Social Media and SEO
- March 24, 2014
- Bradley Taylor
With the explosion of online social media over the last decade, it is now a crucial element to any webpage looking for search engine optimization (SEO). Like link building, not all social media sites are the same when it comes to increasing search result rankings. Here is a look at some of the most popular social networking sites and how they can effect your site’s SEO.
Google+, while not the most popular social networking site, can give your site a big search result boost when used correctly using Google’s search engine. There are a few ways Google+ can effect your results, but one way to increase your ranking today is by building your Google+ network. Those who follow you or your site through Google+ are more likely to see your content in Google search results. Additionally, if your content is given a +1 by someone in your network, that content is more likely to rank higher in search results for that individual along with anyone who follows that person on Google+!
Facebook, still the most popular online social media site in the world today, may not have as big of a direct influence on Google search results rankings as some might like. A recent study conducted on the impact shares and likes on Facebook have on Google results found either no boost in search ranking or inconclusive results when looking at these two factors. A site like Facebook really comes into play in boosting SEO through the traffic it promotes. While they don’t appear to directly promote search engine ratings, shares and likes do increase page traffic which in turn will help a site’s search ranking.
The final social media site we will discuss here is Twitter. Like Facebook, Twitter does not directly increase one’s search engine ranking through retweets and the like. It is in the potential exposure and traffic boost that makes the effort of creating and maintaining a Twitter account worth it.
Search engine algorithms are as fluid as the content on a social media page on any given day and while social networking sites provide more of an indirect avenue to SEO today, they could become a more direct source tomorrow. It is vitally important for any webpage looking to boost its rankings to start and maintain active social media sites if they have not already.
