Lately I’m been browsing a few business discussions on LinkedIn.
It seems there is some chatter about the impact social media has on SEO.
Experts in SEO have been talking about the potential impact for about a year or even longer. These folks have seen initial results from having a strong social media presence especially on Google+.
It’s becoming more apparent that if you’re not participating in social media your SEO may suffer. And if you’re looking to improve in SEO it means focusing some effort on social media.
But what is the best strategy?
Well there is no single best strategy for every company, but here is how we’re approaching things at Ghost Blog Writers.
The Current History of Search & Social
Up to this point there has been some impact of search and social. The two are starting to have an impact.
For one, if you are a “power user” on Twitter the chances of your Twitter account ranking high for searches relating to your name is very good. Many of the biggest Twitter users will find their Twitter account ranking high on their name-related searches.
Google+ has also popped up in the search results for things like name and brand name searches.
The +1 button is also having an impact on SEO although it still seems to be minor at this point. It does seem to have a little more impact for paid results, but I would say it’s still minimal.
Google and Social
When we talk about search we really have to talk about Google and what is in the best interest of Google.
For the last few years Google has been changing its focus…at least it seems so on the surface. The link-based algorithm is still very much in place. Google has cracked down on link building schemes and recently it seems the company has been moving toward a policy that relies at least in part on social signals.
Google’s main business model is advertising. They need data about people and they need activity to make that model effective. They’ve done a great job with search and recently they’ve added social to the mix with Google+ and the +1 button.
It’s beneficial for Google to continue adding users to Google+ (and +1). They seem to be doing this by giving out a few carrots to online content creators.
These content creators can have an image show up in the search results that feeds off the data from their Google+ account. It’s a nice little carrot to get more users on Google+. You would think that if Google wants to grow +1 they would give out a few carrots in the future.
Social Media and Search at GBW
All this discussion is about what is happening right now with search and social and really it’s still very little. It’s at least in the early stages.
At GBW, we’ve taken the approach that content has always been in demand. For centuries people have always demanded information whether it’s for education, entertainment or enlightenment.
Google understands this. In fact, they need content in order to satisfy their users. Until Google becomes the online white pages they will need content to give searchers what they want (content).
So our first strategy for search and social is to create content. That starts with a business blog because it’s a natural way to create an ongoing story of content for our business.
We use the content to feed into other social media platforms like Google+, +1, Twitter and LinkedIn. We get good response and interaction on these channels with the most interaction happening on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Focusing on a business blog also gives Google what it needs for search results. As a result, the blog fuels search traffic to the site.
A blogging strategy yields traffic from search and from social.
That along with traffic from email and direct referrals is what fuels traffic, leads and sales at Ghost Blog Writers.
It’s not really a social media secret for SEO, but it’s a strategy that is working for us and it can work for you too.