SEO and Social Media Optimization: A Powerful Combination for Winning the Online Marketing Battle!

Do you know anything about social media optimization? Are you effectively using it for your online business promotions?

Or, better still, what do you think of online social networking sites?

Do you consider them as just some great place where you could speak out against the insensitivity of those in government? Of course, if that is your idea of what social media is all about then there are various options open to you right now. You could pack your sleeping bags and join any of the protest sites. Occupy Wall Street is a good idea here!

But, how about doing something more rewarding with social media? I mean, something that could really improve your life and move your business forward? That would be interesting, right? Then you will want to read this through.

Online social networking has grown from just a platform for college kids and tech gurus to become a powerful way for us to connect with each other. Whether it’s in the area of quickly and easily accessing breaking news or it’s about galvanizing mass support for a cause, social media is today a major player.  The recent happenings in Northern Africa and other happenings like Occupy Wall Street, greatly testify to this.

However, the social media revolution is not just in our social interactions. Businesses also have been revolutionized by what is happening in the social networking sites. Today social networking and social media marketing have changed the way businesses interact with their customers/prospects. And it is indeed right to say that social media has placed the power of business branding squarely in the hands of the customers! So if you’re neglecting social media marketing as an entrepreneur, you’re only digging the grave for your business.

SEO and social media for business success

The Fusion of Social Media Optimization and SEO

With its growing popularity, social media has gradually infused itself into search engine optimization (SEO).  Before now, Search engine optimization has been known to be a powerful way for businesses to generate traffic online. Based on some on-site optimization and off-site link building tactics, seo has been the “traditional” or “conventional” way of getting targeted traffic from the search engines.

However, in recent times the search engines realizing the power of social media have incorporated it as one of the determinants for ranking a webpage in search engine result pages (SERPs). Bing appears to be the first to do this when they announced a social SEO partnership with Facebook in May 2011.

Google, the “Grand Daddy” of search, after a carefully structured adoption first by partnering with Twitter to present real-time search results then later by introducing its own social signal, the +1 button also in May 2011, has now finally launched its own social media platform, Google+ (G+).

It was not surprising when Google Plus took the social media world by storm by reporting a growth of about 10million users in just about 16 days of launch!  Industry watchers immediately recognized that Google was determined to play a major role in the social media game.

Now, the waiting game is over for Google has just announced, about 2 weeks ago, that they are officially infusing social media into their search algorithm. In an official blog post Amit Singhal of Google wrote on 11/03/2011:

“Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today’s world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old.

We completed our Caffeine web indexing system last year, which allows us to crawl and index the web for fresh content quickly on an enormous scale. Building upon the momentum from Caffeine, today we’re making a significant improvement to our ranking algorithm that impacts roughly 35 percent of searches and better determines when to give you more up-to-date relevant results for these varying degrees of freshness.”

With this official announcement, the use of Google’s +1 button as a ranking signal in Google’s algorithm to determine how well a site ranks in the SERPs has finally been confirmed.

This Is A Big Opportunity for Businesses That Are Adept At Using Social Media Marketing

Social media and SEO for success

As the situation stand now, there is no doubt about it. Social media optimization is imperative for your online business.  The traditional ways of generating traffic online through search engines have gone beyond just optimizing your site for the search engines (SEO). You must have in place a system to infuse social media optimization to your traditional search engine optimization (SEO).  And so if you're marketing online and you’ve not started implementing a social media optimization strategy, you'll do yourself some great good if you start right away!

This subject is definitely in its infancy but if you get in right now you’ll stand a better chance of winning the game.  Because of my interest and enthusiasm about SEO, I’ve been studying the subject of social media optimization for some time now. Right now, the results from my studies have been enough to literally force me to renew my interest in social media marketing.

Like I mentioned in one of my posts, I’ve recently renewed my interest in using twitter. One of the first things I did was to change my twitter handle to @IncomeMC with plans to increase my use of the platform. The WebIncomeJournal Facebook fan page is also receiving more attention than before. You can take a look at our fan page here. (We'll be glad if you can post your comments and suggestions on how we can improve the page).

Besides, I’ve recently created a profile on Google Plus and LinkedIn.  Before now, I’ve really not paid much attention to them but with these revolutionary SEO social media changes, it will be foolhardy to be an onlooker!

So, the question right now is, are you paying attention while the search engines are pointing out the direction marketing is taking online? Are you really listening? Do you have in place a system for optimizing your social media marketing right now? Or, do you want to wave it off as one of those things?

You Need a Social Media Optimization Strategy

One of my popular saying is:

“Without A Strategy You Will End Up In Tragedy!”

Now, I must say, when it comes to social media optimization, this is very true.  You need a strategy. This was something that was missing in my earlier attempts at social media marketing. The end result of that lack of a strategy was that my efforts ended in frustration.

