Thursday, September 6, 2012

The Importance of Social Media in SEO

By Kerry Lang


The relationship between social media and search engine optimization (or SEO) is often misunderstood and confuses a lot of people. And because I am an internet marketing consultant offering Social Media Marketing Services, I deem it my responsibility to shed light on this confusion and tell you the differences of one from the other.

Internet marketing of all types is changing rapidly, as this market moves very quickly, but social media marketing is changing much more quickly than other forms. Take this for example, while new SEO algorithm's may come out every few months, social media changes take place almost daily. However it is important to understand the relationship with the two as now the relationship is stronger than ever before.

The 3-Legged Stool of SEO

Originally, search engine optimization only involved keywords, meta-tags and content creation. But quality components gained ground when sited became more diverse, giving rise to more elaborate strategies that distinguish one site from another. Currently, drastic changes never before seen in years are happening to SEO strategies; this is manifested by the inclusion of social media rankings (social signals) as a key indicator. There are three "legs" or pillars that support SEO:

On-page SEO activities

Backlinking and other off-page SEO actions

Social signals optimization

Social Media's Importance to SEO

As you can see it is very important! And it's growing more important as time goes on. Google was the first search engine to confirm the use of social media tracking or "social signals" in SEO rankings. Remember, search engines want the most relevant and popular sites at the top and social signals are a clear indication of this.

With that in mind, Google+ was born. Probably, it's the most integrated social media option one can use. However, all social sites are equally important as can be gleaned on this independent research: the top 10% of sites generate up to 350% more traffic, 410% more keywords rated on Google's first page and churned out over 300% more revenue. See how important it is?

To Reach Consumers, Increase One's Commercial Connectivity

Smart brands are increasingly turning to social media, smart phones and greater levels of connectivity to reach consumers. Not only does the "always on" phenomena enhance social media status of these brands but newly emerging technology like mobile marketing completely transform the standards of "Internet marketing". This always on economy is highly networked - far beyond the original boundaries of the Internet itself.

The Bottom Line

SEO is becoming entirely dependent on social media. Its dependence is projected to grow exponentially as we in the Age of Data welcome the Age of Connectivity. For a business to survive, adapting to the changes the new age will bring is a must.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment