SOCIAL MEDIA OPTIMIZATION
Social Media Optimization (SMO) refers to the optimization of your website and it's content with the help of social media platforms for mass social consumption. So, it is basically looking at your website and it's content with the eyes of social media consumption. What elements on your site would be optimized better for social media? How is that individual page going to get shared through social media? Looking at the elements on your site and determining how you could use social media to optimize your site a bit better to get more traffic or conversions.
What does it allow you to do?
It allows you to drive traffic, conversions and allows you to engage with your audience. SMO is very similar to SEO. In SMO keywords and on page elements are very important. Infact, meta title, meta descriptions, heading tags are available on social profiles, right clicking and viewing source will allow you to view those elements. Use keywords and optimization techniques like you would in those areas just as you would with SEO. Additionally focusing on 'quality over quantity' is important. Try not to add too much. As driving traffic is the ultimate goal as it is with SEO. Links can be used as a metric of success, multiple retweets are initiating multiple no follow links, social links. So, look for those potential opportunities as ways to use the elements of SEO and SMO.
Best practices to follow
Here are some best practices for getting started:-
Learn from SEO practices It is important to be mindful of SEO practices just as you would with on site SEO such as don't use too much keyword stuffing. Brainstorm a few handful SEO friendly keywords . Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram all these platforms allow you to link to a website within your bio section. Take advantage of this and link to the most relevant area.
Creating a good logo and cover image You can upload a cover photo that complements your profile picture. The cover picture has a prominent location in your profile so you should use this space strategically. For example ,it's a great place to announce a new product release or generate interest in upcoming events, make sure to view the image both on desktop and mobile to ensure it displays correctly.
Social access to your visitors
Try to look at your SMO from the perspective of the end user just as you would with SEO. Look for ways to give your audience more social access. There are many ways through which you can do this like using third party tools. You can add Open Graph to your site so that users can sign in using Facebook or Twitter.
Reward social actions
If someone retweets your posts or likes your page, call them out and say thank you, show your audience that you reward these social actions.
Mobile optimized website
Keep in mind that visitors often view social media on their mobile devices so it's best to ensure that the website linked is well optimized for mobile devices.
Highlight your social presence Consider ways to highlight your social presence to potential new followers and add social media buttons or badges on your blog so if your visitors engage by liking or pinning your posts ,your content is shared with their friends and families which showcases your page to new audiences.
Conclusion, Maintaining effective and engaging social media platforms is an essential part of setting your business up for success. Engaging visuals are vital for making a great first impression on visitors to your social platforms. You can start SMO from today only. Think about your users as to how they can engage with your brand using social channels, provide them with tools that might take them to use those social actions on your website , with your content to help provide benefits for you.
