For years, many SEO engineers and web developers have been arguing whether social media can really help SEO efforts. Some may think yes, some may doubt it. This is because Google has stated that social media shares don’t count as individual links., Still, there is a correlation here. In the information below, we reveal the answers by collecting some data and evidence from Google employees and personal insights, but, first of all, we need to know some basic information about the role of social media in SEO.
Social Media is not Ranking Factor
As an outsider; we will never know what will happen with Google’s algorithm, so, all we can do is relying on Google employee’s information. Based on the information, we all know that social signals aren’t a direct ranking factor. However, according to Danny Sullivan from Search Engine Land, Links shared on Facebook and Twitter will produce good ranking signal. Even though it is not a direct Google ranking factor, it can actually really help. So, how does Social Media help SEO? Here are the four ways that social media can do to aid your SEO efforts.
1. Potential for Links
To create opportunities, so that people can see your contents and links, you have to share them on your social media more often than usual. In this case study, a company might share to a web page and shoot up the rankings for keyword phrases that are competitive. However, a good content creation and promotion strategy is a really good example. This strengthens the fact that links are far more important than shares.
2. Build an Audience
With so many social media accounts, you can imagine how big the social media population is. This is why social media is a great place to build an audience. Through social media marketing, you do not only build your audience, but also build brand awareness. This will increase the chance for people to click on your brand’s content in Google’s search results.
For example, you are looking for “men’s running shoes” in search query result. Then, you will more likely to click on Nike than newshoesbrand.com, right? This is because you will feel safer to click on companies that you already know and trust. In fact, the more you get your share of clicks in Google, the higher your rank will be.
3. Branded Searches
To help similar keyword phrases rank, you need to make sure that your consumers Google your brand name plus a keyword phrase. For instance, there is a huge number of people search for “Mr. X Comics”. These customers get a positive experience with your content. Google will assume that your web page ranks well. Besides, Google will also consider a good result for “Comics”, and then it locates your sites higher for the keyword phrase “Comics”.
4. Helps Promotion
We can’t deny the fact that YouTube has become the second most-searched search engine. Therefore, you can maximize your SEO effort through it regarding to its huge viewers. For example, you can explore your creativity by creating videos to promote your content or brand. In this way, you can lead more links and your videos can potentially rank organically in the SERPs. As a result, you use YouTube as a positive influence that support your SEO performance.
That’s all the things you need to know about what supports SEO the most. Social media can be helpful in increasing your brand awareness, although it is not the ranking factor, so make sure you do not always depend on social media shares.