In our business, we get a lot of inquiries about search engine optimization (SEO), the practice of increasing website visibility in search engine results. Traditionally, this has been accomplished through a variety of tactics including editing content and HTML source code to incorporate keywords meant to capture a wide range of search terms. But the ascendance of social media channels and the popularity of social media interaction offer another great way to boost your website’s visibility. A well thought-out social media marketing campaign can provide the following benefits for SEO:

1. Increases your inbound links – people coming to your site through a social media campaign provide numerous new inbound links to your site, which is key to influencing search engine rankings.
2. Increases online interactions featuring your company – when people discuss your site or company on social media channels, it increases your web presence and the number of results featuring your company’s name.
3. Improves ranking as a secondary effect – Search engines pay close attention to social media rankings and sometimes it is easier to get noticed through social media outlets than search engines, which then pick up on social media activity as a secondary effect. Piggyback on this effect by focusing first on social media and be sure that everything you do through social media features clear links to your primary site.

To take advantage of these benefits you need to be strategic, creating a road map to guide your social media and SEO efforts. Start by identifying and learning about the audience you are hoping to reach. Research their interests, behaviors, and preferences through their interactions on social media channels. One way to do this is through social CRM, which monitors social engagements and can help you identify conversational themes and key opinion makers that can boost your efforts.

Next, identify your objectives for the campaign based on what you have learned about your intended audience. Your primary goal in a campaign of this type is not necessarily sales – rather, it is to reach out to and gain a foothold in the audience communities that you have identified, with increased sales to follow.

Create a plan based on those objectives that includes tactics also based on the research you have done. Address your audience through the channels that they prefer, offer them interactions that provide the types of value they prefer and you will see positive results that boost your overall SEO while creating a new group of loyal fans for your brand.

Finally, be sure to measure the results of your efforts against your objectives. Without measurement, it is impossible to make sure that your efforts are as tightly focused as they should be or that you are having the greatest impact you can have. The research phase described above should never really end. Throughout any campaign you should be continually learning about your audience – how are they responding so far to your efforts? How can you sharpen those efforts to produce even better results?

These are the basic benefits of using social media to boost SEO and a simple outline for completing such a campaign. At Northridge, we excel in working closely with you to develop detailed plans with demonstrable results. Contact us to find out more about how your company can dramatically increase its search engine results and become a more prominent player in today’s marketplace.