How Can User-Generated Content Influence Your Site Rankings?

Clive Lobo

User-Generated Content

How Can User-Generated Content Influence Your Site Rankings?

User-generated content is becoming a necessary part of any comprehensive SEO marketing campaign.  In the past, search algorithms used to make assumptions that certain types of data suggested a website was more or less valuable to users.  For example, links to and from other sites (i.e. referrals) meant that a website was what people wanted.  However, that practice could easily be manipulated.  Thanks to the widespread popularity of social media, users can now provide direct referrals and become brand advocates by independently creating positive user-generated content.

User-Generated Content

User-generated content in the context of social media

One of the most basic ways for users to meaningfully affect a website’s ranking is through social media.  Active users can give your website’s rankings a boost by giving your site likes, shares, and +1s.  However,search engine algorithms want to ensure that you are still as great today as you were yesterday.  Search engines also look for how many active users you have on social media networking sites.  In other words – how many people are actively sharing data about your brand today?

There are some things that website managers should do to increase visibility and promote brands through social media.

  1. Create an active and engaged online community
  2. Add value through social media instead of updates that might be seen as spam
  3. Use social media sites as a platform to help your brand and your audience connect with other notable people in your industry or a related industry
  4. Launch every social media marketing campaign with a clear direction and a set of goals; effective social media marketing is a lot different than updating a personal social media networking account

User-generated content can help your site rank higher as well as your brand’s online visibility overall.  Your audience can independently engage in brand advocacy and spread the word about how great you are. Similarly, user-generated content can hurt your business.  If people don’t like something, they have the ability to let the entire online world know it. That’s why its important to monitor social media channels daily for mentions of your business. There are tools that make this easy, like Tweetdeck, SocialMention and SproutSocial.

 

User-Generated Content

User-generated content in the context of local businesses

Many businesses with a brick-and-mortar storefront have recognized the value of online visibility. Customers can help boost rankings by writing positive reviews on local business listing services (e.g. Yelp), or by writing positive things about a business in general on blogs, micro-blogging platforms (Twitter), or sharing the business’ URL with others over any number of social media platforms.  Local businesses can generate online buzz needed to boost rankings and increase visibility both online and offline.

Some things local businesses looking to boost site rankings should think about include:

  1. Take the feedback from customers online as constructive criticism
  2. Take advantage of the ability to build a community both online and offline
  3. Consider what possibilities increased online visibility could have for your business; could online buzz turn your neighborhood business into a sought-after destination?

5 takeaway tips to put the SEO puzzle together:

  1. Input from real people is increasingly important to search and online marketing success
  2. Social media is increasingly important in search
  3. What customers say about your online or local business matters
  4. User behavior directly relates to user feedback
  5. Build an engaged online community around your brand

It’s an easy concept that is difficult to execute. That’s what we’re here for. Have your say about Social Media taking an important part in search in the comment section below!

Clive Lobo

Spark’s resident boss man, Clive possesses the very nature of an entrepreneurial spirit.

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