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Four Easy Ways Social Media Can Improve Your SEO

May 28 2012

3634 homefinder SEOSocialMediaIf you find yourself overwhelmed by terms such as meta tag, site map, or search engine optimization (SEO), you have come to the right place. We get that your number one job is sell homes and, likewise, our number one job is to simplify online marketing strategy. We will show how improving your SEO can be as simple as a Tweet, Share, +1, Pin or Like.

More and more potential buyers search for homes using Google. When they drive by and see a house for sale they quickly do a Google search to find the listing, so it's important that your listings are at the top of Google. How do you get your listings to the top of Google? Improve your website's SEO by engaging with your social media networks. The following four techniques explain how to most effectively engage with social media to drive your SEO, and get to the top of a Google search.

1) Start a Google+ Page

Google+ is a newer social media tool but marketers are quickly learning the value of incorporating it into their marketing strategy. Since it is a Google product, it is believed that it may have a strong impact on Google search rankings. Simply stated, when you "+1" online content, it serves as a social endorsement to your Google+ network. Below are some easy tips to use Google+ to boost your SEO:

  • Create your brand's page. This is the easiest step! It is basic, but an important building block to building your online identity. Keep your page visually compelling and post fresh content several times a week.
  • Work on building your Google+ network. The larger your network, the greater the effect on your site's traffic and rankings.
  • The more content you add to your Google+ feed, the more Google can index your posts and include in search results, improving your Google rankings.
  • Add a +1 button to your website and your listings, so your site visitors (and you!) can +1 your content and share this endorsement with their Google network.

2) Strategically Engage with Your Followers

How you engage with your social media followers is an important component of your overall SEO strategy, so keep these two rules in mind when posting content:

  • Popularity: Google looks at the number of "retweets" (RT) on Twitter, shares on Facebook and +1s on Google+ to help determine how popular the shared content is online. The more the content is RT/Shared/+1, the more important Google perceives the content. Identify key influencers that might be able to help you distribute your content.
  • Authority: Create a strong following within your social media networks not only by the number of people following or "liking" you, but by how many of those people have a high number of friends or followers. Google prefers content that is not only authoritative by the author but is RT, Shared and +1 by authoritative people.

3) Start a Pinterest Page

At first glance, Pinterest may look like a way to save and review fun pictures, but it is quickly becoming a strong marketing tool. The site currently has 10.4 million users and the average amount of time spent on the site is one hour and 17 minutes. By following these tips, Pinterest can be an excellent resource to improve your SEO:

  • Create a Pinterest page for your business to share your listings, blog content, business history, agent bios, news feed, or any other content that will link back to your website. The more links that point people back to your site from Pinterest, the better your search results will be. Make sure these images are visually compelling, so they have a higher chance of being repinned.
  • When creating your boards, choose the appropriate category (i.e. home décor) and use hashtags (ex: #realestate) and relevant key words to increase the odds of them appearing in a search. Anticipate terms that your target audience would search (i.e. real estate, new home, home selling tips, etc.)
  • Comment on other pins and boards of similar interests to organically build a following and increase the likelihood of these users sharing your pins with their network.
  • While it is important to link back to your site, you also want to pin unoriginal content so your followers will view you as a source of new, compelling, and relevant content.

4) Activate a Single Property Website

HomeFinder.com's Single Property Website product has unique URLs and is already SEO-optimized--all you need to do is share with your social media networks. With one click, you can share your listing's customized website with your Facebook and Twitter networks, and encourage your sellers to share with theirs. The more the Single Property Website is shared, the higher it will climb on Google.

Social media is the key to SEO success, so start using these tools and tips to grow your presence. Do you have any questions on how you can best improve your SEO through social media?

To view the original article, visit the HomeFinder.com blog.