Search engine optimization (SEO) remains a critical component of a business’ digital marketing strategy. However, the landscape of SEO has shifted dramatically over the past few years. More specifically, the rise of social media demands that businesses integrate their social media campaigns with their overall business marketing strategies to ensure that customers are engaged with product and services.
The emergence of social media provides the opportunity for businesses to become actively involved with a customer. Traditional SEO techniques enable more potential clients to discover a business’ website. However, these days a business’ digital marketing strategy must move beyond this passive approach to embrace mutual interaction with current customers and prospects.
Link building has traditionally been an active way that businesses improve SEO. However, as the landscape of online interactions evolves, social sharing of content will emerge as an increasingly important alternative to both improving your SEO as well as driving new prospects to your business. The key is to develop and share great content that others will want to share with their friends and colleagues.
Developing and sharing content does not necessarily mean reformatting your web site. For example, a high quality and relevant Twitter tweet can drive hundreds of new visitors to your site in a short period of time. The key is to be concise, relevant, and timely. Another approach is to use Facebook to create a media intensive representation of your business. As Facebook moves towards more personalization, intensive demographic marketing emerges as a way to get specific populations to like your Facebook page. These likes translate into more exposure for your overall business, including prospects coming to your website.
Overall, 2014 looks to be the year that social networking emerges as a key to SEO. Businesses need to focus on high-quality, tailored content that can be liked and shared. The social aspect of digital content drives more prospects to a business’ website and this traffic is the foundation for growth and success.