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2 Tools to Leverage the Social Factor of SEO

2 Tools to Leverage the Social Factor of SEO

The future of the internet is undoubtedly sharing on Facebook, “tweeting” on Twitter, along with the other various solitary verbs that are used for social networking actions.

Since Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks are becoming so increasingly popular, Google has changed its website ranking algorithms to take into account how much buzz websites create on social networks.  What this means for website owners is that the more your website is shared, “liked,” and “tweeted,” the better chance your website will have to rank higher on those search engines which take that factor into account.  While this factor of search engine ranking algorithms can appear to be an impediment to many, it can be a tremendous advantage if a website leverages its visitors and uses the following tactics and tools to make their website socially apt:

Facebook Comments

Facebook is a no-brainer to integrate your website with, having over 700 million active users and a current global website traffic ranking of #2.  Beyond allowing users to “like” your pages, one of the best ways that a website can foster social buzz about its latest blog post or website additions is to use the Facebook commenting plugin.  The Facebook commenting plugin makes visitor comments on pages matter more to search engines (when those comments are indexed) than a generic commenting system (because of the social aspect of the commenting system).  The Facebook commenting plugin will also generate social backlinks to the page that is commented on by posting the user’s comment on their personal Facebook wall.   That posting on the user’s personal Facebook wall will then show up to their network of friends to generate more visitors to your website, more comments, and even further buzz after that.

To integrate the Facebook commenting plugin into your website, the easiest way to determine your method of integration is whether your website is powered by WordPress or not.  If your website is powered by WordPress, it is as simple as installing the official Facebook Comments plugin.  If your website is not powered by WordPress, then you will need to consult the Facebook developer’s website , where the proper website code can be generated, which is then as simple as a copy and paste to integrate.

ShareThis

The obvious feature that should be on all webpages is the ability to share those pages across social networks.  Beyond humans, websites are now developing social reputations with this new social search engine ranking factor.  To make sure that you maximize your website’s positive social standing by allowing sharing, liking, tweeting, and other like social networking verbs, there are two ways to go about placing those buttons on your website.  Option one, visit each individual social network’s developer website and retrieve the necessary code, which inevitably ends up being overwhelming and time-consuming for most people.  Option two, make it easy by using a tool called ShareThis.  ShareThis takes the headache out of socializing your website by allowing you to choose what social network buttons you want to appear on your website, where they show, the style of the buttons, etc., simply and easily.

When it comes to integrating ShareThis with your website, simply visit the ShareThis integration tool  where you will be walked step-by-step through the integration process based on your website platform (WordPress, Joomla, etc.).

 

What is your strategy to leverage the social aspect of your website?  Let us know in the comments section.

Alex Parker is a 17 year-old serial entrepreneur, mentor and business coach, investor and self-employed internet marketer. He has been featured in Forbes and on the Reuters board in New York City’s Times Square for his entrepreneurial success, among other publications. He’s based in Grand Rapids, MI

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