But I’m now ready to remedy that. To this end I’ve been updating my knowledge about the subject of social media marketing and I’ll want to share some of the wisdom gleaned so far with you. This post is actually a prelude to a series of posts I will be doing on this subject in the coming days. As usual you can be assured that I’ll hold nothing back. Every detail will be presented in an understandable voice as to help you structure and implement your own social media optimization strategy.  That is, if you do not have one right now.

There are some resources that are really helping me along this line. One of them is this free ebook, “The Definitive Social Media Guidebook – Ways to Integrate Your SEO and Social Media Marketing.”  I must say that for a free ebook, this one is truly amazing. Instead of trying to convince you on why you should read it, I will simply point you to where you can download a free copy right away.  So, click here and get it. You can thank me later!

If however, you want something more in-depth and that present a step by step formula, then getting a copy of “The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success” is just the right choice. At $17.46, this is actually a giveaway. Considering the power of social media optimization and what it can do for your business in today’s economy, an investment of $17.46 is really nothing. You can easily recoup that once you begin to implement the strategies learned.  Click here to get a copy of “The Social Media Bible” at Amazon.com.

Conclusion

Ignoring social media optimization in the face of the changing trends in search engine optimization is definitely an entrepreneurial suicide. Your business, online or off-line, will be stunted without the nourishment provided by social media nutrients. You could decide that social media is all about hosting protest and speaking out against the ills of the society but remember, your competition is using social media optimization right now. If you neglect it, your competition will simply leave you in the dust!

Over to You:  As always I love to read and reply to your comments so do not hesitate to share your views on the subject of social media optimization below. Are you already implementing a social media optimization strategy or do you think it is not really necessary? Let’s have your say.

 

39 Comments
  1. Yeah!! SEO and social media are the Good resources to win the battle of internet marketing…

    • @avinuity,

      You can say that again. The search engines are definitely pointing us to recognize the social media sites as a place to be. Thanks for the comment.

  2. Very well written article, Chadrack! The introduction persuades anyone to read the whole informative article. I agree with you that Social Media can be used for various productive purposes. You are right even a offline business needs social media. I used to do it without any strategy but your post has enlightened me and I wish to implement social media optimization in a strategical way.

    • @Steve,

      Thanks for the kind words. I truly want everyone to read the post instead of just scanning and I’m glad that it worked, at least for you! 🙂

      On using social media without a strategy, you’re not alone. Frankly, I was confused about many things. I was doing what I call “hit and run!” Some days I will be there firing off and then some weeks I will be off. And all of these without any real purpose. But I’ve learned my lessons. I’m setting up a structured plan which I know will help me greatly.

      I appreciate your comment.

  3. I can definitely say that social network is an excellent opportunity to make a forward step in any business. I do use it for developing my own business. It can help me greatly to advertise it and to make popular all over the world

    • @BuySellWordpress,

      It’s great to know that you’re already using social media for your business. It will be greater if you can share your experience with us, or don’t you think so?

  4. great blog…i too think that social media can be used for varaious productive purposes, this blog is great, it has enlightened me a lot and given me great new ideas…thanks

  5. Let us not forget mobile SEO. In a few years or may be next year, Mobile SEO will be the new trend.

    • @Mark Allen,

      You mean seo for mobile devices, right? That cannot be far from the truth. Since more and more people are using their mobile devices to browse the net, there is definitely going to be a way of optimizing content for those devices. Thanks for the comment.

  6. Yes Chadrack I’m Using Social Media Strategy for Website Promotion, and i would Like to add one thing that is by by Social Media Promotion you can Increase your Website Popularity.
    And i totally Agree with you that is Social Media is very Important tool for Website Promotion.
    I would like to tell you that you have posted very nice Graph about “The New Marketing Strategy” its very helpful for me. As i have started Social Media Usage but I’m not in Proper way.
    But by your Post i have Got the Procedure of Social Media Usage.

    • @Internet Marketing Service India, the secret of social media success is truly in the popularity you can create by it. It’s as your reach widen with your social media activities that you reap the benefits. Thanks for the comment.

  7. This is a great opportunity for internet marketers to win the battle. even though we experience a stiff competition, maybe social media site is the best solution.

    • @Kate Brown Wilson,

      No matter how small you think your business may be using social media the right way can be a surprise. But don’t forget the big names are using it also backed with their big budget. Many are already using extra hands to make themselves visible on these sites. But you can always win in your small corner! 🙂

  8. Great topic. I also think that social media is the best way to boost your traffic and at the same time to look for different ideas and strategies about blogging and internet marketing:)

  9. I agree Chadrack, great post.

    Social media is huge and for anyone to say differently isn’t aware of it’s power. I knew when Google announced the +1 button that it would eventually make it’s way into the search engine results.

