The direct answer to this question is easy. No, social media marketing does not directly support higher organic search rankings. Then why do so many businesses spend so much time and money on social media marketing? Aren’t they wasting their time?
Just like many other pieces of the digital marketing world, social media is a great driver of website traffic. Increased website traffic will support higher organic search rankings. We’re going to dive in a little deeper and discuss how you can use your social media to support higher search rankings.
4 Ways To Support Search Rankings With Social Media Marketing
1. Content Sharing
Social media offers a great space to share your content. If you are producing blog posts, photo galleries, infographics, or any other type of content, you should be using social media to spread the word. Content that is not shared will never be discovered and it will simply just sit there on your website.
One of the advantages that makes sharing content on social media well worth it is the wide reach. Not everyone who follows your social profiles follows your website on a daily basis. By posting content from your website across the various platforms, you will reach more than just your current followers. If the content you share is that intriguing, likely your followers will share the content and the post will receive a much larger reach.
The ultimate purpose of posting content on social media is to get consumers to visit and engage with your website. Search engines see engagement as a positive signal for a website and can benefit search rankings. Like we said before, social media does not directly impact search rankings, but it definitely can help by using it to share your content.
2. Partnership Building
One of the key objectives social media provides small businesses is the simple fact that it is meant to be social. Merriam-Webster defines social as “involving allies or confederates”. Social media is the perfect platform to build partnerships with industry colleagues. How does this relate to search rankings?
Creating relationships with others within your industry is important to developing backlinks. Backlinks are when another website links to your website. Search engines see the amount of backlinks to your website as a token of value, meaning the more links to your website, the higher the content can be ranked.
Using social media to spread your content and connect with industry partners can be beneficial to your search engine rankings. If you are looking for a great way to connect with others, send them a message and see if they would like to collaborate. The partnership can benefit both of you.
3. Social Profiles Rank
Did you know that your social media profiles can rank in search engine results pages? Many business owners do not know this or understand how it could be important to driving sales for a business. When consumers perform a branded search, meaning they search for a business by its name, social profiles have the chance of showing in the results with a business’ website.
These consumers are already interested in your business, so why not have the opportunity to rank even higher with branded searches and providing them what you offer. Many of these people searching for your brand are likely wanting to be directed to your website. However, there are a number of users who are also interested in social media and use it as a source for additional information. Social profiles often provide a different view of a business along with different information. Having an active profile that also engages users further creates a positive experience for users. While not everyone is going to convert directly from a social media profile visit, it could be the final push for others.
4. Builds Trust
Search engines rank websites that are trustworthy and having active social profiles is one way to build trust with your consumers. Social media is extremely popular and gains prevalence every day. Consumers expect a business to be visible on social media and oftentimes use it as a source of legitimacy or relevancy. If you are looking to build even more trust with your consumers and audience, social media is a great tool to do so.
Social media provides a different voice to tell what a business does, about the different products or services offered, and all about the business itself. Since it is a more relaxed environment, many consumers use it as a way to truly get to know and understand a business. This can build trust and valuable website traffic that will help you rank on search engine result pages.
Social media does not need to be complex in order to be effective. When used as a tool to drive quality traffic to your website, social media can help support higher organic search rankings. Using it as a way to share the content posted on your website will drive quality traffic to your posts and increase your ability to rank higher in search results. Social profiles also have the ability to rank within these search engine results for branded keyword search.
Social Media Marketing For Small Businesses
To help build partnerships, social media sharing is another great tool, especially to connect with industry allies. Additionally, having an active social media profile helps build trust with your audience, which can lead to more conversions and higher organic search rankings.
SharpFinn Creative can support your business with higher organic search rankings through social media engagement. We offer all-inclusive solutions to help small businesses across the United States. Schedule a consultation with our team and learn more how we can help you compete with the big dogs!