For those in search engine optimization, it seems that the industry and the world is perennially changing. That makes sense when you think about it, of course; after all, technology constantly innovates and things improve and change in their delivery over time, meaning SEO experts need to constantly be on their toes to take on this change and know how to use it in their businesses, and for their clients.
One change that doesn’t get enough focus, though, is the idea and fact that social media optimization is fast supplanting and overtaking simple search as THE destination and component when it comes to quality and thorough search engine optimization. But what is driving that factor? And aside from social media simply being popular, why does it matter to understand how social and search mix together in time?
People are Searching… on Social
People aren’t done with search – and not by a long shot. But instead of doing it in the traditional way (Google, Bing), they are now doing it the new way – on social media. That means they head to Facebook or Twitter to search and find information about products, services, vacations, companies, and more – all based on knowing what their friends are doing, and seeing what people on social media have to say about these companies and organizations, implying word-of-mouth marketing is making an impact on their decisions.
The power of friends and connections
Related to that idea is this power of friends, connections, and word of mouth marketing. See, when people search through social media, they aren’t just sifting through random results that have been gamed to target SEO; instead, they are sifting through what their friends have to say about a company or product. Friends don’t like your company? You’re in trouble, because that will impact how their friends see you, and whether or not they buy from you, in this new era of smart search mixed with social media.
Smart search and geo-location!
Finally, social media optimization is the new era of location-based marketing services, and “places” check-ins on sites like Foursquare and Facebook. By allowing users to check in at places, and have their geo-locations tagged on their smart phones, you can see not only where people are, but what they do and how they shop and spend their time relating to brands and products. That’s a very enticing thing for marketers to use, and it only comes about through thorough social media optimization and best practices.
In all, search engine optimization obviously isn’t going anywhere – but you will be run over if you’re an SEO expert who hasn’t yet taken into account the power of social media, social search, and the semantic web as they relate to people searching for people, products, businesses, and services. Embrace social media as the new search engine, because in many ways, it is and it will continue to be for the foreseeable future!