Despite the reach of search engine optimization nowadays in the internet marketing industry, skeptics are still unconvinced as to how SEO efforts can greatly transform a company’s image, increase a business’ sales, or generate a client’s visibility and brand awareness in the World Wide Web. From traditional shopping, consumers have devoted time and resources to online shopping thus forcing conventional stores to practice ecommerce too. With the advent of social media marketing, networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have greatly contributed to a brand’s success and has consequently become an integral part of any search engine optimization campaign. For non-believers, here are some points to consider as to how important social media is for SEO campaigns.
1. Personal communication – Through social media, businessmen/experts and consumers have an outlet where they can communicate on a somewhat personal level. This encourages a sense of trust and understanding, which increases the potential for eventual conversion. To successfully adapt to social media, engage followers/friends/fans to interact with you on a personal level. As search engines continue to change algorithms and include other channels of communication, social media becomes an important source of signal for search engine optimization.
2. Rankings – It was confirmed in December 2010 through Matt Cutts, Google Webspam’s head engineer, that links incorporated in tweets or Twitter posts are now included in the algorithm that could affect a website’s rankings, especially if the links come from well-known authorities or experts. Simply put, being talked about in social media channels such as LinkedIn or Facebook, especially if these users are experts, is a positive step towards increasing our presence in organic rankings.
3. Reputation management – Consumers often say something negative about everything. Understanding that you cannot please everybody is an important part of reputation management. Joining social media discussions is an essential aspect of reputation management because it gives an organization the chance to participate in conversations already taking place. Social media sites give companies the opportunity to turn enemies into allies which can consequently be converted into ambassadors.
4. Social media sells/converts – Through social media marketing, consumers can be influenced and in turn, can drive key business objectives. Knowing the best practices to improve website visits, conversion rates, and sales will greatly improve a website’s natural rankings. Research conducted by Forrester Research and Business week showed that 67% of Twitter users who follow a brand are more likely to buy that brand’s products while 60% of Facebook users who like a brand are more likely to engage in peer reviews and recommend that brand to a friend. Finally, 74% of consumers are influenced by reviews gathered from users of social media sites.
These points should be enough for big bosses to consider integrating social media marketing as part of a search engine optimization campaign. SEO efforts include combined skills in marketing, writing, and technical knowledge but these basic tips should give you an idea what to expect and how to get started.
