Do SEO and social media really have as much to do with each other as you think? Do social signals really boost your SEO? Roxanne goes over those questions and so much more, like content marketing, link building and more in this presentation for Rocks Digital!

1. Social Search: The Impacts
of Social Media on Search
Engine OptimizationROXANNE ROARK

2. -Former owner of R3 Social Media,
a successful Social Media
Marketing company started in
2011
-Creating and managing social
media accounts since the 90's
-Self taught HTML at the age of 13
-Mom. DIY-er.
WHO AM I?
Roxanne R. Roark
“Siren of Social,” Heroic Search
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3. IN THE BEGINNING..
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4. IN THE BEGINNING..
Search Engines were stupid.
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5. @ R o x a n n e R o a r k
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SEO stands for “Search Engine
Optimization”

6. One really good definition for Search Engine Optimization
from Wikipedia:
“the process of affecting the visibility of a website
in a search engines unpaid results – often
“natural,” “organic,” or “earned” “results.”
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SO, WHAT IS SEO?

7. SEO encompasses a ton of things, now. Mainly:
Content
Reputation
(Authority)
Social
Media
Link
Acquiring
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SO, WHAT IS SEO?

8. SEO is what we call it when we work on website content
(coding and what you see on the site) to make it more
appealing for search engines like Google to rank it
better in results..
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SO, WHAT IS SEO?

9. SO, WHAT IS SEO?
SEO is what we call it when we work on website content
(coding and what you see on the site) to make it more
appealing for search engines like Google to rank it
better in results..
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But.. not this..

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11. SEO is also working on getting you links back to your
content to show search engines that your website is
knowledgeable and reputable.
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12. SO, WHAT IS SEO?
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It’s content.

13. SO, WHAT IS SEO?
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It’s content.
The right content.

14. SO, WHAT IS SEO?
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15. SO, WHAT IS SEO?
How many SEO experts does it take
to change a light bulb, lightbulb,
light, bulb, lamp, lighting, switch?
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16. Content
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18. Content
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Tweetable: Content is anything you create.
And it's not limited to just your website.

19. Content
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20. Content
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21. Content
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22. Content
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Tweetable: when you create content your
goal is to build a reputation.

23. Content
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Whether that reputation is for being
knowledgeable in your field..

24. Content
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25. Content
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26. Content
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..Or being fun..

27. Content
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28. Content
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..Or being a resource..

29. content
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30. content
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31. content
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32. Content
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Tweetable: Content
should always
have a goal.

33. Content
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34. Content
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35. Reputation
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36. Reputation
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Tweetable: Reputation is how people
perceive you - online AND off.

37. Reputation
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SEO is basically built on
ensuring you have a
reputation for knowing your
industry.

38. Reputation
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Heroic Search does this in a variety of
ways..

39. Reputation
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Content marketing

40. Reputation
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Link Building

41. Reputation
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Social Signals

42. Reputation
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• <html>
• <head>
• <title>
• <title>
• </head>
• <h1></h1>
• <h2></h2>
On Page Optimization

43. Reputation
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Tweetable: If people think you don't know
what you're talking about, they will run
the other way.

44. Reputation
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Provided by and used with permission of @TessWittler

45. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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• …is what we call it when someone is linking to your website
from theirs. Some call it “link building.”
• A few ways this is accomplished;
• Guest posting
• Link Roundups
• Link exchange* (careful, here)
• Interviews
• Speaking gigs

46. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Guest Posting

47. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Guest Posting

48. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Guest Posting

49. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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50. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Link roundups

51. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Link Exchanges
A Right Way.. And A Wrong Way.

52. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Link Exchanges
The Wrong Way.

53. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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54. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Link Exchanges
The Right Way.

55. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Link Exchanges
“When it comes to link building, Google want[s] to see links
that you've earned. They want to see links that you deserve
because you have something of good quality to offer - not
because you're happy to take part in link exchanges.
Having said that, Google has no problem at all with websites
linking to each other for legitimate reasons.”
Source: https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-link-
building/good-bad-ugly

56. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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“We had never met in
person and I didn't know
story, but there was
something about the
carries himself online
drew me in.”
–Amber Backes,
@startup_family
Interviews

57. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Interviews

58. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Speaking Gigs

59. Reputation: Link Acquiring
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Speaking Gigs
Safe, solid link
back to the
website.

60. Reputation: Social Signals
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Social signals

61. Reputation: Social Signals
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Social signals are “likes” from Facebook, “retweets” on
Twitter, “pins” on Pinterest, etc. that show the search
engines that your website or content is meaningful to other
people.

62. Reputation: On-Page
Optimization
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On-Page Optimization

63. Reputation: On-Page
Optimization
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On-Page Optimization is when taking a look at the content
on your website and making sure that it is people friendly.

64. Reputation: On-Page
Optimization
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Some SEOs only care about making your website search
engine friendly, but this is a mistake.
Google wants to be as human-like as possible (SkyNet,
anyone?), so by making sure your content is human-
friendly, you are killing two birds with one stone.

