Social and SEOHow to leverage social media to

achieve better SEO results

Ray “Catfish” ComstockDirector of SEO

BusinessOnline

Agenda

• How Social Media Affects SEO– Social Search– Local Search Impact Not Covered– Direct Impact on Ranking– Links

• Recommendations Based on Findings– Social Networking Recommendations– Blogging Recommendations

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS SEO

Social Search

What is Social Search• Google and Bing Enhance Search Listings for Registered Users

• Ranking Enhancements Are Based on Social Activity of Friends

• Bing Primarily Uses Facebook Data but can use any public network (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

• Google Primarily Uses Google+ Data but can use any public network (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

• Social Activity is Now Used as an Indicator of User Preference

• Must Be Signed in to Each Search Engine to See Enhanced Results

• Likes, Shares and +1 Data that appears next to social search listings is currently for display only

Google+In the first example, someone in my circles (Matt Cutts) has shared this URL. The URL is listed and a link to Matt’s profile.

In the second example, someone in my circles has posted relevant information and the post is ranking in the SERPs. You have to click to the post and then the link to get to the article.

In the third example, images that were posted by someone in my circles appear in SERPs.

In the fourth example, the number of Google Plus Ones and Followers appears in PPC ads.

Users can hide personal results using this button or easily share content on Google+

Bing &FacebookBing Example for “SEO Blogs”:(Ranked #2 and #3 in Bing SERPS)

More from Bing

• Login from Facebook in upper right corner.

• Recommendations based on Friend Activity.

• Shows Facebook likes and comments for each recommendation.

• Occupies a huge amount of front page screenreal estate.

• On 1/17/2013 Bing Announced It is now sharing 5 times more data from Facebook

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS SEO

Local Search

Google Local Search – Localized Keywords

• Social Media Also Affects Search Results for Localized Keyword Phrases:

• Google’s Venice Update in February 2012 Integrated Local Search Results into the main ranking results.

• As a result, the location from where you are searching from now influences the search results you see even if your query is not localized.

• Non localized keywords see the “local pack” of search results in Google

• Therefore content shared through social search that is localized will have a greater propensity to appear for search queries affected by the Venice update.

• Reviews (Zagat Scoring System) and Google Reviews Influence Ranking and Click Through %

Google Search Results for Pizza

Bing Local Search – Localized Keywords

• Bing also shows a mix of regular and local results for keywords that are not localized but imply localization:

• Search results consist of national brands and local businesses.

• Location influences search results

• Bing has a local pack with locations listed on the map

• Facebook shares appear in left column results with link to Facebook business page

Local Search – Key Social Metrics

• A number of social metrics influence which URLs appear in local search results.

• Metrics are evaluated on:• Total Number of Citations• Velocity of Citations• Authority of Citations

• Metrics Include:• Google +1s• Adds / Shares on Google+• Shares / Likes on Facebook• Twitter Followers• Tweets / Retweets on Twitter• Check-Ins on Foursquare, Facebook, etc.• Location of Searcher

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTS SEO

Direct SEO Impact

Social Media – Direct SEO Impact

• Both Bing and Google has recently confirmed that Social Media metrics directly influence search rankings:http://searchengineland.com/what-social-signals-do-google-bing-really-count-55389

• Links are still more impactful than social metrics in driving top search rankings.

• Each engine uses slightly different metrics to establish social authority or trust. This authority currently influences search results and will continue to gain additional influence as it evolves.

Social Media – Direct SEO ImpactIn addition to using social metrics to influence search rankings, both engines are developing authority ranking systems:

• Google’s Authority System is “Author Authority”

• Currently only used in limited situations in regular search results. Google’s new system called Author Rank will change that

• Bing’s Authority System is “Social Authority” Slight effect on regular results and large effect on social search

• At present, most of the data that contributes to these Authority systems seems to be based on Twitter data.

