5 Ways SEO and Social Media Work Together
Last Updated on January 16, 2023 by Tony Hutchcroft
Digital marketing can often seem needlessly complicated. There are so many factors that go into a comprehensive digital strategy that you might feel like Hercules battling the mythic multi-headed Hydra. Cross one item off your checklist only to watch two more tasks spring up in its place. We promise it doesn’t have to be so scary. Fortunately for you, SEO and social media are two complimentary heads of a much more benevolent beast.
While SEO and social media are often viewed as separate pieces of the digital marketing puzzle, we’re here to show you how they actually work together instead. It’s time to dispel your fears!
Read on to learn all about how SEO and social media can move the needle on your digital marketing strategy and business goals.
SEO vs Social Media – Do You Need Both?
Social media doesn’t replace SEO, but it can work alongside it to magnify your digital marketing efforts. SEO is all about optimizing your digital content for search engines, and social media platforms are rapidly becoming search engines in their own right.
While its role might be indirect, social media can still impact your website’s traffic and ranking. Therefore, a solid social media strategy is essential for a strong online presence. Its suitability as a platform for community building and engagement are invaluable tools for your business and SEO. So, it’s not a question of “do you need both?” it’s a fact that if you’re not doing both, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
How SEO and Social Media Overlap
To understand how SEO and social media overlap, you need to consider how people use each platform. Search and social both solve the problem of information discovery. (HubSpot) People use Google to find answers to their questions, while social media users come across answers to questions they haven’t thought of yet. In both instances, you want your business to be the one providing those answers. Starting to see how search and social can work for you?
When used correctly, good SEO and social media strategy can become a positive feedback loop to bolster your website’s authority and ranking. Growing your reputation on social media by consistently publishing quality, engaging content can increase the presences of your online branding. A stronger brand presence will attract more branded searches on the search engines. The more people use your brand as part of their search the higher your site will rank for keyword terms that are not branded. (Leverage Marketing) Finally, the more organic traffic your website receives, the higher your website’s authority in the eyes of Google.
5 Ways That SEO and Social Media Work Together
1. Increases Discovery
Social media is one of the best platforms for content promotion. All those branded assets like photography, video, and infographics should live on your website, but by also distributing them through your social media accounts, you increase their chance of discovery. When correctly optimized, your social media content can work alongside your SEO strategy to build brand awareness and grow your online presence.
2. Drives Traffic
Remember that social media platforms are being increasingly used as search engines, so keep keywords in mind and link to your website as a resource whenever it’s relevant. This can increase discovery and boost organic traffic to your website from your social posts. Having your website linked in your social media profile bios is essential, but there are a few other ways to incorporate links as well. Brand your original infographics so people know where they came from if they’re shared by other users and include relevant links in your branded videos and presentations.
3. Link Building
Branding your original content and including relevant links in social media content is the first step towards link building. Others who may discover and share your content now have an easy way to reference where it came from. In time, you may find an increase in backlinks from other pages and websites. Related to this is the realm of influencer marketing, which is all but impossible without social media. Influencers who discover and engage with your brand, whether organically or in value-driven partnerships, can result in high quality links. This is in addition to increased engagement on your social media accounts and traffic to your website.
4. Builds Authority
Once you’ve leveraged your branded content on social media to build traffic and links, you’ll find that your website’s authority will soon follow. Social media can be dynamite for your SEO in this way. The more that external sites link to your website the higher your website’s organic traffic and site authority will be in the mind of Google. It also helps if those external links are more diverse. Of course, this hinges on your content – cheap easy posting won’t do the trick. Provide high-quality content that is authoritative and provides true value to your followers, and see the results for yourself.
5. Boosts Local Engagement
Engagement is the buzzword in social media strategy – and for good reason! Dedicated posting and all the links in the world won’t help you if your audience is disengaged. But if your content strategy is on point, and your audience is picking up what you’re putting down, then your social media will pay dividends for your local SEO. If your business has a brick-and-mortar location, or a designated service area, then local SEO should be at the top of your radar. By community building, networking with relevant businesses online, using location tags, and linking your social profiles on your Google Business Profile, you can increase the chances of showing up in location specific “near me” results.
Social Media SEO 101
Convinced that you need to combine the forces of social media and SEO for your business? Good. Here are a few social media SEO best practices to get you started.
Build Content To Share
High quality content is key to building a strong digital presence. Ask yourself why people should follow you? What value are you providing them with that’s relevant to your business? How can you provide that value for free, while also connecting it back to your paid products or services in a way that’s natural and not overly “salesy”? Create content around those questions and made it easy to share! Infographics, short and long form video, and detailed blog posts are great – just make sure to include social media sharing buttons so your audience can spread the word!
If You’ve Got It, Link In
Make it easy for people to find you online. Ensure your social media profiles include a link in the bio to your website. Likewise, make sure you have links to your social media profiles ON your website, as well as in your Google Business Profile. Take this a step further by branding all original content you create, such as videos, presentations, or infographics, with your business logo and website.
Use Keywords Wisely
As people are using social media platforms to search for content, it makes sense that you include a few relevant keywords in your social media bio and posts. But don’t get spammy! Focus on creating quality content first, with descriptions that are accurate and valuable to your audience. If you can squeeze in a keyword or two while keeping it natural, then that’s a bonus!
Need Help With Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
Still have questions about social media?
Want to learn more about SEO?
Our team of SEO experts here at 1st on the List are happy to help!
Contact us at 1-888-262-6687 or email us at contact@1stonthelist.ca to chart about your digital marketing strategy.
