Social media optimisation (SMO) is the use of a number of social media outlets and communities to generate publicity to increase the awareness of a product, brand or event. (wikipedia)
SMO is married in with SEO in that what you do on social networks, whether that’s on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Forums or other sites, can and does have a direct effect on your website rankings in Google.
When employed effectively social media can be one of your greatest assets for improving your website’s organic search results. Through linking and connecting users in various online networks, you extend the reach of your business and brand which increases opportunities for people to link to your website’s products and services. This contributes to what we in the SEO world call off-page SEO.
Furthermore, social media optimisation helps connect all of your social media accounts in a cohesive, consistently branded network that points your potential customers to where you want them to go, whether that’s your website, another social channel, your blog etc.
As an SMO specialist we employ a strategic, multi-point process to build your successful SMO foundation, boost your SEO, and drive more potential customers to your site.
What does SMO involve?
SMO is an ever evolving and changing set of tasks and optimisations to be performed regularly and consistently. But here is a very basis list of some of the items that fall under SMO.
- Optimising your social platforms to meet channel best practice.
- Using relevant hashtags (for Instagram and Twitter) to improve your content discovery.
- Creating content that is relevant to your target market and that encourages them to engage with (share, comment, watch, read and co-create).
- Integrating and connecting all your social channels with your website and with each other.
- Making it easier for users to share you content from your website.
- Allowing users to socially comment on your products from your website.
- Engaging with other people’s and organisations content to stay at the forefront of people’s attention.
- Track your content performance.
- Employ paid media to gain greater reach and engagement with your content.