Casino affiliates, like any other online marketer, have a lot to gain from social media, and especially Facebook, the social media site with the biggest membership and global reach.
Last year, it was reported that, for the first time, Facebook was the most visited site online, even passing Google. Since then, the online blogosphere has been aflame with theories, guides, predictions, and analyses of how Facebook is the new CEO of SEO.
Whether or not that’s true — that is, whether or not Facebook should become just as much of an SEO focus for marketers as Google — is largely still an open debate. As we’ve discussed here before, there’s certainly a risk of spending too much time on Facebook trying to chase that new SEO jackpot.
But one thing is certain: With more than 500 million users globally and literally hundreds of millions of pages indexed on Google, Facebook isn’t only a networking necessity for today’s online marketer and site builder — it’s an SEO must.
Third-party Facebook SEO
A large number of companies have sprung up in recent months to offer Facebook SEO services. To find any of them, just search for “Facebook”’ and “SEO” as your keywords — and prepare to be overloaded with offers.
So, what to make of all of this? Do you need to outsource your Facebook SEO to another company? Or are there steps that you, yourself, can take to build a powerful SEO presence on Facebook?
As Yoast.com says, “There are two kinds of SEO: the kind you control, and the kind you hope someone else controls on your behalf.” So, the answer depends on who you are, and what you want. If you’re a large-scale affiliate with numerous sites and brands, you may find it worth your while to outsource some of the SEO help.
Doing it yourself
But if you’re more of a moderate-sized or beginner affiliate, there are a number of tactics you can use to boost your Facebook SEO power without bringing in outside help.
Unfortunately, Facebook doesn’t allow paid ads for casino and poker rooms. But worry not: There are still many steps you can take to enhance your natural SEO via Facebook. Here are five great places to start:
1. Post your site content to Facebook. Don’t overdo this, but once a week — maybe less — share a blog post with your Facebook friends. That will help drive traffic to that specific page, and potentially generate comments and additional opportunities for other types of links in the future.
2. Strike up backlinking connections. Facebook is a great source for backlinks — not only from posted articles, as above, but because you’re in direct touch with so many other webmasters in your niche. Reach out to some of them about link-sharing. Again, don’t overdo it — and don’t spam. Also, avoid writing message using a template greeting, or you’re likely to be ignored. (And potentially un-friended.)
3. Promote your RSS link. Use your Facebook profile to display your RSS feed, along with the links to your content. Facebook is one of the rare social media sites that let you manipulate your profile like this, so take advantage of it.
4. Start a group. This is a great way to bring together a bunch of people with the same interest, meaning a group that’s much more likely to be interested in your site and what you have to say. If you’re successful, the group itself can become large enough to create its own SEO benefits, with your site as the direct beneficiary.
5. Update frequently. Don’t post a link to your article every day, but, especially if you’re posting on behalf of your group or your site, try to fire off an update at least once a day to keep people interested.
What else?
What other Facebook tactics have helped your SEO performance? We love to hear your thoughts: Sound off in the comments and share your Facebook SEO experiences with the CAP community.