The web is awash with articles about how “social shares” (aka –
mentions and link sharing on popular social networking sites) will be
the “next big thing” in the world of link building. But do you really
think that Google’s going to be gamed by the thousands of “+1” votes or
hundreds of automated followers you bought off of Fiverr or a related
site?
Here’s the real deal on how social shares could influence link
building, as well as where the opportunities lie to promote your brand
successfully…
1 – Increase Overall Total Shares
Although it’s thought to be a relatively soft signal, there are some
indications from both Google and Bing that the total number of social
shares your content receives on Facebook, Twitter and G+ is used to
demonstrate social authority.
Obviously, using the total social signals metric
as an indicator of authority has its limitations. It’s incredibly easy
to game the system by purchasing followers or by incentivizing social
sharing in a way that goes against Google’s recommendations for link
building. At this point, though, it isn’t clear how effectively Google
and the other search engines can separate purchased shares from
legitimate signals. However, if they can’t yet, it’s likely they’ll be
able to do so in the future.
Because of this, it isn’t a good idea to go out and purchase social
signals. Even if they do lead to a short-term improvement in rank, odds
are they’ll be devalued at some point in the future, leading to wasted
time and money.
For this reason, it’s a much better idea to encourage the social
sharing of your content using calls to action and social plugins, but to
focus on building momentum naturally. To do this, be sure your
website’s blog makes use of tools like Digg Digg or ShareThis which
allow users to quickly spread your articles across their favorite social
networking sites.
It’s also a good idea to integrate specific calls to action into your
blog posts. You might be surprised how effective adding statements
like, “If you enjoyed this article, please click the icon below to share
it on Facebook,” can be!
2 – Increase Perceived Authority
One of the biggest advantages of social networking sites is the way
they break down communication barriers and enable you to easily reach
out and connect with new audiences who may go on to share your links.
For this reason, using social networking sites to increase your
perceived authority is just as valuable as working to increase the
number of times your content is shared.
In addition to confirming that social signals play a role in the
SERPs ranking algorithms, both Google and Bing have also indicated that
the relative authority of a user factors in to how heavily these signals
are weighted.
Evidence for this assertion comes from a December 2010 interview of
both Google and Bing representatives, as carried out by Danny Sullivan
of Search Engine Land. In response to the question, “
Do you calculate whether a link should carry more weight depending on the person who tweets it?” the representatives responded:
“Yes.” [from Bing]
“Yes we do use this as a signal, especially in the “Top links”
section [of Google Realtime Search]. Author authority is independent of
PageRank, but it is currently only used in limited situations in
ordinary web search.” [from Google]
Being perceived as an authority figure on popular social networking
websites clearly offers a number of different advantages. Not only will
your number of social shares increase as your total follower count goes
up (as people are generally more likely to share content from the
industry leaders they look up to), the mere fact that you appear to be a
thought leader is reflected in the increased weight given to your
social signals.
Obviously, though, increasing your social authority on these sites
requires time and effort, as you’ll need to invest energy in connecting
with new people and publishing varied content that improves your
reputation. However, as these efforts are no less time-consuming than
traditional link building (and may ultimately lead to more viral link
sharing and your content’s inclusion in more personalized SERPs), it’s
clearly worthwhile to invest your energy in this pursuit.
3 – Connect with Authority Users
If one of the biggest advantages to social networking is the low
barriers to communication that allow you to reach out and connect with
potential new followers, it stands to reason that this situation can be
manipulated in the opposite direction as well. By connecting with other
authority users on social networking websites and getting them to share
your content with their followers, you could multiply this effect even
further.
According to SEO expert Eric Enge, writing for Search Engine Watch:
“There are many reasons to engage in social media, including those
that go well beyond SEO. You can get significant direct traffic, you get
branding value, exposure to your target audience, and more. However,
getting an authoritative person in your space to share your content will
probably be a big win, and this is an excellent goal for your social
media campaigns.”
Of course, you probably already have an idea of how successful you’ll
be simply dropping an authority user a line and asking him or her to
share your content without having built up a relationship first. These
authority users are busy and their reputations are on the line with
every tweet or status update they post. But while they may be
incredibly picky about the content they choose to share, this shouldn’t
discourage you from pursuing these valuable opportunities.
Instead, take the following steps to increase your likelihood of
having an industry authority figure share your content with his
followers:
- Identify authority users – To begin this process,
you’ll need to identify a few potential authority users to connect
with. Keep in mind that not all thought leaders will be a good match
for your business model or your audience, so keep an eye out for
participants who are viewed as authorities on the specific topics around
which you want to build your own perceived value.
- Build your relationships slowly – The best way to
catch an authority figure’s eye is to promote his content. Share posts
from his blog with your audience, retweet his Twitter content and
generally do your best to build traffic to his website ahead of your
own. You can also begin to encourage a relationship to develop by
leaving thoughtful blog comments or responding to social networking site
posts in a way that complements the authority figure while still
asserting your own expertise in your niche.
- Reach out when opportunities to benefit both parties arise
– Don’t expect your chosen authority figure to simply share your
content unless there’s a significant value for his audience as well.
For example, if your chosen leader has recently published a “tell all”
piece on a hot new topic in your industry, ask him to promote your
article on the same subject instead of the tired old “evergreen” article
that’s bumming around your blog.
As with all of the strategies discussed for improving your social media
results, building relationships with authority figures in order to get
them to share your content takes time. However, the instant surge of
traffic and increased overall perceived authority will likely make your
efforts in this arena well worth the time invested!
