Improve Blog SEO with Social Media by being Bloggable

Can social media improve blog SEO?

I say yes, it can.

Recently on Copyblogger, Sonia wrote about some very intriguing words from Matt Cutts, head of Google’s anti-spam team. In The Straight Dope on Facebook, Twitter, and SEO, she quotes Cutts revealing that Google is beginning to factor social media links into search results:

We do use Twitter and Facebook links in ranking, as we always have in our web search rankings, but in addition we’re also trying to figure out a little bit about the reputation of an author or a creator on twitter or Facebook. […]

Here’s my comment from the Copyblogger post:

The real SEO value is in second-hand backlinks. Sure, links on social media sites themselves are nofollowed, but if someone links to you in a blog post, that will be followed.

Don’t just focus on social media sharing, but “blogability.” Are there qualities that make something more likely to be linked to in a blog post? I think so: you write for an audience which has a lot of bloggers in it, you create a great resource which prompts them to tell their readers (especially for link roundup type of posts) or you’re taking a stand on a divisive issue are just a few I can think of off the top of my head.

I would certainly be glad if the Big G took social media sharing of links into account as a measure of popularity and relevance, at least temporarily while a topic is fresh.

Be Bloggable

What I’m saying is: be bloggable. Getting other bloggers to link to you has always been a goal, but now with most of the link-sharing taking place on social media, we have the chance to get our links in front of many more bloggers  faster than in the past. The trick is to get other bloggers to want to link back to your content from their blogs, not just via social media.

The quick guide to better blogability

It’s one thing to just say “be bloggable”, but it’s quite another to accomplish it. If blogability came in a bottle you’d already have it and I’d be having this typed by my clone, which I could afford to have created, because I’d be stinking rich (screw that virtual assistant stuff, cloning yourself is where it’s gonna be at ).

So here’s a quick rundown on being more bloggable:

• Start a link list post series – This is a long-term strategy that won’t get you big results right away, but will pave the way for steady results later. This is based on the idea of good karma or the Zig Ziglar “effect”: if you help others get what they want, you’ll get what you want, too (totally paraphrasing there). Other bloggers want backlinks just as much as you do (well, the smart ones do). If you provide them, chances are they’ll reciprocate eventually. The key to success with this strategy is to forget about who you linked to and forget about whether or not they’ll reciprocate. In other words, keep the notion of reciprocity out of your conscious mind. Just give and don’t worry about it. Trust that links will come.
• Learn and practice the fine art of linkbaiting – Linkbait is what we call a headline that demands to be clicked because it is so curious and/or outrageous. One of the most successful linkbaiters I know is Lyndon Antcliff of Cornwall SEO. Check out the posts in his Linkbait category. Soak that shit up like a sponge. I recommend you subscribe to his blog, also.
• Ask to be linked – This is where good networking (and a little homework) comes in. The first tip I gave you was to start a link post series. Now what I’m telling you is to actively seek out link post series from other bloggers. Follow these posts for a while to get a feel for the content. Then politely email the blogger and say: I’ve been reading your link posts and really enjoy them because {insert genuine reason here}. I have a link you may find useful for your readers. Then provide copy-and-paste HTML code if you can. Why? So your keyword-rich anchor text is included. By making this as convenient as possible for the blogger, you’re also raising your chances of having your desired anchor text used for the backlink. If you use your imagination, there are other ways to ask for links.
• Utilize your blog pack – If you are part of a blog pack, then you can all mutually agree to create backlinks for each other in all kinds of ways. You are limited only by your imagination.

Good content? Well, DUH

You’ll notice I didn’t say anything about writing good content. Do I have to? C’mon.

Captain Obvious strikes again

Naturally, you’ll want to grow your social media presence to have as many active, engaged followers as you can get. The bigger your garden, the bigger your harvest, right?

Wheels turning?

I hope your mental gearwheels are turning. Got any suggestions to add to the list? Please share in the comments. Questions? Comments. Meaning of life? Hey, it never hurts to ask in the comments.