Social media has grown rapidly over the years. With about half of the global population now using social media platforms, social feeds can go a long way in enabling you to reach your target audience. But the question is: can social feeds affect your website’s SEO and search ranking? Well, before we answer your question. Let’s start with the basics.
What is a social feed?
A social feed, sometimes called social stream, offers you a way of interacting and engaging with your customers, right from your website. A social feed widget pulls real-time data from your chosen social media (ideally, the one preferred by your customers) and displays it on your website by creating a live and interactive feed. For example, if your customers prefer Twitter, you may want to put your company Twitter feed on your site.
Your website visitors will get updated from your tweets in real time and can tweet or retweet instantly, directly from your website on your social feed widget. This gives your website many advantages associated with social media. Your website becomes more social with greater interaction and engagement with visitors and fans.
So, how does a social feed widget affect your website’s rank?
Increased engagement improves your website ranking in organic searches, consequently giving you more visibility online. Now let’s delve dipper and explore four simple ways a social feed widget can help improve your website’s ranking.
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New traffic from existing customers’ connections
It has often said that the best advertisement is a satisfied customer. Customers express their approval or satisfaction with your product or service by word of mouth – telling others. The digital equivalent of word of mouth is user-generated content (UGC). A social feed widget allows customers (fans and followers) to share their own content (ideas, views, and reviews) about your offering or company on your website.
Moreover, they may also share, like and comment on the content you post on the feed. Your happy customers become brand ambassadors highlighting your products, events and marketing campaigns on your social media feed. By UGC, sharing, liking and commenting, customers promote your brand to more eyes – their social media connections.
Your visitors’ connections visit your website translating to new traffic, improving your website’s ranking on search engines. If the new visitors buy your product and are satisfied, the cycle repeats itself.
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More customer interactions help in search engine optimization (SEO)
When your customers are able to interact with you on your social media platforms without leaving your website, it saves them time. They visit your website to make a purchase and get to know the latest company news, offers, campaigns etc. Not only are they updated, but they can also give instant feedback without leaving your website.
This real-time communication improves your customers’ experience and keeps them returning to your site. For this, you can integrate live chat software on your sites that communicate with your visitors at any time. You need to make sure they are getting relevant and actionable information. It should be a source of important news and updates that help your customers make decisions, take advantage of offers and discounts, and most importantly a feedback platform.
These interactions and customer feedback will help you identify what your customers are interested in, and what they are not. You get to know your customer better - their preferences, hobbies, demographics, location and so much more.
This dynamic information can be used in your SEO to optimize your website and digital marketing based on factual data from your customers. Your website’s ranking rises with proper optimization
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Search Engine links
Search engines like Google associate your social media pages with your website when highlighting links. This means that the interactions between you, your customers and their connections via the social feed widget can potentially link your website with all your customers’ connections.
When your customers post, like, share or comment on content from your social feed, their connections get to see and interact with this content. The shared links attributed to your social media are associated with your website by search engines. Once again, it improves your website’s ranking on organic searches.
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Credibility and authority
Linking your social media with your website is a bold move. It’s a great sign that you are confident about your brand and services and open to both positive and negative criticism. You will more than likely have to resolve customer complaints on social media which will be relayed to your website via your social feed widget. It is important to remember that no business has 100% customer satisfaction.
Sometimes you will make mistakes. Your social feed is a great opportunity to show the world how much you care for your customers by responding to their concerns and resolving them to an amicable conclusion. It is a theater to showcase your superior customer service to your potential, new and existing customers. This boldness and transparency gives you credibility and validation.
The very nature of social media is that it will attract new observers, comments, and new traffic. The caveat to this is that you must resolve the issues to the best of your ability. You should not be perceived to antagonize the customer even when they are unreasonable. Show how much you care and turn the negative incident into positive action. You will attract new traffic and your website’s ranking will go up
Some areas of concern
Even with all these advantages, there are a few cons. When considering installing a social feed widget, you must keep in mind your website’s aesthetics. A large feed can clutter your website and become a distraction rather than a compliment. This can put off potential visitors.
Because the social feed is embedded from a third party site e.g. Facebook, it has the potential to slow down your site which could lower your website’s ranking.
If links are posted on the feed by your followers, they may link visitors away from your website.
These challenges can be resolved by employing professional services when installing social feed widgets and plug-ins. In addition, have your social media and website administrator set appropriate checks for published content on your social media.
Final tips
Since your customers love social media, connect with them on social media. You must find their preferred social media and link it to your website using a social feed widget. Do your research, get this right.
Your social feed widget is a great way to drive customer engagement and dialogue. It will facilitate a continuous exchange of innovative ideas between you and your customers by allowing visitors to not only respond to your content by liking, sharing or commenting, but also to express their own opinions through user-generated content.
Moreover, this customer feedback and views offer you invaluable data and insights which help shape not only your product or service but also your digital marketing campaign and website SEO. If you want to enhance your digital skills then you can join a training program. There are several institutions available that come up with digital marketing courses in Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and other cities of India.
A social feed widget is an easy and convenient way to keep your website visitors updated on what is happening in your company with real-time information. It also helps authenticate your business and your activity on social media, building confidence in your brand.
Lastly, to get this social feed widget right, you may need the services of a professional.
Now that you know the benefits of a social feed widget to your website, let a professional design and install the feed, then watch your website’s ranking in organic searches grow. For more tips, feel free to follow us here or contact us here.