    Over time when you see searches you can’t help but notice a Tweet about that or a post that has been shared over the social networks. People enjoy interacting with each other and most people know that word of mouth is one of the best ways to introduce people to what they like.

    Great in-depth post so thank you for sharing this.

    ~Adrienne

    • @Adrienne,

      “I knew when Google announced the +1 button that it would eventually make it’s way into the search engine results.” That indeed is foresight! Many do not understand that Google is about search. Even their recent move into the social media circle with G+ is not really much about social media networking. They are only enhancing their capacity for a more robust search experience. Just imagine what they are doing with Google plus fan pages.

      Always love to hear your voice 🙂

  10. I like what you quote here “Without A Strategy You Will End Up In Tragedy!”
    We can’t stop the growth of social media marketing like this new method of markeitng the “Mobile marketing system” that will surely hit.

  11. People who have any online business, and who’d like to achieve some aims and get productive results, will certainly use SEO and SMO
    P.S. I liked greatly your comparison of Google with “Grand Daddy of search”))) It’s really true

    • @BuySellWordpress, You’re definitely right. Unfortunately not many are seeing it in this light. Many who believe you don’t need seo to generate traffic will continue to ignore this powerful combination.

      Ok, there’s really no dispute about Google being the grand daddy of search!

  12. I see, I really appreciate the information that you have shared, maybe by this I can raise my site into its fullest potential.

    • @Kate Brown Wilson,

      I hope you truly do that. I believe social media is really opening new ways for us to generate traffic and succeed with our online marketing. Ignoring social media and seo is not taking advantage of a powerful marketing strategy.

  13. Social media provides new marketing methods and all, but then again, most of the entertainment business’ revenue comes from advertisers. so, social media might be an ally and an enemy at the same time.

  14. thanks i am new on learning about SEO

  15. Amit Singhal’s blog post about Caffeine and Google’s infusion of social media into their algorithm is really exciting. I am new to your blog and very interested in reading up on all that you’ve written on this subject.

    The world is getting bigger, and smaller all at the same time. Integrating social media into SEO is definitely something we need to at least take a look at.

    Thank you for your insights.

    • @Darci,

      Love that, “The world is getting bigger, and smaller all at the same time!” And that really i s the truth. And another truth we must learn from what is happening online is that, the way we interact and do business is also changing. We must indeed learn how to use social media in building successful businesses.

      • Reply
        Darci@Denver Marketing Consultant December 6, 2011 at 8:42 pm

        @Chadrack,

        That’s absolutely true. It’s kind of nice, really, to think that what we do online is becoming more transparent. At least it’s nice to those of us who value that kind of thing!

        Technology rarely improves without forcing us to learn something about ourselves and how we interact with one another. It should be interesting as it all progresses!

        • @Darci,

          And that progress is something that we can look up to. Google has already given us a powerful way of meeting online using video chat, what they called hangout on Google+. With this we can really be in different continents and still meet real time. And I see more of these in the days ahead. Our technology is moving at light years indeed!

  16. I absolutely agree that social media has a major role to play in promoting our brand. There was a time I was not well informed on seo and now that I firmly believe in optimization I can see the difference. I’m still learning about seo so this post certainly is informative for me.

  17. Hey Chadrack: Great post on this most compelling topic. I know this is an important area but the tough part is how to be active at Google +, LInkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and still have a life. I think it is virtually impossible to keep up with all of these and others. For me as a tax attorney, there is just not enough time in the day to do all of this.

    • @STEVEN J.,

      You’re correct there Steven. This is just the biggest problem that many people are facing with social media promotions. My suggestion however, is this: have a strategy and plan before you ever start! Without a plan and strategy you will be lost. Decide on what you want achieve with your social media presence. Decide on how many hours a day you want to commit your social media activities and divide those hours among the different networks you want to work with. Again, you don’t have to take up all the social media networks out there. As you interact on these networks you will see the ones that are giving your good returns. You can decide to focus on them and devote less time to others. But all should start with a strategy.

      Thanks for the comment.

  18. Definitely agree to you! With seo and combine with social media optimization will surely be a big boost to help us on our online marketing campaign.

  19. Hi Chadrack Reply first of all thanks for the blog post grate blog Yeah!! it will be SEO and social media are the Good resources to win the battle of internet marketing…

  20. Informative post.We need both seo and social media optimization for getting success in business.Thanks for share such a valuable information with us.

  21. Really its 100% fact.social media marketing and SEO are the most effective things to your business website.thanks for sharing this post for us.

  22. You can’t do this every day without getting burned
    out. By doing the optimisation process as natural as possible.
    In a number of instances a web site builder provides meta tags hidden in the menu bar,
    and consumers don’t take the trouble to amend
    these.

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