Your website search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing are one thing. But what about how your search engine ranking and social media can help improve and rank you better when people search for your company or service? If you google it, one of the first things you will see is how Google announced in 2014 that social links may, or may not, boost your SEO. This came as a big surprise to lots of people, especially marketers. They had previously believed the more friends they had on Facebook, more likes, more comments in Twitter etc. then the better they would rank as they built that content. Really, that is only a small piece of the puzzle. Everything is evolving to be more wholistic and not just based on one facet of things.

In the end social media is, as always, about building relationships, sharing ideas and giving people a more personal perspective of your business.

Here are three things to know when it comes to SEO and social media for your business:

1. Social signals may, or may not, boost your SEO. For example, the number of Facebook posts in business page, number of Tweets, or Instagram photos will not directly increase your SEO bottom line. Still, they do have many other benefits that go beyond just getting ‘points’ or credit for spending time on social media.
2. Social media profiles DO rank in your SEO. When people search for you and your business, your profiles come up. So having quality social accounts set up matters. Like it or not, Google+ matters the most in this regard. Your profile info will be highlighted like a statistics sheet. A map will appear and it will seem to be the authority on the search. Therefore, identify your accounts so people know they all belong together and spend the time to create a nice profile in Google+. Once you have that done, apply some good content to it. Just like all social media, these accounts help people get to know you better. They are a more personal way for them to get to know your business better. Share a different, more intimate side of your business. It’s where all the things that you wish people knew about your business, but don’t, should go.
3. Social media channels are search engines too. Even though it’s no secret that Google is the #1 search engine, the fact that people use social media platforms to search out businesses should be something to consider and account for. Every second of every day, 1,140 searches are performed on YouTube. It is the #2 search engine. Facebook has a sophisticated search algorithm so that people can connect with specific people in dozens of ways: school attended, hobbies, other connections etc. Twitter has a massive database of information that you should be a part of, all of it searchable for users. Twitter will show relevant results that could include you if you are tweeting regularly, using hashtags and talking about the things other people care about ie: trending topics and events.

In the end social media is, as always, about building relationships, sharing ideas, and giving people a more personal perspective of your business. A perspective that is less formal, but still just as professional and carefully considered as your website and its content. It also gives you a wildly seen platform to post that awesome content that you are generating on your blog website. Don’t let it sit there unnoticed. Share it with those that want to find you and learn more about you.