Anyone in SEO knows the part social media plays on increasing traffic. This development has sparked changes in 2012 that will require more use of social media in SEO strategies. With the increase in monitoring social media interactions and the ease of seeing the following a site has, Google and other search engines will be adding social media in their analytics next year. So how will this affect websites and blogs?
Social Media will be required:

In the past you could utilize social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. Those days will soon be over. Social networks will be used to increase and decrease page rank within Google. This means if you are still holding out on creating a Facebook page or Twitter account, or haven’t really done anything with the one you have, you may want to revisit it and get some following.
Small Blogs and Sites:
In some circles, the smaller mom and pop blogs and sites are growing in popularity. In the following year the new analytics will get these low budgeted high quality sites more exposure. No matter the size of the SEO budget or knowledge in marketing, these small blogs will be able to increase page rank simply by networking socially. Even though social media will play a large part in page rank and SEO, it is still advised to add it to an already solid SEO strategy rather than depend on it alone.
Interactions will help more:
Merely having followers and fans is not enough. Another SEO change will be the interactions between the site and its social media contacts. This is simply a way for search engines to determine the true amount of value a site has. Engaging your followers in conversation, debates, and commenting will increase the credibility more than it does currently.
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Social Media Management will be Key:
Between Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn, it can get overwhelming. When the new set of analytics comes out for page rank, there won’t be room for too many errors. How you manage your social media will play a big part in how well you do. You will want to create a routine, schedule, reminder, or set of rules for you to follow in order to assure all the sites are updated and running like clockwork.
Experimenting may help:
After you have completed the building of the social media section of your SEO plan, you will need to determine what is working and what isn’t. Just like the content on your site, what you post will determine your following. Track and measure your efforts on your social media sites and see what works and what fails. Optimizing your pages will assure you get and keep the following that Google is looking for.
New Tools for Social Media:
2011 was a huge year for social media and 2012 won’t be any different. With new procedures and requirements come new tools to help make it easier. Expect to see a lot of tools designed for monitoring, posting, and assisting you in your social media SEO. Don’t shy away from these tools. Do your research, get reviews and see which tool will help you in the long run.
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Social media is a large part of the internet today. More people spend time reading their friends Facebook status than they do reading the news. In SEO this is going to lead to success for your site or blog. Embrace the social media wave and make it work for you.
Web designer Mark Williams also writes for mintleaf studio in Melbourne, Australia. As a freelance writer, he is able to bring a fresh perspective on many topics like this one.
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