Twitter – Direct SEO Impact - Google

Google looks at references in Twitter (Tweets / Re-Tweets) as Ranking Signal for regular search results and news results

Google looks at “Author Authority” based on Twitter profile and activity

• Google calculates authority of person who tweeted• Independent of Page Rank and currently has slight affect on

regular search rankings• Fire hose data is used only in limited situations, not for all

of general web search• Probably also use number of people you follow and number

of followers as a metric of Authority (not specific)• Both engines are similar in their approach to Twitter

Twitter – Direct SEO Impact - BingBing looks at total references in Twitter (Tweets / Re-Tweets) as a Ranking Signal

Bing looks at “Social Authority”• Bing calculates authority of person who tweeted• Links tweeted by people with high social authority carry more weight• How many people you follow• How many people follow you• Social Authority has slight affect on regular search results• Social Authority has large affect on social search (tweets from biggest

authority have highest change to appear in social search)• No link equity directly (Twitter links are rel=nofollow)• **Fire hose Data does not have rel=nofollow

(may carry some link equity)• Many other metrics can be speculated as having an impact

• Authority of Followers• Following / Followers Ratio• Diversity of Sources• Engagement Level

Facebook – Direct SEO Impact

Google:• Does not index links / content / data on personal walls• Does index links / content on pages• Treats shares on pages as tweeted links• Likes do not affect regular search results

• Event pages get indexed and can rank in search results

Bing:• Does not index links on personal walls• Does index links / content on pages• Does not calculate personal authority of users• Looks at shares marked “everyone” and shares from pages• Likes do not affect regular search results• Event pages get indexed and can rank in search results• Looks to see if a Facebook shared link also appears in Twitter, if so it may give it a

slight boost

• According to Matt Cutts in October 2012, Google +1s Do Not Directly Affect Search Rankings

• This is likely to change going forward – Quote from Google:“For +1's, as with any new ranking signal, we are starting carefully and learning how those signals affect search quality.”

• They do affect Social Search rankings and what people see in their Google plus wall streams

• High number of Google +1s can increase click through rates for organic listings

Direct SEO impact - +1

Direct SEO impact – Shares

Google Plus Shares• Google posts can rank in Social Search Results

• There is no conclusive data for the affect of Google Plus shares on the direct impact of SEO

• It seems logical that it would be treated much like Tweeted Links or Facebook shares.

Google Plus – Rel=Author

Rel=Author is Google’s new syntax which allows attribution of content creation to individual authors.

Rel=Author can be used to attribute content to authors (personal profiles) or brands (pages).

Authorship is another way for Google to establish trust for pages.

No evidence that Rel=Author currently influences rankings.

40% more Click Thru

Click-through rates that are 40 percent greater than normal.

- Greg Boser, President BlueGlass SEO

Google Plus – Rel=Author

Highly Recommended

Rel=Author is a necessary implementation and the cornerstone for Google’s new Author Rank system.

Google Plus – Rel=Author

Image taken from www.seomoz.org

4 Easy Steps to Implement Rel=AuthorStep 1Sign up for a Google+ Profile (Author) http://plus.google.com Sign up for a Google+ Page (Brand) http://www.google.com/+/business/

4 Easy Steps to Implement Rel=AuthorStep 2:List the Websites You Create Content For In the Contributors Section of Your ProfileEdit Your Profile and Add Links to the Field that Says: “Contributor To:”

4 Easy Steps to Implement Rel=AuthorStep 3:Implement the Rel=Author Meta Tag <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/profileID"></a> Example: <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/105175341881739425951"></a>

4 Easy Steps to Implement Rel=AuthorStep 4: Check that the Implementation Works with the Google Structured Data Testing Tool: http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets

Detailed Instructions:http://searchengineland.com/the-definitive-guide-to-google-authorship-markup-123218

The Two Link Method

• Alternative to Meta Tag

Image Taken from http://www.seobuzzinternetmarketing.com/blog/rel-author-and-google-seo-tool/

Blogging - Direct Impact

• Blog posts are new pages of content that can be focused on new keyword opportunities or reinforce existing targets

• Blog posts topics are not constrained by current site architecture

• Blog posts provide excellent internal link opportunities

• New blog posts create new pages that slightly increase Page Rank

YouTube - Direct Impact

• YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine

• Top listings in YouTube can drive considerable traffic

• YouTube thumb nails also appear in regular Google / Bing search results

• Thumb nail universal search listings are influenced by social metrics (shares, embeds, etc)

Facebook Open Graph - Direct Impact• Facebook Open Graph Search is the new

searching functionality that allows you to search Facebook profiles / pages

• Currently focused on people and places

• Facebook Meta Tags for Open Graph can be implemented:https://developers.facebook.com/docs/opengraphprotocol/

• How usage varies from regular Google / Bing search remains to be seen

• Facebook Open Graph search is still in Beta and available to only a select group at this time.

