OOPSIE DOOPSIE

With the new year upon us, I think it’s a perfect time to revisit the use of social networks. With the rise in popularity of using social networks for business us, it is very important for businesses and organizations to take those social profiles to the next level. A quick way to do this is optimize those pages for search engines.

I’m a huge fan of this. Although it can take some time to get a handle of the in’s and out’s of SEO as well as learning a few [white hat] tricks of the trade, there are definitely a few quick and easy optimization tips you can do today.

I’m concentrating on one of my faves – Twitter. Check out a few ways you can optimize your Twitter account today.

1. Choose your User Name wisely

Your user name will not just be positioned in a personalized URL, but it will also be treated as a traditional title tag in search results. This will be the first thing a user will see. Therefore, if you are a brand, make sure you use the brand’s name as the user name. Also, avoid adding a series of non-sensical numbers/letters at the end of a name. This may be marked as spam.

2. Make your Bio keyword friendly

This can be compared to a meta description of a web page and will also appear in search results below your user name/title tag. So, be sure to pick some keywords that will help not only optimize your page but will also match your brand. Oh, and don’t leave your website url blank. Even if your site is under construction, give them a way to contact you! LinkedIn profile, Facebook page, even the under construction URL – don’t leave it blank! It’s an opportunity.

3. Make sure your tweets are retweetable!

A common mistake, although Twitter offers us 140 characters, sometimes brands ignore the golden rule of Twitter sharing – thou shalt give extra characters for a retweet. [Link authority!!]

Yes, Twitter does offer that automatic “Retweet” button, however many marketers are using the “Quote” via mobile or simply copying/pasting and adding “RT @username” at the beginning of the tweet. This will give a promotional opportunity to not only your brand but also the person who is retweeting. Make it easy for a retweet and consider a policy to make tweets 100 characters or less. This will also force your team to really look at making thoughtful, useful tweets. It takes too much time for your loyal followers to try and trim the fat in a message. They will pass on your RT.

4. Post industry-focused tweets

Cater to your audience and desired reach by including keywords into tweets. This will make it easier when someone is searching for your brand or industry-related company on Twitter. Make it easy for them to find you and then they can retweet, which will build authority.

In addition to including keywords, don’t forget to add or look for additional opportunities to include “via @username” or “cc @username” in your tweets.

Start the conversation with Twitter influencers; build your retweet library; increase your link authority = be seen in search results!

Hope this quick list helps! Feel free to share ways that help you generate social optimized interest 🙂