Google Social Search
Google first introduced Social Search in 2009 as an initiative to highlight content for users that was both relevant and personalized based on public content from their social circle. Since then, Google has continually updated Social Search to meet the increasing shift in user behavior toward social networking. In recent months, Google has started integrating this Social Search data with social annotations alongside search results; extended the social networks where they’re pulling this data to include sites like Quora, Flickr and Google Reader; and now, Google has just launched their very own social sharing button, Google +1.
Why bother with Social Search optimization?
While at first it was unclear as to how much Google planned to invest in Social Search and whether the search engine would eventually incorporate these social signals into their ranking algorithm, the rapid evolution of this now prominent feature on Google’s SERPs confirms that Google’s Social Search is becoming deeply integrated within Google. For example, while Social Search results originally only showed up for users at the bottom of page, with Google’s latest updates, results containing social context have the potential to rank in any position on page 1. With major implications like this one, and many more which we’ll detail below, Social Search introduces a new optimization strategy SEOs can’t afford to ignore and is yet another indication of the convergence of social media and SEO.
Note: Bing’s also looking to social signals as indicators of search relevancy, but the focus of this post is specific to Google Social Search.
5 Optimization Tips for Google Social Search
- Diversify your social channels. Google’s scraping for social signals from a wide range of networks. Leverage several networks versus just one or two, and be sure to focus on channels Google’s actually looking to for signals, like Twitter, Facebook, Quora, Flickr, Google Buzz, Google Reader and YouTube. If your content is being shared across multiple sources, Google may also see your content as more valuable due to its broad reach.
- Treat tweets and Facebook updates like on-page SEO. Many people fall into the trap of trying to use a different type of messaging across their social networks that’s irrelevant and misaligned with their brand and overall company message. Just as you would optimize your website page, use keywords that are relevant to the content you’re sharing via tweets and Facebook status updates. Additionally, be sure to align your Twitter bios and Facebook Info tabs with your website’s “About Us” messaging.
- Make sure your Facebook Page is publicly viewable. Google and Bing can only crawl pages that are viewable by ‘Everyone.’ Check your Page’s settings and make sure your content and updates are visible to the general public.
- It’s not just about content; engagement matters. Retweets and Shares aren’t enough. Don’t just use your social channels to push content to your followers; ask questions, answer questions and facilitate conversation. Just adding social sharing buttons to your blog post pages isn’t enough. Google’s interested in more than just sharing–they’re looking at social relationships, too.
- Measurement is key. Just because you think a topic is engaging and will attract a lot of social sharing, doesn’t mean it will. Trust the data, not just your intuition. Make sure you’re measuring your social media efforts. Once you find out what kind of content really resonates with your followers/fans/readers, make sure to build content that meets that demand. If your content isn’t generating engagement, then you’re not going to derive value from Google Social Search. Metrics to consider might include for your blog: page views, subscribers and comments. In terms of social sharing, track retweets, @mentions, Likes, comments and Shares.
Share your own tips
While we’ve included a list of tips above that we view to be significant in optimizing for Google Social Search, this is in no way an all-inclusive list. Are there any Social Search optimization strategies that you’ve tried and seen success from? Share them with us.
