods or services offered. Staying up-to-date with Twitter and Facebook by sharing, liking, and retweeting, will send a message to consumers that a particular company is involved and informed.
Being engaged in the world of Social Media involves more than just forwarding information. The actions required of those wanting to remain at the forefront of the social network are many. True participation in Social Media requires content that is relevant and interesting. The more each posting adheres to this guideline, the more likely it is to be liked, shared, favorited, or retweeted. Good content is a catalyst for conversation. The companies that control the conversations about their products and services are the companies that stand out.
The reality of all of this is that the social network provides a pathway for people to connect, a signal through which anyone can broadcast his or her life, and this signal cannot be bought or sold. The louder a company wants its signal to be broadcast, the more dominant its presence must be on the social network. The world on the internet is transparent, and while it may seem frightening, it provides an opportunity for businesses and corporations to connect with consumers in a way that has never been possible. This has lead many experts to postulate that the trend of social media will become the new standard for search engine optimization.
The content used by many businesses that will fail or already have failed may be exceptional content. The information within may be invaluable. Without being accessible through the channels of social media, such content will never be read or passed on, and that is the only way to thrive on the World Wide Web. If companies connect early via Facebook or Twitter, develop a base of consumers who like their products, and create content relevant and interesting enough to that base to merit a like or a share, their life expectancy will soar.
Search engines have many rules and standards to police the type of information that makes it to the top of the lists. The only content they will not hold to such stringent rules is that which gains popularity organically. The more often a company can have its content liked or shared, the more apparent such content will become to search engines. Not only that, but those companies engaged in the conversations that happen on social networks through liking and sharing will also become more visible to search engines. This is not a theory, this is fact. At the beginning of 2012, Google launched “Search, plus your world,” which incorporates the personal into the possible results of a search. This opened the world of internet searches to the legitimization of social profiles and personal preferences.
Thus, social media marketing will not only improve businesses’ SEO, it is essential to their survival. While companies may be able to survive without it at present, the future of the world of marketing lies almost entirely in the social network. Thus, businesses both small and large alike are faced with a brave new world of marketing, wherein success is not necessarily determined monetarily. Anyone can join in as long as they are aware that survival depends on a healthy maintenance of their presence in the world of social media.
Author Bio:
Arlene Brill loves all things Internet Marketing. She is currently working with SociaLink Media, a leading social media campaign management company based in Chicago, IL. When she is not working, she is often found reading motivational books and hiking with her dog.