Houston Social Media Marketing for Search Engine Optimization

Houston search engine optimization is most effective when it keeps on top of new developments in the industry. Google confirmed the inclusion of social media in its algorithm as of the Panda Update in February 2011. Services such as Facebook and Twitter now have a direct impact on SERPs. What does this mean exactly?

Perhaps this inclusion was a prelude to the implementation of Google’s social media. In March Google announced the implementation of the +1 button. When users click the Google +1 button, they are recommending the page to Google for their contacts. If someone in their network of contacts makes search queries that return similar results, the accumulated Google +1 for their network will show beneath the page title and description that we usually see on search queries.

Yet another social media button to add to your website! Many people have resisted the new + 1 button and it’s relevance. Since it is still in its experimental phase, we don’t really know exactly how the button affects search engine results, whether those effects are restricted to social networks, or how they compare to Facebook and Twitter. However, since Google – the biggest search engine on the web – supports the button, it will probably influence your SERP. If it influences your site’s ranking, the sooner you implement the button, the better.

The main reason to start using Google +1, is that it improves your SERP, along with other social media. Even though the button has only been in use for a couple of months, there has already been an experiment testing the effects of the button on SEO. The final result shows a 24% increase in Google search ranking for the same number of impressions, or appearances of a site on search engine results.

Why use Google +1 rather than other “Like” buttons such as the ones on Facebook or Twitter? The +1 button doesn’t direct you to a third party site where you need to log in to express your approval. Once you express your approval, it doesn’t flood the pages for all of your contacts with information about something they don’t necessarily share a common interest in. People will only see your recommendation if they make searches that bring up the same results as the searches you made.

If your company has these social media platforms, it’s important to post the linking buttons on your website pages. Remember that search engines take the presence of these links into account when determining SERPs. If you don’t have these services affiliated with your website, and don’t have the time to set them up, Directory One can do it for you. Contact your Houston Search Engine Marketing Company Directory One at (713) 269-3094 for more information about how we can help your company gain new customers through the use of web marketing and social media.