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With the growing popularity of social networking, it can be easy for businesses to get caught up in all the latest and greatest social media marketing tips. The use of social media in search results is growing in popularity amongst all the search engines, not just Google. It’s important to understand the simple ways that you can improve you SEO through social media.
Search Engine Journal recently released an article regarding Twitter use for SEO that really drives this point home. It’s amazing what you can do for your SEO efforts through only 140 characters. Take a look at SEJ’s 10 tips to improve SEO through Twitter.
- Build your brand name
It’s a lot easier than you may think to build your brand through SEO. One of the easiest ways to do this is to make your brand name your Twitter username (i.e. AstonishResults). Or, if you’ve devoted a Twitter account to a specific product/location, then use that as your Twitter username (i.e. AutoInsurancePA). Using your brand name or target product as your Twitter name can increase your rankings through re-tweets, replies, etc. The more re-tweets your tweet receives, the higher your significance to that brand name or product will be. - Use the profile bio to promote your brand and target market
Every Twitter account has a section for a biography; use this block of text to your advantage. Make sure you use your brand name, target products, and a link to your website in the bio section. To really boost conversions, make the website link a page on your site that has a form (i.e. the contact page). - Link your tweets
When tweeting about a product you offer, make sure you include a link back to your site, preferably a page on your site that has a form and can convert traffic. It’s also important to make sure you include relevant keywords with the link, i.e. “Finding the right auto insurance in PA doesn’t have to be a hassle. Check out how we’re helping our customers! Insert Link Here” - Hash tags = meta data
The use of hash tags can play a big part in your SEO efforts. Hash tags serve your SEO like the meta data on your website serves your SEO. Hash tags help to organize tweets and indicate trends on Twitter. You can use them to your advantage when promoting a target product (i.e. #autoinsurancepa or #digitalmarketing). - Make sure you use mentions
When you mention someone on Twitter (i.e. @AstonishResults), the relevance to that person’s Twitter page will rise. Making sure you utilize the mention feature when posting to other Twitter members can ensure that they will do the same in return. Mentions from others to your Twitter page can help boost your relevance in search. - Help others
Helping others boost their presence on Twitter is a great way to get the same respect in return. Not only can this make it more likely that other Twitter users will re-tweet your posts or mention you in their posts, it can also help build your target market. For example, re-tweeting someone else’s tweets on auto insurance in PA can help boost your relevance to the term auto insurance in PA in search engine results. - Don’t be spammy
One of the key principles in tweeting is not to over tweet or “bulk tweet.” This is a principle from an SEO standpoint as well. Bulk tweeting can make your Twitter account appear like spam to the search engines, thus hurting your relevance in search engine results pages. Bulk tweeting can make you appear as a robot, which Google especially does not tolerate. Make sure you spread out your tweets – if you get a lot of great ideas at once, write them down and post them in intervals throughout the day. - Promote your blog
This is a basic practice that can really boost your Twitter’s relevance. Whether you blog onsite, offsite, or both, make sure you push links to your posts through Twitter. This provides another outlet for links to your blog posts. Encourage re-tweets to your blog links as well. Pushing your blog posts through tweets can encourage people to read your post, comment on them, and interact with you on Twitter with their feedback. - Make sure you have a Twitter button
Most of our clients have social media buttons/links on their websites, so this is something that requires no effort on your part. Having the Twitter button on your site shows prospects that you’re available to interact with – in fact, having all of your social media linked to buttons on your site is something everyone should be doing. - Build your online brand too
Just as Twitter helps build relevance to your general brand name, it also helps prospects see that you have an online brand too. With insurance agencies especially, prospects can have a hard time seeing past the brick and mortar office and accept you as an online brand. You have to use tools like Twitter to show customers and prospects that you are fully accessible online as well as in your office. Building your online brand also shows customers and prospects that you are available to them outside of normal business hours – for some, it’s all about convenience.
These are basic practices of using Twitter, but sometimes seeing how they work for purposes outside of just social presence, like for SEO, can help to drive the point home. Have any Twitter suggestions for SEO that I didn’t include? Tweet me at @astonish_shawna!
April 6, 2011 at 3:52 pm
This is an excellent primer on Twitter SEO — and just plain ol’ Twitter 101! I love the advice to use a link in your Twitter bio that leads to a conversion page on your website — not necessarily the home page. Hmm…thinking now.
Michelle Quillin for New England Multimedia
Twitter: @NEMultimedia
April 7, 2011 at 8:25 am
Hi Michelle!
Thanks for commenting. I feel that SEO is going to start incorporating more and more into the use of social media so it is important to always keep an eye out for best practices!
-Alicia