The Effect Of Social Signals on SEO
SEO and social signals are likely to be linked – after all they’re very much two sides of the same coin and there is interaction between them. So, let’s take a closer look at how this could be the case.
Following are a few of these reasons:
- Social Signals are Indicators of a Solid Reputation
Everyone is aware that websites which have built solid reputations for being strong industry leaders are rewarded by Google. The more that is done so a website is positioned as a credible source in the industry, the more Google will like it. Receiving validation from your followers is one of the best ways to build reputation, on other words that not only do they read and follow your content, but literally they “like” your content. Google crawlers are now able to determine the exact amount of people who are liking and sharing content, all thanks to social signals. One good tip is to use sites that add followers to make accounts seem more popular. This has the psychological effect of encouraging people to like your profiles.
- Social Signals Regulate what is Ideal for a User
Once again, the fact that thousands of man hours are spent by Google tweaking their algorithms to regulate what is ideal for the user is something everyone is aware of. The use of social signals is the perfect way of determining what the best for a user is. Let’s elaborate a moment by looking over a hypothetical example. Picture two websites, in the sight of Google they are both equal. No let’s say that on the same day not of these websites publish articles, these articles both reach equal amounts of internet searchers. The rest is then left up to those searching on the internet to share, like, pin and tweet the articles. A large indicator of the content found most useful by the users will be the amount of social signals that one article received over the other one. This enables Google to understand what will be ideal for the user — this is something that in essence the user is directly telling them.
- Social Signals are Something That Internet Users Trust
The world is not only becoming more dependent on social platforms such as Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter, but these methods are becoming quite popular as word of mouth. It is more likely that people will trust a recommendation from a website that came from one of their friends on social media as opposed to a recommendation that they receive from a search engine. This is why; it is smart for Google as well as other main search engines to pay attention to what is personally being recommended by people to their friends.
- There is a Stronger Brand Loyalty for Websites Whose Social Media Presence is Strong
A social presence that is strong is indicative of a strong brand loyalty from their followers, this also means conversions that are better. What this leads to is better reviews, more sales and more referrals all leading to higher levels of popularity and increased inbound links. For Google this makes perfect sense.