LINK DEVELOPMENT

Links – Effect of Social Media

• Most links found in social media networks are rel=nofollow and do not boost regular search rankings.

• Occasionally profile links will be counted.

• Social Media Networks attract links by marketing good content to target audiences

• The more friends and followers you have that share an interest in the content you are producing, the more potential links you content will receive when it is shared through those channels

Links – Effect of Social ctd• The stronger and more personal your

relationship is with friends and followers, the greater propensity for links

• Having a consistent approach to promoting content through social networks is critical

• Social networks are not push marketing channels

• The collection of social media networks for your audience can be referred to as your Social Media Broadcast System

• Bloggers have a high propensity to link to 3rd party sites - Webmasters do not

• Blog posts are typically more timely in nature and are focused on current events

• Bloggers typically have personal relationships with other bloggers which increase the propensity to receive a link

• The more personal relationships a blogger has with authoritative authors in their industry, the greater chance of receiving a meaningful link for any piece of content

• Blog posts are most effective from an SEO perspective when they have keyword focused internal links to relevant pages that target high priority keywords

• Guest blogging is one of the most effective link building exercises that also benefits your brand and authority

New Blog URL: 481 Links / 33 DomainsOld Blog URL: 960 Links / 192 DomainsOnly Includes Links to Blog Homepages

Links – How Blogs Attract Links

SOCIAL MEDIA & SEORECOMMENDATIONS

Social Media Recommendations1. Ensure Social Media teams understand what pages target

high priority keywords

2. Share preferred landing pages consistently across social media networks

3. Update those URLs consistently with unique, relevant and compelling content

4. Use social media networks to establish relationships by liking, commenting and sharing content from friends and followers

5. Have a consistent posting schedule to all social media networks you participate in

6. Ensure that you respond to friends and followers in a timely manner

7. Share new content, press releases, current company events, discount codes and contests

Blog Recommendations

1. Ensure Blogging teams understand what pages target high priority keywords

2. Consistently imbed relevant preferred landing pages for your site into blog posts

3. Use your standard site navigation template for all blog pages

4. Ensure that your bloggers have Google profiles and implement Rel=Author tags on your site

5. Implement Rel=Author tags for your brand on news pages

6. Incorporate the development of personal brands for your bloggers into your social media strategy

Blog Recommendations ctd.

7. Ensure that blogs posts are optimized for SEO, especially page titles

8. Make sure you have a link to your blog in your global navigation template

9. Train bloggers on SEO best practices so that they can optimize content as it is created

10. Make back links a metric that bloggers are rewarded for

11. Add compelling info-graphics to important blog posts

12. Ensure that bloggers spend some time each week reading and commenting on target blogs to establish relationships

13. Ensure your bloggers spend time each week cultivating relationships with prominent bloggers

14. Create blog posts that offer an opinion or point of view on popular blog posts from other authors

• Social media activities improve performance across social and local search results (as well as YouTube).

• Author authority is going to play a significant impact on SEO performance going forward and companies need to develop strategies for embracing individual brands.

• Social media teams must integrate with SEO teams in order to maximize performance:

– SEO Best Practices Training– Follow the Social Media and Blog recommendations – Understand Priority Keywords / PLPs– Emphasize Relationship Development – Incorporate Link Acquisition into Social Media Success Metrics

• Rel=Author is a necessary implementation and the cornerstone for Google’s new Author Rank system.

• Facebook Open Graph search bears watching as it becomes available to all users.

Key Takeaways

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