Gone are the days when search engine optimization and social media were two different concepts with equally different meaning and significance. SEO is largely about optimization of websites to make them appear higher in the search rankings. Social media, on the other hand, comprise the social networking platforms that are continuously emerging important for businesses looking for higher exposure and better recognition. Search engines, today, consider social values, re-tweets, Facebook likes, shares and so on to determine the organic search rankings. Consequently, integration of SEO and social media is an essential way of boosting search engine relevancy.
Tips on synchronizing SEO and Social Media
Now, the integration of search engine optimization and social media can be done in a number of ways starting from the formulation of a good content strategy to the development of a thriving social presence. Here is a list of tips on how this integration can be executed with success:
- The keywords that essentially drive traffic to your website should be considered to create content that ends up targeting them. Google makes free tools available to make the task of basic keyword research easier.
- Apart from the regular keyword research, one must take pains to determine the social media keywords. These are the keywords appearing frequently in tweets, comments and other types of social content. Tools such as Social Mention can be used for the purpose.
- Integration of SEO and social media requires maintaining the social presence of a business. Regular sharing of content helps in maintaining this social presence. However, it is the type of industry which determines as to the frequency with which the content can be shared.
- Picking out the most popular social posts is yet another important way of integrating SEO and social media. Awareness about the prominent social posts helps in creating content that generates interest in the readers.
What are the Social Media SEO Signals?
Successful integration leads to positive outcome. However, it is essential to learn about the ways in which the search engines consider the social media presence of a site and determine its ranking thereby. In short, it would be interesting to look a little deeper into the social media SEO signals as follows:
- Social media engagements in the form of likes, shares and re- Tweets indicate to the fact that the content has been considered innovative and interesting. The frequency of the shares point out to the quality of the content.
- Social media mentions let the search engines know that your website is authentic and authoritative and at the same time, it had been able to engage the followers by virtue of excellent content.
- Backlinks does matter regardless of the changes that have been introduced in the new content optimization strategies and techniques. Natural backlinks that are generated as a positive consequence of content sharing are extremely preferred.
- The tools such as rel=”author” allow Google track the linked content and attribute it to the original source. Hence, websites that scrape content will be severely penalized.
Both SEO and social media help in building awareness, driving traffic and increasing leads. Integrating these two paves the way for faster and more effective results. Socializing the content across the social media network is of highest significance in this regard.
Photo Credit: Flickr/Search Engine People Blog