65. So, What is Social
Media?
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66. @ R o x a n n e R o a r k
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67. @ R o x a n n e R o a r k
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• Social networking platforms where your audience can
interact with you.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

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• Social networking platforms where your audience can
interact with you.
• It brings brands closer to their audiences.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

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• Social networking platforms where your audience can
interact with you.
• It brings brands closer to their audiences.
• It brings audiences – PEOPLE – closer to brands.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

70. @ R o x a n n e R o a r k
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• Social networking platforms where your audience can
interact with you.
• It brings brands closer to their audiences.
• It brings audiences – PEOPLE – closer to brands.
• It can also help us spread content and reach new
PEOPLE.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

71. So…YES. SEO has something to do with
Social Media.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
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• Social networking platforms where your audience can
interact with you.
• It brings brands closer to their audiences.
• It brings audiences – PEOPLE – closer to brands.
• It can also help us spread content and reach new
PEOPLE.

72. SEO and SoMe
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..But does it have as much to do with it as you think?

73. SEO and SoMe
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74. SEO and SoMe
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Seems like everyone wants to know if “doing”
social media will help SEO.

75. SEO and SoMe
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Social Signals

76. SEO and SoMe
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This is from a study from 2011

77. SEO and SoMe
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Searchmetrics study from 2012 shows correlation between
social signals and Google rankings.

78. SEO and SoMe
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Searchmetrics study
from 2012 shows
correlation between
social signals and Google
rankings.

79. SEO and SoMe
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Correlation simply supports the possibility
that something may be related.
Tweetable: When it comes to SEO and
Social Media, correlation does not equal
causation.

80. SEO and SoMe
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SEO works by determining what humans find most valuable,
online.

81. SEO and SoMe
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SEO works by determining what humans find most valuable,
online.
Social Media is one way humans share what is valuable to
them.

82. SEO and SoMe
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SEO works by determining what humans find most valuable,
online.
Social Media is one way humans share what is valuable to
them.
BUT…

83. SEO and SoMe
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SEO works by determining what humans find most valuable,
online.
Social Media is one way humans share what is valuable to
them.
BUT…

84. SEO and SoMe
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SEO works by determining what humans find most valuable,
online.
Social Media is one way humans share what is valuable to
them.
BUT…
It‘s not only social sharing that really
matters.

85. SEO and SoMe
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Google wants to act as human as possible. So if other humans
are visiting your content and paying a lot of attention to your
website, Google takes that into account when assigning your
website a slot in the SERPs (search engine results pages).

86. SEO and SoMe
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The increased time spent on the website, lower bounce rates
(people are not just leaving the page as soon as they get there),
increased page views on the website, higher click rates, etc. are
other signals to search engines that your website is relevant.
Which is why Content Marketing is so important.

87. SEO and SoMe
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Out of all of my research, this explanation makes the most
sense:
If your content reaches people that will share it to their
websites and talk about you online, and those people are
influential in their space, those earned links boost your
Deeper explanation:
http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/social-signals-and-seo

88. SEO and SoMe
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Ultimately, your goal should not ONLY be to get social media
shares, but to build relationships with the (reputable) people
that will also share your content and a (hopefully) link back to
your website on theirs.

89. SEO and SoMe
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Tweetable: Get more eyes on your content/website,
earn more links, and *that* will boost SEO.

90. SEO and SoMe
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Case Study 1: Apartments
Goal: To increase organic traffic by boosting visibility on
Strategy: Optimized website to ensure search engines could
with ease. Implemented a strong content marketing strategy,
including their newly created blog and social media accounts.
Results: The first 6 months saw a 47% increase in organic
and by the year’s end there was a 115% increase, leading to
more leads and conversions.
https://www.seoplus.ca/blog/seo-case-study-apartment-
rentals/

91. SEO and SoMe
Case Study 2: Law Firm
Goal: Rank at the top of search results for a variety of key
Strategy: created a collection of data driven content pieces.
lead to wide spread social sharing, backlinks from bloggers,
and pickup by larger news sites including the Huffington Post.
Results: In just 6 months, the law firm ranked #1 for more
their desired keywords and in the top 5 for many more.
http://gofishdigital.com/case-studies/
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92. SEO and SoMe
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Case Study 3: Shrushti.com
Goal: Rank at the top of search results for a specific key
Strategy: Use social signals to improve rankings, starting at
place in SERP (Search Engine Results Pages).
Results: In only 1 month, the site ranked #1 for their desired
phrase on Google.co.uk
http://www.shrushti.com/seoblog/case-study-social-signals-
to-improve-search-rankings/

93. SEO and SoMe
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Takeaway:
Social Signals give an indirect signal that a
piece of content is popular, and depending on
who is talking about it, may give search
engines a signal to say “Hey, this web page
needs to be higher in the rankings.”

94. SEO and SoMe
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Takeaway:
After optimizing your website, including a
strong social media and content marketing
campaign is your best chance at getting your
website ranked higher in the search engine
results.

95. Thank You
Get in Touch
Dallas and Tulsa Offices
Phone Numbers:
Tulsa: (918) 340-6767
Dallas: (214) 984-3750
Email: Roxanne@HeroicSearch.com
TwitTer: @RoxanneRoark
http://heroicsearch.com