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In Chapter 20, the author discusses the relationship between social media and search engine optimization (SEO). The chapter begins by addressing the common misconception that social media is essential for SEO. The author argues that using social media solely for the purpose of attracting sales is misleading and often ineffective.
The chapter then breaks down social media into three categories: organic social media marketing, paid social media marketing, and social media for SEO.
Organic social media marketing, the author explains, is the idea of building a community of followers on social media platforms and interacting with them to build brand loyalty. However, the author argues that organic social media marketing is unrealistic for most businesses, unless they have an already well-known brand or something highly innovative to sell. The author suggests that businesses should focus on offering incentives, such as competitions or discounts, to gain organic followers.
Next, the author discusses paid social media marketing, which involves using demographic and behavioral data to target specific customers with ads on social media platforms. The author emphasizes the potential of paid social media marketing, noting that 81% of Americans and nearly 2 billion people worldwide use social media.
Finally, the author explores the relationship between social media and SEO. While social media marketing does not directly impact SEO, the author explains that Google considers social media signals in its ranking algorithm. The author identifies three social media signals that can positively impact SEO: building a brand through social media, showing freshness through regular social media activity, and generating social links from high-authority social media domains.
Regarding brand building, the author recommends creating social media accounts on multiple platforms to secure the brand’s presence across the internet and demonstrate to Google that the business is well-established.
In terms of freshness, the author explains that regular interaction with a community through social media can signal to Google that the business is active and relevant. This can be achieved by scheduling industry-relevant posts and promoting content from the company’s website on social media.
Lastly, the author suggests setting up multiple fully-populated social media accounts to generate social links, even if the business is not actively using all of them. These social media domains typically have high authority, allowing for diversification of the website’s link profile.
In conclusion, the author emphasizes the importance of understanding the role of social media in SEO. While social media may not directly drive sales, it can contribute to building a brand, showing freshness, and generating social links that positively impact SEO.
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