This is a post of mostly unknowns. I want to have a better understanding of why social networking sites do not contribute to increasing SEO and search rankings.
I get this much: bottom line is both social media and SEO strategies should create conversions. Web analytics are the tools to help me evaluate my SEO strategies; social analytics help me evaluate my social media efforts. So question one: Where is THE ONE analytics to evaluate both?
In my mind it should work something like this: I create a website to sell stuff. I create several social networking accounts to spread the word to all my contacts who spread to their contacts. If my stuff is good and I create many followings, Likes, +1's, tags, etc. then more people should want to know about my stuff. But instead I have to pay for ads and optimization to lure people in.
Why don't search engines consider social media in their rankings?
Someone smart should figure this out if they haven't already. If there is one solution to analyze both web and social sites please post in the reply.
Social sites are in fact affecting SEO rankings more and more. Google looks at backlinks for a significant part of how to rank a site. Now with social sharing, it's important for Google to know which sites and pages are being shared the most. Google would want to rank these sites higher because when searchers use its engine, search result pages are more relevant to its users.
ReplyDeleteOne important social site to consider is Google+. With Google being the biggest search engine, it gets to choose how much value these shared links receive. Google will rank a page higher depending on how many +1s it has more so than shares on Twitter or Facebook.
I think Google and other search engines are still figuring out how to best credit social sites for ranks, but it is happening and can affect SEO in a good or bad way.
Wow! Amazing information, Mr. Eric Farmer! Also, a great question raised, Shane! Yeah, I think they're starting to figure out how to credit sites with higher rankings and how to increase rankings of websites through social media sites. For the meantime, there are SEO companies offering to increase your website's rankings. Still, I don't think you can rely on just social media alone when it comes to promoting anything.
ReplyDeleteDarryl Tay