To truly boost engagement (and improve search rank) you need to
get serious about content creation and distribution, and engage your
visitors from the moment they land on your site.
There’s more to a social media friendly website than just installing
plugins for liking content on Facebook or following brands on Twitter.
Smart social media integration is a must for search engine rank and
audience engagement.
Does Social Media Impact Search Rank?
While Google has previously insisted that social signals – such as Facebook likes or Twitter rank – do not impact search rank, the fact remains these search signals do correlate with ranking, if not directly. Here’s what I mean: social posts on Facebook and Twitter are treated like any other web page for search.
Google spam master Matt Cutts has implied in the past that Google does not attempt to index every social media post that’s generated. Doing so could generate problems since social sites by their very nature are volatile. Numbers and relationships are always evolving, which means Google has lower confidence in search signals as a direct part of their rankings.
Now, here’s how your social activities can impact your site’s web ranking. Social media is a powerful amplification platform. Integrating social directly into your website makes it easier for users to share meaningful content with their networks. That means more eyes on your content and a wider distribution network, which ultimately translates to more site traffic and more linking authority.
This, in turn, signals to Google that your site is not only a useful, legitimate provider of information but should also rank highly as an answer source/solution provider for these content topics. Think about a viral blog post or video: if that goes viral on social media, wouldn’t it impact your overall rank? Marketing expert Brian Honigman says yes and I agree with his assessment: social shares continue to be the new form of authoritative link building.
Is Your Website Social Friendly?
Good news: you don’t have to be a digital marketing expert to improve social on your website and breathe new life into old content. These are four quick fixes that will boost engagement and may ultimately give your site ranking a boost, too.
Add internal links to that post from other pages. Then, share the post again on social media. Don’t just share it once and move on. “Atomize” pieces of your content for distribution over several weeks, sharing a fresh angle, surprising stat, or asking your audience a different question each time.
Vocalcom recommends using website analytics to understand which pages are most frequently visited/generate the most time on site. Next, use skill-based routing to connect site visitors with qualified live chat agents who have been trained to understand your service offerings.
Without these buttons, sharing content requires visitors to copy and paste a link and then open their social channel du jour. With sharing buttons, content is automatically added to their feed. Keep it simple and streamlined!
Chances are, they’re in line for their morning coffee or waiting to grab their to-go lunch. They’re not sitting quietly in a distraction free environment. They’re scrolling quickly on their phones with many different attention demands. Mobile-friendly content recognizes these distractions and serves up content that can quickly be consumed. Think subheads, bullet points, numbered lists and key “takeaway” points.
The faster your can bring your audience to the main point, the faster they can comprehend its value and share your content before the next distraction interrupts their focus.
Does Social Media Impact Search Rank?
While Google has previously insisted that social signals – such as Facebook likes or Twitter rank – do not impact search rank, the fact remains these search signals do correlate with ranking, if not directly. Here’s what I mean: social posts on Facebook and Twitter are treated like any other web page for search.
Google spam master Matt Cutts has implied in the past that Google does not attempt to index every social media post that’s generated. Doing so could generate problems since social sites by their very nature are volatile. Numbers and relationships are always evolving, which means Google has lower confidence in search signals as a direct part of their rankings.
Now, here’s how your social activities can impact your site’s web ranking. Social media is a powerful amplification platform. Integrating social directly into your website makes it easier for users to share meaningful content with their networks. That means more eyes on your content and a wider distribution network, which ultimately translates to more site traffic and more linking authority.
This, in turn, signals to Google that your site is not only a useful, legitimate provider of information but should also rank highly as an answer source/solution provider for these content topics. Think about a viral blog post or video: if that goes viral on social media, wouldn’t it impact your overall rank? Marketing expert Brian Honigman says yes and I agree with his assessment: social shares continue to be the new form of authoritative link building.
Is Your Website Social Friendly?
Good news: you don’t have to be a digital marketing expert to improve social on your website and breathe new life into old content. These are four quick fixes that will boost engagement and may ultimately give your site ranking a boost, too.
1. Bump up old posts by refreshing old content
Evergreen content should last forever, right? But even well-written articles can grow stale with time. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just give your posts a “new shiny coat” as DAF advises.Add internal links to that post from other pages. Then, share the post again on social media. Don’t just share it once and move on. “Atomize” pieces of your content for distribution over several weeks, sharing a fresh angle, surprising stat, or asking your audience a different question each time.
2. Engage customers as soon as they arrive on your site
Don’t limit social engagement to social media (and the inevitable angry Twitter rant)! Engage customers as soon as they arrive on your website by offering live chat. Live chat provides immediate solutions for potential problems. You don’t need to be an ecommerce site to offer live chat, either.Vocalcom recommends using website analytics to understand which pages are most frequently visited/generate the most time on site. Next, use skill-based routing to connect site visitors with qualified live chat agents who have been trained to understand your service offerings.
3. Make your content shareable
Shareable content is engaging and memorable. It immediately captures attention with great images and quality media. And most importantly, there are native sharing buttons for one-click instant sharing. Ensure you have native buttons available for visitors, whether these buttons are embedded in the content feed or part of a floating menu.Without these buttons, sharing content requires visitors to copy and paste a link and then open their social channel du jour. With sharing buttons, content is automatically added to their feed. Keep it simple and streamlined!
4. Be mobile friendly
In the post-mobilegeddon world, your website is mobile-friendly, right? Remember, mobile-friendly means more than just fast page load times and responsive sizing. You also need to create content that’s easily digested – and shared – on mobile. Where do you think your audience is reading your latest blog post?Chances are, they’re in line for their morning coffee or waiting to grab their to-go lunch. They’re not sitting quietly in a distraction free environment. They’re scrolling quickly on their phones with many different attention demands. Mobile-friendly content recognizes these distractions and serves up content that can quickly be consumed. Think subheads, bullet points, numbered lists and key “takeaway” points.
The faster your can bring your audience to the main point, the faster they can comprehend its value and share your content before the next distraction interrupts their focus.
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