9 Tips For Better Social Signals

Social signals are important in SEO? Although the exact relationship between website ranking and social signals is not exactly clear, we do know that there’s a definite link between strong performance in both areas. Google has confirmed this much. We’ve got some basic ideas about why Google has chosen to make social signals one of the variables they use to rank sites. What does that mean for you and your website? It means you can boost your ranking by improving your social signals. Here are some good places to start:

1) Social Signals by Establishing A Social Media Presence

Obviously, there’s no way to start boosting your social signals if you’re not playing the game. Establish live and consistent accounts on all of the social media networks that make sense for your site, e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, etc.

2) Commit To Staying Active

A live profile isn’t going to do you much good if visitors find it deserted and rarely updated. Active participation is a key part of driving up your social signals. If you need to assign someone to social media work full-time (i.e. hire a social media strategist), then don’t hesitate.

3) Be The Place To Get Engaged

Social media is, above all else, a conversational tool. Users are already conversing about your industry and the sorts of products and services you provide. Set up your social media presence and the blog on your website so that you become an attractive destination for people who want to talk about these issues.

4) Deliver Strong Content

What will make people come to you when they want to talk? Providing quality content. People don’t rush into the online embrace of companies that post nothing but self-serving press releases. Strive to inform, inspire, and entertain when you post content.

5) Give Website Visitors Sharing Tools

Once you’re working harder to generate great content, you need to make it push-button easy for your audience to share that content. Copying and pasting your URL into a new post on the reader’s preferred social network is too much of a hassle. Make sure your readers have a social sharing button available right beneath your content so that it’s easy for them to share what they like. You may even want to put these buttons on the tops of your pages rather than on the bottom. Greater visibility often translates into more sharing.

6) Commit To Blogging

As noted above, you’ll need content to boost your social signals and your overall online presence. The humble blog gives websites of every sort a place to put that content. Don’t be afraid to introduce controversial opinions; this can be a great way to get conversations started. If you don’t have the time or the skills to put together a decent blog on your own (and update it regularly), invest in a copywriter to generate and manage content for you.

7) Ask For Help

The online world isn’t so different from face-to-face life. If you ask people to help you, you’ll get a gratifying amount of assistance. Once you’ve created a piece of content you really believe in, don’t be afraid to explicitly ask your followers to share it around.

8) Participate In The Conversation

While your ultimate goal is to become a preeminent voice in your niche, it doesn’t happen overnight. Lay the groundwork for future dominance by engaging in conversations with the other blogs and sites that concern your interests. Leave comments and participate. When you find particularly good content, share it through your social media accounts and ask the creators if you can repost it on your own site.

9) Never Stop Learning

Marketing has always been a fast-moving industry, and taking the profession digital has accelerated it to new heights. Best practices and effective techniques are always changing. Dedicate a regular portion of your time to keeping up-to-date with the latest trends in online and social media marketing.