subject: Using The Phenomenem Of Social Networks For Seo Purposes [print this page] Social network websites are the hottest property on the web right now, due to the exciting interactive features that can make it more interesting for consumers than traditional e-mail and basic service sites. It opens up so many fun ways to keep in touch with other people and to find new friends, as well as a number of b2b functionality too.
You see, these sites can be useful even if you are an internet marketer, since your goal is to find customers or individuals that may be interested in what you are selling or offering to them - social networks can reach your target market in a very proactive way. You can even mix the potential with common SEO techniques that you would normally apply to other areas like classified ads, directories and basic profile pages. Here are some SEO tips that you can apply to your favorite social network sites.
Finding your Current Position in the Social Network World
Chances are that you may already be part of a social network site. That site should be the first place to get started since you are familiar with the interface and possibly have some contacts that can be used to look for other people they are connected to. If you are in multiple sites, you can start in the place where you are most comfortable.
Expanding your Network
Facebook is not just for college students anymore and Twitter is certainly not just for people who love 'tweeting.' On the contrary, these two websites along with Google Buzz and other up-and-coming social networking tools, are now very important for internet marketing and SEO and will continue to be in the future, as tools and functionality develop. There are two reasons why businesses and professional internet marketers should take advantage of social networking resources.
First, creating social profiles on a site like Facebook helps your search engine ranking. If you fill your profile with relevant information about yourself and your business, use relevant keywords, and perhaps throw in a few images, then search engines such as Google are going to pick up on it rather quickly. Pretty soon when your website name is typed into Google then your social networking profile could appear in a prominent position. This is especially useful if you have limited cash flow and you want to be visible in the search engines without spending a fortune on a website.
Other quick and simple sites to consider include Squidoo and hub pages, where you can add lenses and pages on particular subjects and then link back to your own site or landing page.
A second reason why businesses absolutely have to join in social networking is because it helps connect with potential clients and makes customers feel included. When your business takes part in creating a business 'fan page' on Facebook (and continually posting status updates) or making sure that 'tweets' are sent out on a regular basis, your customers will recognize your intent, pro-active nature and can then communicate with you.
Whether you are starting a new account or not, expanding your network is highly important for the social network sites to work correctly for you. There is no use in advertising to a small network if you are expecting lots of traffic into your site. When looking for people, find the profiles that have profile descriptions and see if the fields or tags are related to your website. Inviting too many people who lack interest in your offerings may ruin your image and also be a real waste of time - so be careful.
Joining Social Groups
You can always go the safe route by joining a social group if the social network site allows. There are hundreds of groups in the most popular social network sites with many that are properly labeled so you shouldn't have a hard time looking for a group that can be related to your website offerings. When joining a group, make sure that other people do not see you as an advertiser or spammer. If you properly introduce yourself and talk about some of the topics they are discussing there, you can make your move and post a link to your website. If you are in the right group, you should attract some heavy interest which translates to good traffic and potential customers.
Adding Social Network Links and Widgets to your Main Site
Joining social network sites also give your website an advantage when it comes to proving the legitimacy of your offerings. By adding social networking buttons, links, and widgets, you can show to your visitors that you are easy to approach for support related inquiries.
Adding SEO capabilities to one social network is only the beginning in driving lots of traffic and credibility. You can do so much more if you reach out to other social networking communities. You should also do it alongside other search engine optimization methods for even better and faster results. One thing is for sure though, a consistent level of quantity and quality is a must, so keep doing it often and well.
