This is not a secret anymore.
If you want to grow your online business, then you need to focus a bulk of your efforts on search engine optimisation (SEO.) By improving your site’s ranking for the most relevant keywords in your industry, you can drive more traffic to your website and ultimately generate more conversions.
But, that’s just part of the story.
The reality is that SEO is a complex organism that changes and evolves together with your marketing plan. The steps you are taking in one direction can influence the success of your optimisation efforts. For example, your website navigation can affect your SEO. If the navigation menu is too complex and people have a difficult time finding the information they need, your bounce rate might increase. And, a high bounce rate can affect your ranking and traffic.
But, this connection is quite obvious since SEO is mostly about good user experience.
How about other parts of your online marketing strategy. Can social media, for example, have an impact on keywords ranking? And, can you combine these two strategies to bring traffic to your website?
Let’s find out!
You may also be interested in THE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND SEO
What Is Keyword Ranking?
Before we begin the exploration of how social media improves SEO results, it’s important to understand first what keyword ranking is.
Keyword ranking refers to the position your website is shown on SERPs (search engine results pages) when certain keywords or phrases are typed in the search bar.
Ranking high for certain keywords means that your website is one of the 10 organic results shown on the first results page. Please note that the search engine results page will also display ads. They are similar to the organic results but are marked as ads. Don’t worry! Users usually trust the organic search results, even if they will appear below the ads.
- Keywords Versus Search Queries
The search queries and the keywords you rank for do not necessarily coincide, as Google and other search engines are smart enough to interpret and choose relevant keywords present in your website’s content and match them to the search intent of the user.
There is no way for marketers to decide what keywords they will rank for, as this is determined by the search engine algorithms. But you can influence your keyword rankings through SEO tactics such as creating valuable content or inserting keywords seamlessly in the text or by tweaking other ranking factors like loading speed or link building.
How to Use Social Media Marketing for SEO
Nowadays, consumers are more likely to tweet at a company or send them a direct message on Facebook rather than contact them via email. As such, a well-thought social media strategy is essential not only for engaging with your audience but also for increasing brand awareness and creating integrations with other tools and apps. Because, just like with any other marketing effort, your social media strategy doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
That said, social media and SEO are a fantastic digital marketing duo, and they do influence each other in several ways.
Think about it this way: one of the biggest benefits social media has is that it enables you to interact with your audience, listen to their grievances, and understand their needs and expectations. These valuable insights will help you create better content and improve your SEO strategy so that when your audience is looking for a solution to their problems, your products and services will show among the top results.
This is just one of the ways social media & SEO work together. Here are other ways in which social media influences your SEO:
- It’s an important source of traffic for your website;
- Your social media profiles can improve your brand’s Google ranking;
- Your content reaches a wider audience;
- Targeting the right audience is facilitated by social media platforms;
- Social media is a great asset to your local SEO.
How Does Social Media Affect Your Keyword Rankings?
While social media doesn’t directly affect your SEO rankings, it will influence them indirectly through brand awareness by creating a connection between your name and the most relevant keywords in your industry.
If you rank high for a branded search, Google will be more likely to show your website in organic search results for non-branded searches too. Moreover, if you manage to boost brand awareness through social media marketing, then you can also expect to see an increase in your keyword rankings. Likewise, your SEO efforts can make your social media platforms more successful by making them more visible to a general audience.
Here’s a simplified timeline of how a successful social media strategy can get your brand a higher SEO rank
A fantastic social media strategy gets people to know your brand and be aware of what services or products you are offering. Meanwhile, as Google users perform branded searches (like “Heinz ketchup”, for example), the search engine will rank this brand higher for non-branded search queries like, let’s say, “ketchup packs” or “best ketchup”.
That happens because people interact with the content on your social media platforms. They click on the links, go to your website, browse through your pages, and so on. All this activity affects SEO and can boost your keyword ranking.
How to Influence SEO Positively Through Social Media
Many business owners underestimate the importance of well-executed social media marketing and make the mistake of delegating it to an inexperienced employee or treating it like their personal social media account.
What you want to do is make SEO and social media work together and for each other. Don’t just create a few business profiles and post on them when you remember about it. Optimise your social media content for SEO and try to view it through the eyes of a user who hasn’t heard about you yet. Social media shares are highly valuable, so publish content that your customers would put on their personal profile’s wall.
-
Build a Unique Style for Your Brand
Consistency is one of the qualities you must focus on when deciding on both your SEO strategy and what you post on your social media sites. Your brand should have a unique voice across all channels, and be recognised for its style.
-
Keep Posting High-Quality Content
Content marketing relies on relevant content that adds plus value, compared to what is already published on a certain topic. It’s not about making your brand the focus of attention, but associating it to content that shows expertise, authority, and a good understanding of your audience’s needs.
-
Improve Your Local SEO with the Help of Social Media
SEO and social media go hand in hand when it comes to ranking your brand high for a local search. Your social media profile will be attached to local SEO tools like Google MyBusiness, or business directories. Make sure the information you provide is consistent and updated on all channels.
Conclusion
As you can see, SEO and social media go together perfectly. A unified approach can help you build brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, and improve your conversion rates. Thinking of SEO and social media as two separate strategies, on the other hand, doesn’t make any sense, as digital marketing is, truthfully, a holistic approach.
Understanding how social media affects SEO and how SEO can improve your social media strategy is a great asset for any company with an online presence. Focus on being consistent across all channels that you use, and be constantly aware of how your website is performing.
Do you need a professional marketing team to handle the SEO and social media strategies and report the results to you? Do you need an audit of your website to know what you should improve? Contact Australian Internet Advertising for a consultation and get on top of your competition with our SEO services.
