A look at the correlation between social sharing and links provides welcomed results
The relationship between SEO and social media is evolving. We can see this in changes Google made to its algorithm, and the increasing use of social media.
After Google’s algorithm changes were confirmed, online business owners started to wonder how social signals were impacting search engine results. Google’s Matt Cutts made statements on the importance of social signals and ranking content, but concrete examples weren’t given. Since a lack of detailed information is common with Google, we weren’t too surprised.
A look at the data is the best way to see how social signals impact content. In an experiment, Dan Zarrella created a database of over 25,000 URLs. Each of these URLs was at least a month old, was shared on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and had at least one incoming link.
The results of the experiment proved there is a correlation between social signals and links. According to Zarrella, “Those URLs that got more Twitter love, also got more link love.”
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The same trend goes for Facebook and LinkedIn, and although LinkedIn didn’t have the levels of sharing of Facebook and Twitter, it was responsible for strong engagement. “While all three networks did have a positive correlation, the strength of the relationship was strongest for LinkedIn,” wrote Zarrella in an article for SEOmoz.
Audit your social strategy
What are you doing to engage with your audience on a social level? Which platforms have increased your ability to interact with audience members?
Zarrella’s article makes a strong case for using Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. If you work in B2B, then LinkedIn will help create your strongest relationships.
Take a look at your social media strategy. Are your articles getting shared through the three big social networks? Are you sharing them multiple times throughout the year during efforts of repurposing content? Remember to get creative with sharing by pulling interesting and informative sentences and sharing them with your communities.
Have you seen similar results as Zarrella’s? When we first audited our Blockbuster Posts, we discovered that social signals, including comments, were a characteristic shared by all of our top traffic generators. Have you experienced the same? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
