SEO Warrior

Chapter 15. Social Networking Phenomenon

This chapter looks at some of the most popular social media sites and how they relate to SEO. Social networking is not new. It existed—albeit in a primitive manner—prior to the mainstream Internet, in the form of bulletin board systems, newsgroups, and IRC chats. Even in those days, people were able to share all kinds of information and files, including media files. The only catch at that time was that you had to be a computer geek to use these services effectively.

Although those days are long gone, the idea is still the same in the sense of social networking and information sharing. As the mainstream Internet matured, so did its users. The Web as we know it is changing, with an emphasis on self-expression. This is what the social web is all about.

Why is social networking important? Social networks give you other sites on which you can place your URL and attract hits. You are in control—you don’t have to hope someone else will link to you. Simply put, social networks provide you with additional channels of inbound website traffic. Optimizing your site with social media in mind is referred to as SMO, or social media optimization.

Rohit Bhargava coined the term SMO. Wikipedia defines it as follows:

Social media optimization (SMO) is a set of methods for generating publicity through social media, online communities and community websites. Methods of SMO include adding RSS feeds, social news buttons, blogging, and incorporating third-party community ...