Did you know that Google can tell how much you update your social media profiles, and will rank you higher for doing so regularly? So it’s a good idea to update your platforms regularly but not just with any old posts.   Think about what you are posting and what your audience are actually interested in, think about how you can add value to their world at the same time too!  Its super important to make sure you have links to your website in your bio too as this is one of the first things they pick up on!

And be careful not to fall into the trap of adding posts and updating for the sake of it, as only valuable and insightful posts will earn engagement (shares, retweets and comments).

There’s no doubt that social media can improve your SEO, but as a small business owner, your focus should be on your customers first, so engagement and quality content, not just producing it for the search engines. If you write for your audience first and foremost, and do all you can to enhance their experience of your brand and your social and website.

At the end of the day, the better the experience you give your users, the better your organic reach (showing up in Google), the longer they will spend on your site (positive bounce rate), and the higher you’re going to rank in Google.

The following 10 tips will help you to use social media to improve your SEO…

1. Optimise your social media profiles

Start with the basics by making sure that your social media profiles are as descriptive – and therefore as SEO- friendly – as possible. Always fill out the ‘About’ or ‘Information’ sections and include words or phrases that describe your business and would be used by people searching for your business.

2. Optimise your social media content/updates

To optimise your social content, always include relevant search keywords and phrases for your business in your updates, tweets, posts etc.

3. Share content from your website or blog

Sharing content from your website and blog socially will give it an SEO boost. Sharing new content on Twitter is particularly effective because it helps Google index it.

4. Grow your following

he total number of followers, connections and influencers that are connected to your social media platforms has a significant influence on your rankings. But it is quality as well as quantity that counts, as Google can tell the difference between genuine followers and a “bought” audience. You’ll need to grow your following organically, which is a slow but very effective SEO strategy.

5. Produce great content

The only way to attract organic followers is by investing time in creating content that your audience will want to read and engage with, so focus on the quality of your content, and give your audience what they want – be useful, be helpful, be entertaining.

6. Engage and interact

Simply posting something on social media and then ignoring any comments or reactions you receive is a big mistake in terms of SEO. Audience engagement is vital for attracting followers and building brand awareness, so be sure to listen to and get involved with those who are engaging with your content and social media profiles. Direct customer engagement is the key to building a sizeable and interactive following which will increase your online presence as well as boosting your authority in your field.

7. Make social sharing easy

Getting people to share your content on social networks connects your brand to the wider social web, which allows your message to potentially reach thousands of prospects. But, if your readers have to start fiddling around opening a new tab, logging in to a social networking site and creating a post to manually paste a URL to your content, they’ll be a LOT less likely to share it. So make it easy for your readers to share your content by adding social sharing buttons. .

8. Get on more with Google!

Google Plus is no more.. so If you haven’t done so already, sign up for a Google Business Page. Make sure you complete as many fields as you can in the “About” section using keywords that describe your business, and use the customised links option within your profile to link back to your website, blog and other social channels.

9. Create a Google local listing

Google Business Pages allows customers to easily connect with your physical location. With 97% of consumers searching for local businesses online, it’s important that you optimise your Google Business to perform well in local search results. Verify your business locations to give them the best opportunity to appear for users across Google products, like Maps and Search.  Make sure to include the address, phone number and other important information, as this will associate your business with the local area.

10.  Update regularly

Google can tell how much you update your social media profiles, and will rank you higher for doing so regularly, so you MUST update your platforms often: just don’t fall into the trap of updating for the sake of it as only valuable and insightful posts will earn shares, retweets and comments. There’s no doubt that social media can improve your SEO, but as a small business owner, your focus should be on your customers, not the search engines. Write for your audience first and foremost, and do all you can to enhance their experience of your brand. At the end of the day, the better the experience you give your users, the better your organic reach (showing up in Google), the longer they will spend on your site (positive bounce rate), and the higher you’re going to rank in Google.