Search engine optimization has become a mantra for many companies, as they try to rank their website on search engines in the Bay Area. There are many factors that contribute to the changes in ranking for websites. Sometimes it is difficult to determine exactly which factors have bearing and which are moot. One of the factors that are difficult to determine is social signals.

Social signals refer to the liking, sharing, and referring to or linking to a website on social media. This includes such sites as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and others. While it has been concluded that these do not directly affect search engine rankings, they do still have an impact.

When someone likes or shares a post from your company, tweets or re-tweets a link to your site, it is viewed by search engines as an inbound link to your site. Each one of these increases the apparent value of your content, brings traffic to your site, and builds brand awareness. Since people usually only like and share things that are useful, helpful, or interesting, a large amount of social signals usually implies excellent content, which search engines like.

Word of mouth advertising is also known as one of the best forms. Since a vast majority of people trust their friends and relatives more than standard advertising, social signals often indicate recommendations to people who trust the opinions of the people sharing.

People also have come to expect to be able to find companies and their products and services on the internet. They especially expect to find them on social media platforms. These sites allow consumers to find reviews and others’ experiences with the company, as well as interact with each other and with the company. In fact, businesses are doing themselves a disservice by not having a social presence.

To maximize the potential of this side of SEO, add social media buttons to your website, allowing visitors to easily share, like, or recommend your content through their favorite social media site. Be sure you have your company on social media, and include a link to your site from the social media page, as well as a link to your social media from your site.

Don’t count on paying for social media interactions. Paid interactions do not carry as much weight as organic interactions. Social media interactions that are earned, rather than paid for, are much better for your rankings.

There are a variety of reasons why social signals are important for business which businesses will want to consider. One of the most important reasons is that social signals help to rank your website on search engines in the Bay Area.