seo: Using Internet Tools and Social Media

Linking techniques and social sites can boost rankings


By Alex Strzetelski

Finding a way to have a website rank high among all websites listed is an ongoing process that can take many forms. Finding a popular link, laying out a page or offering services have become popular methods, for the moment, but are subject to the whims and trends that move through the web. Some of the more current social media methods of obtaining a higher search engine ranking include:

 Incoming social links
 Popular social content
 Capitalizing on current social trends
 New technologies

Incoming links

Having links associated with a site is one of the most recognized forms of enhancing a websites ranking. In using incoming links the site is taking advantage of the reputation and content that the incoming link has to offer. In most instances, the best links are associated with educational institutions or governmental agencies, which give a substantial amount of added information about the subject in question. This is why the web search engines value the .edu and .gov links so highly.
Even though the .edu and .gov links are highly valued they do not necessarily rank as the best incoming links. The incoming link only needs to have a particular relevance to the subject at hand. The link does, however, need to be monitored because it will directly affect your sites ranking if something on it changes for the good or bad.

Popular content

The notion that an incoming link does not need to be from a source that is highly regarded is a phenomenon of changing internet socialization. Social links flow with current thinking and hold sway one week while not the next. Some may include:

 Blogs
 Social networking sites
 How to sites

 Related product sites

The advantage that these links offer is that they offer content. Providing relevant content is the leading form of increasing a ranking. The issue becomes what content is being offered. A link to a blog, for instance, cannot be a link for the links sake. The blog needs to be relevant to the site it is linked to. If there is little relevance it may hinder the sites ranking rather than enhance it.

Social trends

The world of the internet is a reflection of the social trends happening on the world as a whole. Trends come and go, and at a fairly quick pace. Finding some of these trends (witness u-Tube) can be a solid way to capitalize and increase a sites ranking. The reality that these trends come and go so quickly, however, means that maintenance of a site is a priority. Having outdated content is a quick way to reduce a sites ranking rather than increase it.

New technologies
As social trends come and go, so do new technologies appear. Being able to use a new technology to advantage is a good way to increase traffic and, as such, the sites ranking. In many such cases these new technologies are only an opening use of the technology. Finding out how the public will eventually decide to use it is the key to incorporating it into a website and increasing rank and traffic.



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