Using Social Media To Boost Your SEO Efforts

Although it’s certainly possible to get impressive SEO results without making use of social media, there’s no doubt that Google is making increasing use of social media indicators when displaying results.
What does that mean for search engine optimization consultants? It’s clear that an understanding of how social media can be used to improve search engine performance is going to become even more critical over the coming months and years.

Is content still king?
The Google Panda updates have put the focus on traditional SEO methods. While many have always said that content is vital to SEO success, it seems that too little attention has been given to the quality of that content.
The recent Google changes have really brought this into perspective. Websites with plenty of poor quality content have seen their rankings drop and visitor numbers tumble. But have they necessarily been replaced by websites boasting great, original content? There’s a school of thought that suggests that the big brands have benefited from the changes.

Increasing trust indicators
There can be no doubt at all that Google is looking for indicators of trust. Big brands tend to be trusted by searchers. So, when looking at your own website, you need to think about how it’s seen by others.
Having great quality content is only one part of the picture. It’s also about making it clear that you take privacy issues seriously, can be contacted at a “real” address and have a larger online presence. The latter part of this equation certainly involves engaging with the main social networks.

Twitter and Facebook
So how much time should you spend on Twitter and Facebook? The answer to that question really depends on what you “get back” from your presence. Some customers may be looking at these social networks as being part of your broader customer service channel.
In search engine optimization terms, the social networks give you the prospect of quickly getting your message out to a wider audience. As your contacts spread the word about your products, services, sale deals and offers, the main search engines will increasingly be picking up on that buzz that surrounds your business.
This is already happening and it’s sure to continue. If anything, it should be expected that Google and the other main search engines will start to increase the power of these social indicators. As a result, you need to keep your business in the social media spotlight.
You can’t afford to believe that this can be ignored. Instead, you need to be using social networks and social bookmarking websites (such as Digg) to build a presence and a following. By doing so, you’ll be putting your business in a much better position to get improved search engine results.

Conclusions
The SEO landscape is continuously changing. In some respects, it can be seen as becoming increasingly complex. At present, you can just about get away with creating great content and using more traditional link-building methods.
If you think that you can ignore social media, however, you are making a big mistake. All of the search engines have been sending out plenty of signals about social media. The general direction of travel is clear. Social media websites will have an increasing impact on SEO.

This post has been written by guest blogger Keith Barrett.


Author Bio
Keith Barrett provides small business seo and social media marketing services. He believes that the latter will become increasingly popular in the years ahead.