The impact of social media on search rankings is somewhat of a debatable topic. Google says there isn’t any, but successful social media campaign lead to more web traffic and shared content which does, in turn, have an effect. Rankings aside, however, social media is a great way to boost organic referral traffic, and no one is arguing with that.

An SEO perspective still applies to your socials, and much of what we discuss in this article will be about optimization.

Social media profiles and posts can appear in organic search listings, increasing visibility and engagement with your business.

Let’s look at five strategies which will help create natural, high-quality organic traffic.

#1. Enhance your content

It is basically a universal rule across the internet now that quality content is the primary driver for successful online marketing, social media included.

The sheer number of people on social media and the ease-of-reach for niche audiences means that if your content is extraordinary, you will do well. This also enhances your chance at share ability which should be one of your main goals.

Spreading your message, brand, products and services, and increasing awareness positions you in a good spot for new business. Social engagement is an endorsement, and there is no easier way to sell than that.

The biggest challenge here is the competition. There are plenty of posts that are your direct competition every day; you need to optimize your content to stand a chance at standing out.

There is a correlation between the search hits that Google deems most relevant and brands that are effective on social media.

Providing a great customer experience means regularly publishing unique, customer-focused content. People will naturally engage if your posts are high-quality and relevant.

#2. Aim for a low bounce rate

Incoming links from social media can influence your bounce rate and time-on-site engagement. Engagement metrics are a big explainer and marker of value for search engines, which means they should be essential for you.

To achieve this, find your best organic content and turn it into social media content. You may have a 2000 word blog on your site that gets a lot of hits? If so, break it down into smaller blogs or take sections from it that can be turned into posts that will link to your site and the original piece. This is just one of the many reasons why a blog, and a blog section of your website, is vital.

#3. Optimise your posts

You know the importance of optimizing your website and blogs, but did you know you should also be optimizing your posts? Be it an image, infographic, video or even a link, the copy you use can be crafted in a particular way.

The key to social posts is that they need to be engaging and shareable. Depending on your subject, your copy should appeal to people’s emotions, reinforces, reflect their values and beliefs, and, ultimately, be tailored to whatever your audience feels is important.

From here, you can also determine which hashtags are most searched on whichever social platforms you are using (the ones most appropriate for your business) and when applicable, share a link to something on your site and always have a call-to-action.

Aim to give people a reason to engage and use accurate and descriptive wording that emphasizes context and relevance. Remember, social media isn’t for one-way communication so engage your audience and participate in the resulting discussion.

#4. Controlled branding

Your social media channels are opportunities to build your brand, both online and off. They expand your reach, create word-of-mouth and create search visibility.

Social profiles can be found in search results. Your goal on an organic search should be your website, then social profiles. For this reason, it is vital to maintain up-to-date social profiles and ensure that your branding is consistent across all platforms to help improve your online visibility and reputation.

You can also optimize your profiles for search within each social platform as people may search for your brand on Facebook or LinkedIn. To do this:

• Include natural keywords
• Set the company logo as the profile picture
• Set the brand name as the username
• Have a clear bio that explains your company
• Include a link to your website
• Including share buttons on your website

#5. Earning authority

The main benefit of optimizing social visibility is its contribution to the authority of your profile online. It increases your chances of linking to other well-regarded sources thus raising your profile further.

Quality links are created with original content that is shared across social media which is why social links are a vital inclusion on web pages with the goal of making them as easily shareable as possible.

Your backlink profile should also be well maintained to drive referral traffic and establish your site. If you can manage to obtain a link from a site with a high Domain Authority, you will have scored a vital ranking factor.

To achieve this, you are basically looking at forms of networking and outreach. Create relationships with influential bloggers, create quality, interesting (and good looking) data that people will want to share and offer it to them in exchange for some links!

All of the above may sound like a lot of work, but it all benefits your branding and business. It’s seed planting, and when those seeds grow into new customers you’ll be thrilled that you spent the time crafting the right strategies!

This article is contributed by James Silverwood, Digital Marketing Manager at Perpetualtc — social media marketing agency in Riyadh.

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