The Role of Social Media in SEO

Learning about the role of SEO in social media is very important to your efforts in search engine optimization. Learning how to leverage platforms for better rankings is just one more way you can help your efforts for increased rankings and traffic. In order to properly implement this tactic, you have to understand the relationship between the two topics and the key social media platforms that will work towards your SEO goals with you.

As always, we encourage constant monitoring of any changes and tracking of metrics. With any marketing campaign, you need to see what works and where you can improve.

Understanding the Relationship Between Social Media and SEO

The connection between social media activity and search engine rankings is multifaceted and can have both direct and indirect effects. Social signals (likes, shares, comments & engagement) on a good piece of content show search engines that you are providing quality, relevance and popularity to an audience. Higher levels of engagement on social media can signal to search engines that a piece of content is valuable and worthy of being ranked higher in search results. These things can help lead your site to have higher authority and in turn gain more traffic.

Key Social Media Platforms for SEO

There are platforms on social media that overall receive more traffic than others, but deciding where to spend your time is important. Each platform receives higher engagements on particular days, at particular times, than others. There are also platforms that get traffic that is more suited to your own target market versus others. It is your responsibility to find which one is going to reach that group of people you want to target, and when to target them. You can do this through research, or hire a marketing specialist to help you!

Social media features are important when making the decision on which platform to utilize for you brand. Here are a few with some key features...

YouTube	-Video content that can rank on YouTube search results as well as Google Optimization of videos (titles, descriptions, tags, thumbnails), all of which can increase visibility and click-through rates Embedding videos in your website, which increases engagement on your website, as well as how long they spend on your pages
Pinterest	Pins on Pinterest can rank on Google Image search results Pins and Boards can drive traffic to your website, especially in visual content You can optimize pin descriptions with relevant keywords that can improve discoverability and click-through rates
LinkedIn	Company Pages and profiles on LinkedIn can rank in Google search results for branded searches Publishing long-form content on LinkedIn Pulse can showcase thought leadership and expertise Participating in LinkedIn Groups can help increase visibility and engagement within niche communities
Instagram	Profiles and posts can appear in search results Using relevant hashtags in Instagram posts can improve discoverability and attract new followers Instagram Stories and IGTV videos can drive engagement and direct traffic to your website
Facebook	Facebook Pages and posts can rank in Google search results for branded searches Facebook Groups can foster community engagement and you can build your network through them Facebook Events can promote offline and online events, driving attendance and website traffic
Twitter	Tweets can appear in search results for timely and trending topics Twitter profiles and tweets can enhance brand visibility and provide opportunities for engaging with followers and influencers Twitter cards can enrich tweets with additional content, such as images, videos, and links, increasing engagement and click-through rates
Reddit	Reddit posts can rank in search results Engaging in relevant subreddits can increase brand visibility, drive traffic to your website and provide opportunities for content promotion and discussion Reddit threads can generate valuable user-generated content and insights that can inform content creation and SEO strategies

Monitor Your Metrics

Be sure to monitor your metrics no matter which platform you use! Ensuring your time and money are spent for the benefit of your business is important. If you nee help deciding which platforms to use, how to use them, and get started on a specially fabricated Social Media SEO Campaign, reach out to MB Design today to set up a FREE CONSULTATION.

There are many metrics you can track. Engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, share and retweets, click through rates and conversion rates are all things to track on your profiles. You can also track things like your audience metrics (follower growth & demographics), content performance metrics (top performing content, reach & impressions), as well as brand mentions.

In conclusion, finding what works for your brand is the most vital place to start. In doing so, you may have to conduct some experiments. But in the end, you can find the perfect niche for your brand and get promoting!

Share your experience with social media usage with us. We'd love to hear your Social Media & SEO journey!