Welcome back to another SEO Sydney digital marketing podcast! In this episode, we will be looking at Social Media vs SEO and the similarities and differences between them. We will be looking at how to utilise content, and what audiences you can focus on.Â
Essentially SEO is ideal for ranking on Google Search results based on the audience’s search queries whilst social media is perfect to build relationships and brand awareness whilst engaging with audiences on the different platforms.Â
Search engines give a lot of weight to a website’s authority making it a critical SEO factor to focus on. Both social media and SEO give quality content and relevant backlinks where it is effective to help a website rank. This is why when considering Social Media vs SEO, both must be utilised appropriately and optimally.Â
Here are some advantages of utilising Social Media:Â
Brand Introduction:Â
- Engage customers through Facebook, Twitter and InstagramÂ
- Can introduce fast advertisement through social channelsÂ
- Use customer testimonials to engage with future prospective customersÂ
- Reply to comments and feedback of potential or paying customers through social media (FB, IG, website reviews)Â
Factors to consider when using Social Media
- Content created can easily get drowned with everything posted every few minutesÂ
- Posting regularly is an ongoing effort that may be time-consumingÂ
- Smaller return of traffic compared to SEOÂ
Here are some advantages of utilising SEOÂ
- Long term, Brand Engagement:Â
- Better for Brand Awareness
- Loyalty relationship building
- Drive leads and conversions that are beneficial for long term growth
- SEO requires steady effort, but it often draws more conversions than social media marketing.Â
In conclusion, accurate marketing return of investment measurement relies on a combination of social media marketing channels as well as SEO.Â
The best way to have success in either marketing method is to use both together. You can use social media marketing to generate engagement, new influences, and traffic to your web content, and you can use SEO to optimise your content for search engines.Â
How to Social Media Strategy
1. Social sharing buttons on the website
It may seem simple, but search engines like Google are starting to use social media sharing data to influence search rankings. As a marketer, it is critically important to have social media sharing buttons on your blog and website to encourage visitors to share content in social media. These buttons will not only help to increase traffic from social media but will also play an important role today and in the future for ranking positions in search engines.
Here’s an example on how to incorporate social media sharing buttons on a website. So here we have SEO Melbourne’s home page, and if we scroll down to the bottom here you will be able to see easy access to our Facebook page, twitter page, instagram page and linkedin page.Â
2. Integrated keyword strategy
- SEO Keyword Research
The line between search engines and social media platforms is blurring. Take the keyword strategy you are using for your website and apply it to your social media engagement when appropriate. This does not mean you should be stuffing keywords into your posts, but instead try and incorporate keywords organically and naturally, where it fits.Â
- Relevant to business and increase chances of improving searchÂ
- Custom Page Name
Consider what your key services or products are and find creative ways to optimize your page name and content to include these terms. Plus, make sure to think about the SEO keywords you’ve identified during your keyword research and use these. By adding these terms to your social media, you’ll be more likely to increase your chances of ranking in the top search results and will also give potential customers a clear idea of what your business does in an instant.
3. Link to social profilesÂ
The links in social media messages such as tweets and Facebook status updates are traditionally no-follow links. This means they don’t pass any SEO authority to the site they’re linking to. While this is starting to change, it is important to understand that the URL in the actual bio of a social media account is a follow link. Keep this in mind, and make sure you are taking advantage of these extra links.
How does Social Media impact SEO?Â
Social media does not directly contribute to the SEO ranking, but the links shared across social media platforms can increase brand exposure. The shares, likes and comments on social media can be a factor and other signs for search engines to rank the website. Social media can influence SEO in six different ways:Â
- The major spread of content distribution through publishing creative, inspiring and informative contentÂ
- Longer lifespan of postsÂ
- Improve digital visibility and organic trafficÂ
- Increase and enhance brand recognitionÂ
- Increase chances of appearing in SEO resultsÂ
Check out SEO Sydney to more of our great SEO-related videos!
