We are always telling our SEO clients that they should be on social media. Why? Will social media get you more search engine rankings and better traffic? Social media won’t directly get your website to the top of search or give you thousands of new visitors every day, but it’s still an important part of SEO.
Many marketers say that links to your website via social impact your search engine rankings. Others say links aren’t incorporated into your search rank algorithm. There are lots of conflicting views, but what’s true is that links published on social are deemed credible back-links. And this is what affects your website’s rank.
Google tends not to list unique social posts in its search results. But what it does do is add your social profile to its search listings. This means each unique social profile you have gets its own listing in search engines. Social pages have more of a personal feel than websites, making them a great way to showcase your organisation’s personality. And searchers are also just as likely to click on your social account as they are to click on your website.
These days, people don’t go to Google to learn things about a company. They go to social media. If you’re on Twitter, chances are people will discover your new services through your tweets. Don’t just optimised your online presence for search engines – optimise it for social search engines, too.
Just because Google says social doesn’t affect your search engine ranking doesn’t mean it never will. Social media is only growing, and it’s becoming a more reliable indication of a website’s quality. It makes sense for search engines to start looking at social media for signs of value and authority.
Bing, the second biggest search engine, is already incorporating social into its search results. Bing even said that: “We do look at the social authority of a user. We look at how many people you follow, how many follow you, and this can add a little weight to a listing in regular search results.” Bing is consistently growing in market shares, so it’s wise to include Bing in your SEO strategy.
Broaden your idea of SEO and search and take into account the many different ways users are finding online content. There are many positive ways that social can impact your search rankings and the prominence of your social profiles.
