Social Media, SEO and Bees

Social Media SEO is "honey" to the search engine bees!

Each time I meet with a prospective coaching client, I ask them to bring along their keyword research and SEO plan. 95% of the time they respond, "But why? I want to learn about Social Media, not SEO. I'm a business owner, not a website developer."

I simply cringe when I hear those words coming from the mouth of a seasoned entrepreneur. Understanding good SEO practices and keeping an up-to-date list of the keywords relevant to your business or industry are the cornerstones to having a good Social Media presence.

Each and every profile or page you set up on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc. is an opportunity to attract search engine traffic, but you can't do that without the right combination of words and phrases. In short, yes Virginia, you ARE using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) when you use Social Media Tools.

Need proof? 
Do a Google search of a competitor or the name of an industry professional you trust and take a look at the web links that are returned. I'd venture to guess their Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn profiles will come up.

Why?
Search engines companies are concerned with user experience. They want you to use their product repeatedly so that other businesses and individuals will pay to advertise on their sites. In order to keep you coming back, they want to make sure they provide the most relevant answer your search query. Status posts, tweets, recent uploads and blogs are like honey to the search engine robot bees. If a company is optimizing their frequent posts and profiles (aka- using the right keyword combinations), they are more likely to be the recipient of a visitors search engine query because the "bees" see it as new information.. a new and nectar filled information flower growing within the internet meadow.

What Now?
Examine your current Social Media profiles and evaluate if there may be opportunities to optimize. One of our favorite free tools is Live Keyword Analysis. Once you understand the connection between SEO and Social Media, a brand new marketing world will open up for you. Implement this simple marketing tactic and you may find yourself to be the next rose growing amongst the thorns of your competition and a swarm of search engine bees vying for your information elixir.