Social Signals Impact Search Engine Rankings
Just because Facebook and Twitter aren’t driving you a ton of sales doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leverage them. Why? Because both Google and Bing use data from social sites in order to determine how high to rank your website.
In recent years there’s been a big shift in the SEO industry. Search agencies and others are pushing the merits of content marketing as an activity that can help drive SEO success.
Why links work – the thumbs up concept
Central to search engine algorithms is the concept of citation. If an online entity is ‘cited’ by another popular and trusted entity then a ranking boost is given.
This is why links work. A link is a thumbs up by a third party and so it is logical that links are used in deciding ranking positions.
As the use of social media has grown so it has seemed logical that a share – be it a tweet or a Facebook post of a URL – might also be seen as a ‘thumbs up’ and deliver a ranking boost.
Sr: Social Reputation
Just as search engines don’t count all links equally, they don’t view all social accounts as being the same. This makes sense, since anyone can create a new account on a social network. What’s to prevent someone from making 100 different accounts to manufacture fake buzz?
Nothing, really, other than fake accounts like these can often be easy to spot. They may only have a handful of “quality” friends in their network and few might pass along material they share.
Ideally, you want to gain references from social accounts with good reputations. Having your own social presence that is well regarded is important. So participate on relevant social platforms in a real, authentic way, just as you would with your website, or with customers in an offline setting.
Ss: Social Shares
Similar to links, getting quality social shares is ideal, but being shared widely on social networks is still helpful. Good things happen when more people see your site or brand.
Whether you love or hate social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, you have no choice but to use them. Social sites, especially Google Plus, impact your search engine rankings.