You just can’t ignore it any more. Social Media is here to stay and now it’s a part of SEO. How prevalent is Social Media in today’s world? Take a look at this video and then you tell me…and while you watch it, keep in mind it is almost 1 year old, which means it is already obsolete and the information needs to be updated again. I think you will find it “eye opening” as to the shear numbers using and joining social networls. No wonder the search engines could no longer ignore this new and over whelming endeavor.
But you decide for yourself. Is Social media hear to stay? Or is it a passing fad that will come and go like “parachute pants” in the 80’s?
If you have wondered whether or not Social Media has an impact on your Search Engine Results Page ranking, you are not alone. If you have ever suspected Google, Yahoo and Bing of using Social Media in their algorithms then again, you are not alone, nor are you wrong.
“Ignore Social Media to you own detriment. If you ignore it, it won’t go away, it won’t help you all by itself. You have to get involved and interact in this new on-line world. Otherwise, your business will suffer and possibly wilt away while your competition soars to new heights”
In December of 2010, Matt Cutts posted a video on Youtube that basically says Google is using “social media signals” in the SERP’s (search engine results pages). Bing followed suite shortly after.
So what is a “social media signal’? Good question. A social media signal is anything that a “user” or subscriber interacts with on any social media. It could be a “like button” or “tweet this” button. It could be as simple as a user posting a link to a site on the FaceBook page, Twitter Account, YouTube or any number of other “social media” outlets. Now, please do not confuse this with “link-building”. The search engines are not indexing links from these sites…at least not yet. They are however using these signals to determine whether or not a web site is legitimate or spam. For instance, if you own a web site and have a nice size following on FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube (just to name a few), then you are more than likely going to be given more credibility with the search engines. Why? Because the search engines see that your peers and customers are interacting with you on these sites and that you are truly providing something valuable to them.
“Bottom line is this….You ABSOLUTELY need to be using this to benefit your business and your search engine rankings. It’s a chance to share with, interact with and build loyalty with customers and potential customers that you cannot afford to miss”
As and SEO Services company, we always encourage and even help our clients set up, use and build their social networking platforms. It’s an essential part of today’s business world. And it will only grow in popularity and necessity. That’s why click-finders.com will always recommend starting your social media marketing program yesterday!
It never fails to amaze me! Time and time again I see new blogs get started, some with GREAT ideas and some with not so great ideas. Either way, the first question I always get asked is “How do I promote my Blog and get more followers?”. The short answer is…you work hard at it and you follow some basic principals. If you do, you will find your blog will be successful and you and/or your business will start to see and feel the results. So here it is…
Follow these simple steps to begint he process of promoting your blog. This is not an all inclusive list by any means. There are other methods, but if you start here, your chances of success will be substantially increased.
12.5 Ways to Promote Your Blog:
Promote it on your website. It’s your site and you don’t have a link to your blog on it? How about your friends and family do they have web sites? Do they link to your blog? They should be as well as you should be. If you don’t like your blog enough to link to it…why should anyone else?Include the blog URL in your email signature.
Personal emails, business emails, birthday well wishes and retirement announcements…if you send electronic mail, you should ALWAYS include a URL link to your blog in the signature portion.
Include your URL on print. Put your blog address on your business cards, invoices, direct mail campaigns, yellow page advertisements flyer’s and promotional materials.
Leverage Social Media. Always use use relevant “hashtags” (#promotions) when using Twitter. Always post links to your articles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Submit to directories. This should be a large part of your Link-Building strategy anyway for your main site. Click here if you need help!
Post regularly. There is constant debate online as how often to post on your blog. Feel free to join in with your opinion. We recommend no less than once a week. More if you have time. The more content you post…the better!
Submit your Blog URL to Google. Just in case….
Publish an eNewsletter. Easy to do from your weekly posts. Just make each weekly post a separate news article and distribute. This keeps people who forgot to check you blog in the know.
Talk about your blog whenever and to whomever you can, but especially when you speak at events as an industry or topic expert.
Focus on information your customers can use. If you provide consistent, relevant and compelling content on your blog, your chances of success are really good.
Post your blog on social bookmarking sites like Digg, Reddit and Sphinn.
Find relevant forums to add your “relevant input and postings to. Please make sure you are posting “on topic”. Otherwise, you will get a reputation for “spamming”. Be sure to add your blog URL to your signature.
You have heard a lot about blogs lately, in fact, they are even starting to make movies about them. There are more and more blogs that have turned into book deals and movies then ever before. From relative obscurity comes fame, fortune and all that they promise. I am not promising you that at all. Nor am I saying that by simply blogging any of that will actually happen (although it might…). What I am saying, is that a blog should be an integral part of any search engine optimization plan. Here’s why I say that…
Top 10 reasons why you should be blogging:
A blog is one of the easiest, most cost effective publishing tools available to share information with customers, friends and employees.
A blog can be the center of your marketing strategy. As you reach out to attract potential customers through social media and your web site, a blog is the perfect place to point them for information and more importantly, a place of interaction with you and your company.
A blog can build a lot of credibility and do it very quickly. Share your ideas and watch customers and colleagues as they scramble to confirm them.
A blog is VERY search engine friendly. Since blogs are content heavy (text based content) they tend to be very enticing to the search engines. Blog regularly and make sure your content is relevant and your blog will become an integral part of your search engine optimization strategy.
Blogs are a GREAT place to test the waters if you think you have a good book idea. Taking a very successful and popular blog with a big list of followers to a publisher goes a long way in selling your idea to them.
Don’t even think about being taken seriously in Social Media until you have a blog.
A blog can level the playing field in ANY industry. When decision makers narrow to three or four companies, the company websites with consistent, fresh and relevant content are 60% more likely to win the business every time.
A blog is a great place to meet interesting and sometimes very influential people that can help you and/or your business.
I know you spent a lot of time and/or money on your website…but so did your competition. Want to be different? Want to stand out? BLOG !
And finally….a blog is your chance to share YOUR view. What is your take on the industry you are in? Is it different than your competition? Want to convey those thoughts to you customers or potential customers? If so…you need to BLOG !
Still not sure? Don’y worry. Click-finders.com can help you now! With the knowledge, skills and experience that delivers results. We offer a complete Social Media Package that includes Facebook, Twitter and Blog account set up and graphic design that matches your web site. We also offer a complete startegic search engine optimization plan that inlcudes a complete SEO analysis of your site, your competition’s site(s) and then provide feedback to you on what changes need to be made to your SEO program. We can even make those changes for you if you want. Other services include PPC Ad-word campaign management, web site design & hosting. Visit us at click-finders.com today and let us show you how you can get higher search engine rankings today, for a brighter future tomorrow!
