How Social Media Affects SEO Rankings and Conversions Simultaneously

“People buy from people they know, like, and trust” is an old saying, but it couldn’t be more relevant today.

Your authority, derived from being a thought leader with great content, is a huge asset to your overall web presence. By having lots of fans, blog subscribers, likes, shares, and followers, you are seen as a leader. When you rank high in the search engines results, you are seen as a leader.

These things go hand in hand, and when you do both at once it creates a domino effect that helps your Internet marketing reach levels you never dreamed of.

Google can potentially monitor who comments on your blog from an authority perspective, so you want real people to comment, people who have weight in Google’s eyes. When your golf club blog content gets a comment from the newest PGA champion retweeting it, Google could use that directly as an authoritative signal.

It’s all about author authority, and the source of it is what really matters moving forward.  Read on for my take on how search engines are doing with social signals, and how you can leverage this information to your advantage.

Social Signals Drive Personalized Searches

Many people don’t realize that search results are based on location and the recommendations of your connections. People trust their friends and family and the search engines are now struggling with how to incorporate these signals.

The things that used to be only in the minds of people like their opinions of restaurants and travel tips are now index-able and usable by others.

Danny Sullivan, one of the most famous search engine marketing experts, interviewed Bing and Google representatives on how Facebook and Twitter may impact a company’s search engine rankings. He asked about the weighting of Twitter users and links shared in their tweets.

Both Google and Bing representatives essentially said that they do use social signals and links to enhance their results.

So some social signals influence ranks directly in small ways, but make sure to build them for the right reasons, while keeping an eye on the future.

Why Content Drives Social, SEO, and Conversions

What’s the one universal thing that’s common across your social media, SEO efforts, and CRO?

It’s your content.

A single piece of a content that’s published on your website can then be shared on your social profiles and ultimately lead to clicks and conversions.

This cycle is poised for exponential growth. The more clicks, views, and traffic it gets from social media can ultimately improve how your content is ranking organically in search results. The more clicks and views it gets there, further feeds its rise in the SERPs, and simultaneously drives more conversions.

All of this stuff is interconnected, and it shouldn’t be viewed in isolation when you’re producing content.

Instead of constantly focusing on selling, you can focus on producing great content that people actually want to consume. And good things will happen from there.

How to Align Social Media Marketing With SEO and CRO

Ok, now that you understand the why behind social, SEO, and conversions, it’s time to focus on the how. Here are some pro tips to keep in mind as you’re approaching these initiatives:

• Position your brand in a way that’s likable, trustworthy, and “known” to your audience
• Track everything, from social clicks to purchases and leads
• Produce personal, memorable, and useful content
• Approach your social strategy as a place to listen and share (rather than sell and broadcast)
• Stop worrying about negative comments affecting your brand image
• Negative comments are an opportunity to share solutions, engage with your audience, and become more personable
• Leverage user-generated content (UGC) whenever possible
• Social engagement is one of the best ways to build trust and drive conversions
• Add social sharing buttons to your site so people who find your content organically can easily blast it out to their friends

Are you sold yet on where things are headed and how you can leverage social media in a variety of ways?