Most people can agree that social media has drastically changed the way businesses perform online marketing. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have provided businesses with the resources to create detailed portfolios and interact freely with their customers. Some companies even believe that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is no longer important and social media should be their main focus.
Does SEO still matter? Social media sites have done a great job of connecting businesses with customers. However even with all the advantages that social media has to offer it shouldn’t replace SEO. Instead social media websites should be thought of as a complement to SEO rather than its substitute.
There are many benefits to using social media like attracting new clients, staying in contact with clients, and the ability to build a positive reputation. It’s clear that due to its popularity social media has begun to push other key SEO elements into the background but that doesn’t mean those elements are not still important. As important as Social media is it remains only one portion of the SEO puzzle. The following is a list of reasons why SEO still matters.
1. SEO Finds The People That Want to Find You!
Social networking will put you in front of other social media users but that doesn’t mean they are customers. With SEO you have a better chance of being found by buyers. Social media is often used to communicate with users that are already part of your circle whereas SEO can be used to draw in users to your circle.
2. SEO Provides More Relevance to Customers!
Social media can increase awareness of your company but with Search Engine Optimization you can specifically target customers seeking your product or service. SEO helps you rank for relevant searches which increases the chance of conversion. Additionally each keyword can be optimized to target a different group of consumers.
3. SEO Enhances The Conversion Process!
As mentioned, SEO focuses more on increasing the chances of conversion. SEO focuses on streamlining the conversion process. Every step from targeting, attracting, landing, and retaining a customer is planned out to achieve the best results. SEO optimizes not only keywords but the site’s architecture, calls to action, and internal links to increase the chance of conversion.
4. SEO Helps You Compete!
Your competition is most likely performing Search Engine Optimization which leaves you vulnerable if you aren’t. Without SEO your competition is receiving traffic for the keywords you should be targeting. You should always strive to be better than your competition, why sit back and let them take your profit?
5. SEO Keeps You In Control!
Unlike your home page you will never own the social media platform. You may be able to add the content that you want but there is always a chance that a user can be kicked off, have their profile deleted, lose their account, or even become dated. Social media sites may be temporary but your website and the SEO efforts made for it will last as long as you decide.
6. SEO Efforts Last Longer!
On page Search Engine Optimization usually remains optimized for a long time. Once optimized it all depends on social media and link building to attract your audience. Again social media is a great way to get in contact with your audience but it is only a portion of internet marketing.
7. SEO Returns on Investment!
Compared to other forms of advertising the ROI of SEO has been proven tremendous. As an element of SEO social media will help increase your return on investment. By itself social media may not have the highest return on investment but when combined with search engine optimization it has enormous potential.
In conclusion social media is an important part of online marketing but without actual SEO there will be a huge hole in a business’s overall marketing strategy. If using social media was all it took to make a website number one then everyone using it would have a top website and social media would probably eventually be ignored all together by search engines. Even with the current high emphasis on social media and its future potential, SEO still definitely matters!
Thanks for reading
Dustin
Internet Beacon
Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing, media, search engine optimization, seo, social, Social Media
