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High-quality backlinks drastically improve search engine optimization. Although it needs time and effort, the benefits it brings to your business far outweigh the risks and disadvantages. And nowhere else is this more applicable than with social media.
Google maintains that social media accounts, such as Facebook likes, have no impact on search rankings. While the search giant continues to block social signals in rankings, you can harness the power of social media to add backlink to your site.
Consequently, many companies and organizations are integrating social media into their SEO strategies. With the right mindset, you can follow their footsteps to leverage the platform and increase your site’s search rankings. It will enhance your social habits and maintain high engagement.
Take note that social media have become search engines on their own. In 2016, Facebook served an estimated two billion daily search queries.
Your company’s focus on social is to deliver relevant, valuable content to your target audience or community. It paves the way to build relationships with other businesses in your industry, indirectly enhancing SEO.
Social media can add more clicks and page visits – things that Google will count for search rankings.
Here are three strategies using social media to boost SEO.
1. Focus on Trending Topics
Social channels fill the digital space with volumes of conversations daily. These data have trends or hot topics you can use for future content.
Example: Influencers are widespread on Twitter. You can follow those people and brands who are relevant to your industry. Remember to check and see what info, topics and links they share daily. Use the data you gathered to drive your content.
2. Build Relationships with Influencers
Social media lets you find industry influencers to create and nurture business relationships. They can help share your message across more audiences, create awareness and add more leads to your own site. Thus, overall SEO performance improves.
After searching for the right influencers by keyword, audience size or engagement, reach out, gain their trust and build rapport. Once you have aligned your interests, ask them to share your content and vice versa.
Here are some steps:
- Follow their social channels
- Subscribe to their newsletters
- Like, share or comment on their posts
- Make sure your comments add value to their content
After covering these steps, directly message the influencers with your best content. Make sure you ask for their input and not merely send a piece to your own liking. Take note of their suggestions and revisions. If they like what they see, they will post it on their channels.
3. Take Part in Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups have opened new opportunities for social media marketing. The platform gathers people with common interests in the same industry.
Just like influencers though, you have to build and nurture your relationship in Facebook Groups. Before you ask any group member to read, like or share your content, gain their trust and build rapport first. You have to add valuable comments to their posts and offer solutions to address problems in the group. Once that’s covered, post your content and ask for feedback, both positive or negative.
Keep in mind that you have to find a highly engaged group. It will generate more traffic and boost your authority in the niche.
This strategy to boost SEO is applicable to groups in other social channels such as LinkedIn, Google+, Reddit and more.
Takeaways
Social media marketing may be a daunting, arduous task to some people, but the reward of sowing seeds early and building relationships is all worthwhile.
While social media footprint indirectly affects SEO, it still has an impact and is worth investing in as early as now.
More to read: How to improve search engine ranking thru social media marketing