When you’ve limited time for marketing, it’s tempting to go all-in on one facet. An impressive website, an engaging social media presence, or keyword-heavy content for search engine optimization (SEO). But it’s important to remember that it’s all connected—and becoming more so every year. Today, we’ll talk about some changes to social media as SEO and how your strategy may need to change or expand.
News Update: Google Indexing Social Media Posts
Recently, Instagram has started to allow Google to index social media posts from public Instagram profiles. This may sound like it isn’t news, as Google web crawlers have indexed most of the known internet, but certain pockets have been holding out, including Instagram. From now on, individual posts (including images and videos) can show up in search results—and not just for search results for your name or company, but also the content—meaning talking and showing your expertise on Instagram can also translate into Google search results.
Changing Demographics: Social Media as a Search Engine
It’s important to also talk about how the way people search for things has changed. While “Just Google It” is still the battle cry of the Millennial, younger generations—most notably Gen Z, who are becoming both consumers and workers—are more likely to search “in-situ” when possible. Instead of opening a browser, they will search on their preferred social media platform, be that Instagram, TikTok, etc. So it also behooves you to be on the social media platforms of your ideal clients as well as Google.
SEO: Social Media and Backlinks to Your Website
The third side of this story is the connection between your website and third parties. When you post to social media with a link back to your website, you’re creating a connection—a connection that helps you rank up with search engines like Google. These connections, known as backlinks, are an important part of your online presence. It’s important to remember that while you should be present on social media, it’s only your website that you’ll ever have full control over.
Building, maintaining, and exploiting your online marketing is a ton of work, especially when it comes to the complex interplay of your online presence. Most businesses don’t have the time to manage all parts of marketing without a major internal investment. Working with a marketing agency like Vision provides you with all the expertise without that investment, so you can focus on your products and services. Contact us today for a consultation on your business’s marketing, including where to focus to get the most returns.
