SEO and Social Media?
From macaroni and cheese to peanut butter and jelly, we all love it when good things come together to make something great. The same sentiment goes for search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. Individually, social media and SEO are powerful digital marketing tools that improve a brand’s online presence and search rankings. However, not everyone with an SEO strategy also takes the time to implement one for social media. Let’s change that.
Why a Social Media Strategy?
Social media is here to stay. We’re not the first to say it, and we bet we won’t be the last. Still, developing a social media presence is essential to your content strategy. Not only does it help your brand build a loyal community, but it also provides potential customers with a first step to trusting your products or services.
So, get a few comments, secure some likes on a post, and boom, you’re good, right? Not exactly. There’s more to social media marketing than getting a follow or two on Facebook. We want to ensure those new followers, likes, and comments lead users back to your website, turning them into customers knocking on your door. Whether posting a blog or a simple photo of your team, optimized content helps increase social media engagement and drive organic traffic to your website.
Get Started, But Where?
Before delving into some tips on optimizing your socials, it’s essential to decide which social media platforms best reflect the demographic of your target audience. Yes, you do not have to post on every social media platform. It would be unnecessary! (Go on, let out that sigh of relief.) Instead, consider your target audience and the social platforms they’re most likely to use. For example, younger users gravitate towards Instagram or Tiktok, while older demographics prefer Facebook. Similarly, if your products or services rely on visual content, aim your marketing efforts toward visually focused platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, or Youtube. Users of all ages are found across social media platforms, so it’s up to you to decide where your marketing efforts are best suited.
Once you decide which social platform to use, it’s time to get creative. Consider highlighting special deals or composing a simple introduction with a picture of your team. Your social accounts belong to you, so craft posts in alignment with your marketing goals and brand in mind. Once the idea is ready for publishing, it’s time to implement SEO strategies to drive users back to your business.
But don’t worry! You won’t have to figure out those strategies yourself. We’ve compiled a list of a few tips for leveraging social media to boost your SEO just for you.
5 Tips for Leveraging SEO for Your Social Media
- Research your keywords: Like a regular SEO strategy, keywords are king. Adding keywords to your social media profiles increases your chance of organically appearing in search results. Optimize your social media profiles by utilizing relevant keywords in your name, bio descriptions, and posts. Stay aware of trending topics and conversations related to your industry. Doing so can help you identify new target keywords for your SEO strategy.
- Share what’s already there: Blog posts, articles, and other pages already found on your website make for great social content. Posting across your social media profiles helps increase your content’s visibility. It also directly drives the right traffic to your brand and website, positively impacting your search rankings. Get people curious about your services or content. Show them what makes your company different from the rest. A simple post is enough to spark someone’s interest in your business!
- Back yourself up (with backlinks): Linking to your website via social media is a fantastic way to boost your search engine rankings. Providing links encourages users to visit your website and alleviates extra research on their part. If you craft a post promoting a specific service, add a link to that page. Then, customers get the information they’re looking for while inviting them to view your other services. It’s like an online open sign for your business!
- Monitor your metrics: This tip’s a little more technical bear with us. Monitor social media metrics such as likes, shares, and comments to track the success of your social media strategy. Note which posts/topics garner more engagement and use this data to inform future content and SEO strategies. You may need to play with scheduling times or modify the content you’re putting out. Gauge what works and what doesn’t, like any other marketing strategy. It may take time, but as we know from SEO, the best things do!
- Build your community: Once you post regularly, other users will notice and interact with your content. Engage with your social media followers by liking or responding to comments and messages. Would you ignore a question from a client or a customer wandering your store? Of course not! Also, consider commenting and sharing content from other local businesses or services. Doing so helps build relationships with your peers in addition to your audience. It also encourages them to share your content too. Being online can make us forget it, but at the end of the day, you’re still dealing with real people, so treat them as such!
- Writing Tip: Keep in mind not to oversaturate your posts with keywords. Too many keywords can lead to clunky copywriting, so keep your language fluid. Having a co-worker or trusted confidant read and review your work can assist in finding the right balance. Otherwise, let your content sit for a day or two before revisiting it with fresh eyes and start editing from there. Another beneficial way to find problem areas is to read your work aloud. Choose what works for you, improve your writing, and watch your social media posts take off.
- Social Tip: An accessible way to introduce your business to your local online community is through Facebook groups. Many neighborhoods and cities have Facebook groups dedicated to news or other local issues. If the group rules permit them, posts about your business can be shared on these pages. It’s like virtual door knocking! Adding personal touches and interacting with communal pages builds credibility for your business or services directly with the people most likely to use them. (Just be sure you’re following the rules designated by the group admins to prevent coming across as spam.)
Now you’re ready to get started on socials! Integrating social media into your SEO strategy increases your online visibility, drives traffic to your website, and improves your search rankings. While having a social media presence isn’t necessary for your overall SEO success, cookies taste great on their own, but when paired with a glass of milk, they taste even better. Adding a social media strategy to your SEO practices only benefits you and your business, so why not have both?
Supercharge your SEO and social media with Content Accelerator! By creating multimedia media content for your website and cross-posting on social media platforms, you will have an edge in SEO.
