How Social Media Benefits SEO

Almost everyone has used social platforms to share, like, follow, and +1 their favorite content. These interactions have influenced the way websites are found online and are known to positively impact overall rankings for a website. It’s important to understand that the two are now permanently intertwined. Let’s review some of the main ways social media impacts locally-targeted websites and companies.

Authoritative Reviews

The authority of online reviews and reputation is immense. Review sites like Yelp and Google+ Local are extremely important in gaining positive reviews about your business. Try to focus your efforts on getting positive reviews from individuals who are authoritative or influential. For instance, a more influential review would come from someone who has reviewed a thousand businesses rather than ten. It’s kind of like the Ebay rating system for sellers. You are more apt to buy - or be influenced, in this case - by someone who has sold more items on the platform.

Check-Ins and Geotagged Media

Foursquare and Facebook give users the ability to check-in at venues, restaurants, retail locations, and millions of other locations. This data is similar to how Google uses Web citations of your physical address for verifying location on Google+ Local. Also, the data has said to have an influence on Google’s algorithms.

Just like Foursquare and Facebook’s check-in ability, there are other platforms that allow users - whether they know it or not - to geotag pictures when photos are taken. For example, when you upload a picture to YouTube, it includes metadata about the time, date, and location of when the media was created. 

Google+

Remember the huge 2011 flop of Google+? We do. Google Plus is here to stay, and I think it’s for the better. It has been shown that +1’s have been positively correlated to improve rankings on Google. Google looks at the authority and number of people who are doing the sharing, and they are also looking at the speed of sharing. It’s essential to earn +1’s on your website’s content. They help your overall rank and hold a similar weight to Google+ shares.