Getting on Page 1 of Google Search Results

Where Social Media and Search Engine Optimization Intersect

No doubt you've heard about the effectiveness of applying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices so that your corporate site gets found on page 1 of Google search results...

But did you know that you can actually dominate page 1 by also having a Flickr page, YouTube channel, your article on Digg, etc.?!

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is a kissing cousin to SEO when it comes to garnering those coveted top page rankings!

Just having your business represented on various social media sites means more chances to get on that invaluable page 1 position... so just imagine how much more effective this strategy is if you optimize your profile.

Optimizing your Social Media Profiles

Too often businesses, and individuals, just put down their name and a very brief line or two when they put up a profile on a social media site. (One such site, LinkedIn, will actually tell you what percentage of your profile they deem to be filled out sufficiently.) But there is much more to profile optimization than just typing in enough information... You can - and should - be writing your profiles so they 'work' for you.

In each and every one of your profiles on social media channels, you need to:

• Include live links to all your relevant web properties
• Include words relating to your industry/product in your profile
  • If you've conducted keyword research, even better: use the best of those keywords as your tags
• Include all your vital contact information; phone, email, skype
• Include geographic-identifying information to attract followers in your locale
• Add a head shot - people on social media sites like to see each other's faces
• Add some personal info (the type of dog you like, favourite rock star) to make your profile "pop".

SEO and SMO are a powerful combination - both effective ways to get found online. And SMO is - to boot - a great way to get followed!