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Social Media Optimisation:
The Complete Guide
Using social media platforms helps drive website traffic and improve organic search rankings. Discover how to effectively implement your SMO strategy.
How does SMO work?
What is SMO?
SMO stands for Social Media Optimisation. It encompasses techniques and actions aimed at improving a brand’s visibility and reputation on social media platforms. Creating a Facebook page, Instagram profile, or posting on LinkedIn is not sufficient; you need to devise a comprehensive strategy to optimise your content on social media, make it go viral, and encourage sharing on forums or other blogs.
This marketing technique works in conjunction with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and forms an integral part of Search Engine Marketing.
What are the objectives of SMO?
Your SMO strategy will address multiple objectives. You’ll be able to:
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Enhance brand recognition
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Foster customer loyalty
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Obtain valuable backlinks
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Improve your website’s search ranking
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Promote your content (content marketing) on social media
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Generate website traffic
To achieve these objectives, you need to determine the right content to create and share, as well as the most relevant keywords for your target audience. It’s advisable to tailor your content to each social media platform based on your target audience. For instance, sharing a blog article would be more appropriate on LinkedIn.
Why is SMO relevant to SEO?
A well-executed SMO strategy can have several benefits, such as helping you obtain valuable backlinks and securing a prominent position in search results with a YouTube video. When you develop your SMO strategy, its outcomes can positively influence your search engine rankings.
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58,4 %
of the global population
uses social media. -
2h27
– the average time spent
on social media. -
2,91Mds
– the number
of Facebook users.
What can SMO do for you?
What advantages can you gain from SMO?
While SMO can certainly boost traffic to your website, it offers so much more! Through shared content on social media, you can enhance your SEO strategy. When your articles are shared by other websites, it helps create backlinks and improves the visibility and reputation of your site.
The benefits of SMO
Here are the main advantages of implementing an SMO strategy:
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Visibility
By establishing a presence on one or more social media platforms, you allow your brand to reach a wider audience.
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SEO
The more your content is shared on high-quality websites, the more search engines, including Google, will value and rank your site.
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Traffic
Your active presence on social media platforms makes it easier for internet users to discover and visit your site.
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Customer engagement
By consistently sharing content on social media, you can foster communities and build strong connections with your customers.
How to implement an SMO strategy
What are the key elements of SMO?
SMO revolves around social media platforms. Therefore, the key elements are none other than the following popular social media platforms:
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Facebook
The leading social media platform, widely embraced by the media and e-commerce companies.
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Instagram
The platform dedicated to sharing photos and videos, gradually transforming into a social commerce hub.
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LinkedIn
The go-to professional social network, particularly valuable in B2B strategies.
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TikTok
The app that skyrocketed during the pandemic, offering entertaining, educational, and easily shareable video content with immense viral potential.
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Snapchat
The app favoured by younger generations, leveraging the power of augmented reality.
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Twitter
The microblogging platform where individuals can freely express themselves.
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Pinterest
The inspirational social network that sets trends and simplifies the exploration of brands and products.
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YouTube
The video-centric search engine, allowing users to publish both short and long video content.
Creating your SMO strategy: step-by-step
Implementing an effective SMO strategy requires careful preparation. Here are the key steps to guide you in creating your SMO strategy:
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STEP 1
Define your objectives
In your SMO approach, clearly define the objectives you want to achieve, such as increasing your social media followers, boosting engagement rates, or achieving specific conversion targets.
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STEP 2
Create target personas
Before diving into content creation, identify your target audience by creating detailed personas. This will help you understand the typical profiles of your prospects and customers.
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STEP 3
Establish an editorial guideline
Decide on the type of content you want to share on social media and highlight key website content. Develop a consistent tone of voice tailored to each platform.
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STEP 4
Conduct research
To find inspiration, analyse competitors’ accounts and stay updated with industry trends and developments.
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STEP 5
Create compelling content
Create optimised social media pages or enhance existing ones. Ensure that your pages provide comprehensive information.
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STEP 6
Develop an editorial calendar
Plan and schedule your content using an editorial calendar. This allows you to have a clear overview of your content and its publishing schedule. Remain flexible to accommodate current events or unexpected changes.
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STEP 7
Share your content across social media
Once your content is ready, schedule its automated publication on social media platforms. Optimise your posts to maximise their potential for viral reach.
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STEP 8
Analyse performance
Once your posts are live, moderate user interactions and take the time to analyse the results and KPIs of each post. This will help you replicate successful content and improve your overall strategy.
SMO strategy: best practices
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Create high-quality content
The foundation of your SMO strategy lies in producing valuable content. Just like in SEO, you need to consider relevant keywords and address your community’s questions. Your content should be informative and of top-notch quality. The more value it offers, the greater the likelihood of it being shared and picked up by reputable websites.
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Encourage interactions
Social media platforms thrive on virality. The more your content is shared, the more visibility it gains, ultimately boosting your brand’s reputation. It’s important to make sharing on social media as easy as possible. For instance, consider implementing social media sharing buttons on your website.
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Optimise images
Image optimisation is crucial for SEO, and it holds equal importance in your SMO strategy. Alongside search engine optimisation, ensure that your images are optimised by adding descriptive alt text.
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Engage with your community
The essence of social media lies in interacting with others, particularly your community. To enhance your reputation and foster community growth, it’s vital to actively participate in conversations, promptly respond to questions, and engage in meaningful discussions.
SEO vs SMO: What are the differences?
SMO
- Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube
- Running ad campaigns
- Fast execution
- Optimisation for user engagement
- Off-site optimisation
- Creation of viral content
VS
SEO
- Google, Yahoo, Bing
- Content creation
- Time-consuming
- Optimisation for search engines
- On-site optimisation
- Creation of structured content
Our Commitment
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Expertise
Since 2010, we have worked with over 2000 clients across 90 countries.
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Passion
We are a team of passionate, industry-focused individuals who are committed to your success.
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Performance
We’re committed to implementing a data-driven strategy, making a real impact on your bottom line by providing avenues for growth.
Any questions?
SMO stands for Social Media Optimisation, which refers to the techniques and actions used to enhance the visibility of a brand and its website on social media platforms. It involves optimising YouTube videos, creating viral content, managing e-reputation, and running advertising campaigns.
While SEO helps users easily access your website, SMO provides greater visibility and facilitates easy access to key information about your company, such as products, prices, and more. SMO is a complementary technique to SEO and involves the creation of diverse and engaging content.
Implementing an SMO strategy enables you to connect with a wider audience through various social media platforms. Increased visibility on these platforms helps more people become aware of your brand. By being more visible, you can attract potential customers and maximise brand exposure through content sharing. Enhancing your company’s visibility through SMO also drives more traffic to your website.
