SEO may only be twenty-five years old, but in its relatively short lifespan it’s undergone more changes than Kylie Jenner, and has evolved into a multi-faceted strategy used to create long-lasting relationships.
The rise of social media marketing has complemented the changing nature of SEO, and the two are now tightly intertwined, both organic strategies that focus on building a company identity that will attract more customers. It is difficult for businesses to achieve success with important keyword phrases without the use of a social media strategy, as the majority of searches now return results from social media sites.
It is surprising, then, that Google does not incorporate direct social actions, such as likes, retweets, shares and follows, into their algorithms, and therefore these do not affect search rankings. Social media does however, still have an impact on SEO and the organic success of websites.
Below we look at some of the ways social media can influence your search engine rankings.
Social activity and sharing
A 2013 study found companies with with more Facebook likes and Instagram followers tended to rank higher on search engines, particularly those companies creating original content that is shared by large numbers of followers across social media.
Search engines treat social media pages like any other web pages, so if something is being shared multiple times on Facebook or Twitter, this will return in search results. Social media helps search engines determine which websites are credible and should be ranked for certain keyword phrases. Therefore links published and shared on social media are listed as credible and can influence a page’s search engine ranking.
Website engagement
Social media can help in increasing the number of people visiting your website, which is an important factor in search engine rankings. Social media accounts are increasingly the first interaction customers have with a company, so it's important for businesses to post interesting and relevant content that will not only encourage traffic to websites, but entice visitors to engage with the website, which in turn will boost organic results.
Social media profiles in search rankings
Social media profiles are now just as likely to show up in search engine results as official company websites, based on information available in public profiles. Completely filling in every field in profiles and consistently engaging with followers is therefore crucial. This can help businesses rank their social media profiles as well as their website, taking up valuable space at the top of rankings.
Get in touch with Social Status on 1800 776 740 to find out how we can boost your brand’s social status today!
