Social media has become an inescapable part of our daily lives, both at home and on the job. Whether it’s a personal Facebook account used to keep in touch with friends, or a business Twitter account used to keep customers up to date, everyone wants to present themselves well. At Brain Host, we understand the importance of presentation and SEO, so we’d like to share a few tips about how you can improve your social media presence.
Some people don’t quite understand what SEO encompasses. Oftentimes, the first thing folks will think of is keyword stuffing and excessive linking. Unfortunately, these two methods are not very effective in the long term. Search engines are smart, and when they come across bad SEO practices like keyword stuffing they can blacklist the offending sites. So one of the most important rules is to keep things natural and don’t overstuff your writing with keywords.
When making a post on a social media site, a smart title can have the greatest impact on search engine visibility. There is always the temptation to choose a clever or humorous title, but doing so can negatively impact the visibility of your post. It’s important for your title to include the main keyword describing your post, preferably towards the beginning of it. Search engines will take this into account, and when people see your post show up in their search results, a clear and descriptive title will attract more people than a clever title that might not relate to your content.
After coming up with a good title, you’ll want to include a meta description for people to see when your post comes up in their search. Sometimes a good title alone isn’t enough to draw people in, but if they can easily read an interesting and concise meta description that they find appealing, they’re more likely to click the link. Unlike with titles, it’s a good idea to come up with fun and interesting descriptions. Remember, a good title will get you into the search results, but an interesting description will entice readers into clicking the link.
Once you have a good title and meta description, you can start to get more technical. Researching keywords that relate to your content will help you discover which phrases and words are most often used in searches. Google provides a great tool for this, but there are others out there as well. Find one you’re comfortable with and use it to come up with a few keywords that fit your content. Remember, less is more here; don’t overstuff and always keep things natural.
If you want people to find your posts, you’ll need more than just proper keyword usage. Links to and from your content will not only improve your search engine ranking, but they will also lead to more traffic from non-search engine places. You can encourage partners and affiliate sites to provide links to your posts on their own websites and social media pages. You’ll also want to make sure your content is easy for readers to share. If you have content on a blog or a website, incorporating social media sharing buttons is a must these days. Letting readers share your content with just one click makes them more likely to do so.
For advanced users who want to take their SEO further, data tracking is the next step. By monitoring traffic and where it’s coming from, you can optimize your links and keywords. This is an ongoing process that can change over time. Whether you’re seeing an increase or a decrease in traffic, it’s useful to know the cause so you can learn what works and what doesn’t.
With so many companies creating social media pages now, the companies who choose not to are being left behind. The benefits of a strong social media page include – greater presence in target markets, more product and brand awareness, better customer relations, and a better company image. By also incorporating good SEO practices into social media pages, you’ll find this free form of advertising to be invaluable.
Guest post by Corey Hammond of BrainHost.com. Brain Host is committed to ensuring that you have the best support possible. Whether your need hosting for your business or your personal website, Brain Host is the perfect web hosting solution
