Social media is becoming more and more important to search engine optimization (SEO). As our guest experts Scott Polk and Sarah Carling of ObsidianEdge explained a few weeks ago, smart marketers should be aware of the crossover between the two forces, and be actively using their social media presence to create better SEO (largely via backlinks).
Of course, the biggest of the social media sites by far is Facebook, which has become a global powerhouse to the order of 750 million users, about half of whom are estimated to be using the site n any given day.
Given Facebook’s reach, then, marketers should certainly factor in this social networking site when creating their SEO plans. Here are three ways to use Facebook for better SEO.
1. Get a Facebook account for your website, and name it wisely.
If you don’t already have a Facebook account dedicated to your main website, get one now. Seriously. There’s no reason not to have this important step in place.
When you get one, name it wisely. Facebook lets you choose a username that becomes part of your Facebook page URL. But remember, this is a different strategy than naming your website itself. You’ll want to avoid “stuffing” your Facebook page with keywords. Instead, opt for the exact same name as your business or website, or as close as you can get to it. And once it’s in place, don’t change it.
2. Add links to your “About” and “Info” boxes.
Now that you’ve got a Facebook page for your business and a username you’re happy with, it’s time to start filling your page with content and links that’ll take users to your site (and provide powerful backlinks to help your SEO).
Because the “About” box is the highest place in Facebook’s CSS page structure where you can add custom text, you should load it with the most important content of your entire Facebook page. This is where to place those keywords we advised you to avoid adding to your Facebook.
And don’t forget the “Info” box, either. Here you’ll have the chance to provide more info about your company and more links to your website.
3. Link to your site with daily updates.
Each time you update your status, you have the chance to place a direct link at the top of your page’s CSS structure. Facebook lets you do this in a number of ways: You can type in the URL as part of your status update, or attach it as a link. The second option also adds an autolink and the page’s description and title — both of which are excellent for SEO backlinks.
Update your status daily. Some marketers do so more than once a day, but if you take that approach, you’ll run the risk of appearing spammy. You can also risk annoying your followers and friends, who always have the option of ignoring your posts.
Questions? Comments?
Are you focusing on Facebook for your SEO efforts, or are you still in Google-only mode? Sound off and let us know your experiences with Facebook and SEO.