How a ‘RT’ Can Send Droves Flocking Your Way & Other Social Media Essentials for SEO
So how exactly do you pull yourself up the search engine index so you can get your site found, your product bought and your business successful? To start, your search engine optimization (SEO) greatly improves with more relevant content. This makes perfect sense if you think about why most people search in Google, Bing, Yahoo etc. 9 times out of 10 they’re looking for information. If you provide relevant information that helps people (what people need), that is evergreen (its value or relevance doesn’t fade), or timely (if timely, make sure you provide info often) then people will seek out your site all on their own.
And the best way to disperse content is via social media! It’s fast, free, easy and enormously effective. I know that social media may seem more like a bandwagon than a proven strategy but if you’re serious about building up your SEO, make sure you have a social media campaign that you implement every day – and keep clear goals in mind. I recommend that you read my 10 Step Guide to Social Media Whitepaper for a more in-depth tutorial on how to set up your campaign but first start with the social media essentials for SEO below:
1. Blog: Whether you get a blog at Tumblr, Wordpress or Blogger, host the blog on your own server or simply link the URL back to your site, write it solely yourself or get an expert to ghostwrite, I highly recommend that you set up an active blog for your business’s site. A blog ensures that you’ll have consistent, timely content to keep your site fresh. Expert content proves credibility in the industry that you’re in and blog posts can easily be re-posted or re-tweeted.
2. YouTube: Visual content is the most easily accessible – anyone can watch a 3 minute clip during their lunch hour, and it’s attractive because of its potential to be entertaining and informative. If you’re in an industry where creating videos makes sense (ex: makeup tutorials for a beauty brand) then get creative and post it on a YouTube channel. Even service businesses like a CPA firm or an after-school tutoring company can post “expert” instructional videos that answer commonly asked questions or review basics.
3. Twitter: In terms of distributing content around so you can increase linkbacks to your site, Twitter is one of the best tools for doing so. Every time I write a blog post, send out a newsletter or publish a “startup expert” video, I tweet it and when my content gets re-tweeted (also known as a ‘RT’ which is when others pass along a tweet on Twitter), I multiply the amount of exposure I get. Because of its micro-blogging format, Twitter is easy and fast. It’s rapid-fire content distribution that casts a net to bring more visitors to your site.
4. Facebook: Not every business can be wildly successful using Facebook to increase their SEO. I suggest using Facebook if you’re in a market space that relies on growing a community because Facebook is a place where people should WANT to connect, share pictures, comment on funny posts and in general get social. If you’re operating a local cupcake bakery and offer weekly discounts to neighborhood residents – DEFINITELY get a Facebook business page and link back often to your site and other social media tools. If you’re in an industry where only the most die-hard enthusiasts would chat excitedly about little-known specifics, stick to a strong expert blog instead. Use Facebook to cultivate a community but don’t force a community that isn’t there. A following will naturally send other fans to your site.
5. Pinterest: If you’re already generating original images and posting them onto your site, check out Pinterest to get that much more exposure. Think of Pinterest as an online bulletin board where people put up their favorite images found online and these images get shared instantaneously with links going right back to the original source. If you’re starting a wedding photography business, “pin” your portfolios online and you’ll be sure to have people visiting your site for more.
 | Bryan Janeczko – Founder, Wicked Start Bryan has 15 years of financial and entrepreneurial experience including co-founding start-ups like Nu-Kitchen, an online food retailer. Bryan is an active board member of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) and StartOut. He is dedicated to the success of all small businesses. www.wickedstart.com | Facebook | @WickedStart | More from Bryan |
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