Is There a Link Between SEO and Social for Search

SEO and social media can no longer be seen as separate entities but part of an ecosystem that works in unison with one another. Social engagement is becoming more dependent on quality content and it’s syndication through social media platforms. Therefore, it is essential that marketers look further than just traditional SEO link building practices in order to understand how rankings can be impacted through social.

The world is becoming more social. Today children are being brought up communicating on Facebook, Twitter, Google + etc. This generation will become tomorrow’s consumers and will spend more time interacting on social media platforms with brands. People are already spending more time on social networks than search engines and this gap will continue to grow. 

According to a study by search metrics, Google + has a correlation of 0.37 with search rankings, which has the highest correlation to the other social networking sites. However Search metrics has stated this statistic needs to be treated with caution as “Google+ does not currently have enough users for us to be totally confident about this finding. But it’s indisputable that Google is trying to make Google + an important player in most things it now does.”  As Google + has become integrated into Google search results and Facebook data into Bing, the direct correlation between what happens in social media and search results has become more obvious.

Google’s mission is to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” If it can use social media to fulfill its mission it will do so. SEO and social are both discovery avenues that create brand awareness, drive leads and engages customers. The impact that social signals have on the search algorithm is continuing to increase as search becomes more personalised. Social shares indicate that your site is liked enough to be shared with other people. It shows the search engines and the sites visitors that your site is up to date and that your site is giving users a positive experience.

When people share content, it’s like a mass endorsement to the public. Every share, like, retweet and +1 can increase your social capital and your search credibility. Shares, likes and retweets are used by search engines as a form of “social proof” just like links. By gaining a massive amount of social shares, you’re boosting your SEO signals and your site visibility. Social search helps to put the human element back into search to achieve a perfect mixture along with algorithms and technology.

How to combine SEO and Social

Give people the opportunity to easily share your content. Make the social media buttons on your site a feature and on the page which your blogs are on. Your goal should be to maximise the visibility of relevant content for those who are looking for it.

1. Put video content out there to showcase your products and brand via social media. Optimise the video by using keywords in the title of your video. Add tags with targeted keywords and name the video file identical to the optimised video title.
2. Influence the influencers on Twitter. Having a link from your site tweeted by an influential user can boost your search rankings and increase referral traffic. Use tools such as WeFollow and Twitter search to find users who may influence your potential customers. These people may be bloggers, popular speakers and celebrities. Research content they would potentially like and reach out to them in a tweet or email with the content. People like to be flattered and are more likely to share your content via Twitter or on a blog.
3. Use Google Plus. Create a page with your company information and add blogs and videos. Add a Google + link to the other social icons on your website and invite your existing community from Facebook and Twitter. 

Author Bio: Miromedia are a creative SEO Birmingham digital agency based in Kenilworth Warwickshire.