What is the role of social media on SEO?
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What is the role of social media on SEO?

A study published by Quicksprout and presented in the form of an infographic, highlights how things have changed in the web landscape, according to changes in the Google algorithm and the rise of content.

Source: Quicksprout
Source: Quicksprout

Among the elements presented in this study:

Keywords :

  • In the “old” SEO, they were limited to single words
  • In the “new” SEO, they are based on searches, intentions and needs of Internet users, as well as the long tail.

When looking at the Quicksprout study, it is interesting to observe the attention companies and web agencies pay to social media when considering their SEO strategy. More than 3 out of 4 companies and 8 out of 10 web agencies integrate social media into their marketing strategy. SEO referencing, in one way or another. An interesting state of affairs, which does not seem to go in the same direction as Matt Cutts (a former Google employee) said in a video, indicating that social signals – indicators such as the number of followers on Facebook or Twitter for example – do not affect the ranking.

Matt Cutts' remarks did not fail to generate many questions in the world of the web, in which it was certain that the indicators related to social media were an integral part of the Google algorithm, at least in terms of trust and quality...

So what is the relationship between social media and SEO? How do web professionals – and SEO in particular – integrate social media into their strategy? Before we jump into concrete considerations, let's go back for a moment to the history of the relationship between SEO and social media.

SEO and social media: a brief history

Since the words of Matt Cutts, former SEO referent at Google, many studies have been carried out, leading to the following conclusion: search engines take social indicators into account in their measurement and for SEO. So much so that SEO experts advise web professionals to pay special attention to social media. Quicksprout founder himself, SEO expert Neil Patel, goes so far as to say, “Social is the new SEO”. Why does he think so? What are the elements that lead to this conclusion? Patel's idea revolves around 4 elements, the existence of which justifies the impact of social media on SEO.

The 4 things to consider when thinking about the impact of social media on SEO

Links on social media could affect ranking

Does Google take into account the links published on Facebook and other Twitter accounts? Does he consider them serious backlinks? When a blog goes viral and spreads like wildfire on social media, do the new links affect the ranking of the site concerned? Most web professionals believe that inbound links to a website from social media have a major SEO impact. They help establish credibility with search engines.

The conclusion is as follows: the level of authority of an account on social media does not affect the ranking, but the links published on this same social media can be considered as credible incoming links, thus influencing the ranking of a Web page.

Social media pages are considered in search engine results

The profiles published on social media are an integral part of the results listed by Google and other search engines. It is also true that social media can, in certain areas of activity, be considered more “personal” than websites, with a greater human dimension. For Google, as for other search engines, therefore, the existence of an account on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube or LinkedIn is therefore important. The existence of a company on social media gives it another dimension, likely to engage customers and prospects more. It is therefore important to ensure that the content published on social media is engaging and… up to date!

Social media are also search engines!

Searches today are no longer only done on Google and Bing. People search for things that interest them on social media. Thus, it is through powerful networks like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (to name a few) that customers can discover a new product, a new service, an interesting offer... Well obviously, the better the content, the more attractive it is in the eyes of Internet users!

Just like a web page, there are all the reasons in the world to take care of your profile on social media. Eliminate duplicates, take care of content, images… everything counts!

Never say never !

If Google says it doesn't use social metrics to rank a page, that doesn't mean things will always be that way! The rise of social media is arousing the interest of Internet users, but also (and above all) of web professionals. They are an integral part of our lives and their weight is increasing day by day. The links on Social Media, presentation of content and KPIs are all factors to take into account now, to better prepare for the future.

So, does social media help SEO?

Alright… since 2014, Google has categorically denied that social media has a direct relationship to SEO ranking. But at the dawn of the next decade, things seem to be accelerating and the profiles registered on social media are becoming more and more important within the results of search engines. It suffices, for this, to observe the statistics of the number of Facebook and Twitter pages presented in the results of search engines to realize the speed of evolution of things...

The social media management tool, Hootsuite, published a study called “Elephant Project” to determine whether or not social media can improve the ranking of a page. Based on a solid methodology and over time, the study clearly shows that there is a correlation between social engagement and the evolution of a page in terms of SEO. The very serious Hootsuite says that social is very useful for SEO, but that does not mean that you have to fight without mercy, looking for endless posts and other spam on the social accounts of others. . The risk of frustrating followers is far too great and the consequences could be dramatic.

For Hootsuite, the recipe for success is quality, not quantity. Post regularly by publishing interesting things and bring added value to the audience. This is the recipe for success. Remember that, in some cases, a simple backlink is enough to increase the ranking of a page significantly… Make the right person react, via social networks and… forward!

By the way, do you follow us on social media? Tremplin Numérique informs you about Twitter et LinkedIn. Follow us !

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