Improving rankings on search engines with SEO in the Bay Area is an ongoing necessity for all businesses. One way to affect your ranking is through the use of social media. If you use it properly, social media along with good search engine optimization tactics can greatly improve the quantity of visits your site receives, as well as an increase in conversions.

The reason social media works this way is because it is all about relationships. The more someone feels they have a good relationship with your business, the better off your business will be. Social media allows you to engage customers and potential clients as well as form a relationship with them.

The first thing you need to do is make sure your profile page is up to date and accurate. Whether your social media of choice is Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, MeWe, or one of the lesser known platforms (or all of them), the profile page is key. Make sure your business information is complete and accurate, and having a few keywords in your “About” section can be very helpful.

Posting regularly and publicly on your social media accounts, making use of keywords and posting good information about your business, products, and services will also show up in the search engines. Public posts on social media are usually indexed and when you discuss your business and what you do in posts, potential customers are more likely to find you when looking for what you offer.

Hashtags can also be useful. Even though most people’s idea of SEO does not include hashtags, it works in a similar manner. When someone is interested in what you are putting forth, finding it via a hashtag can be easier than using Google. That is why you see more large companies using hashtags for their social media posts – because it works!

You may not have thought about Pinterest being social media, but it offers some good opportunities for increasing your exposure as well. This is because Pinterest can be searched easily and the items can be easily shared. It is also because search engines (including Google) index Pinterest posts. For these reasons it can be an excellent way to promote your business through photos of your products and services, with captions that include your keywords and keyword phrases.

When you are linking to your site from social media, it can help to use SEO within the link. Instead of linking to “our website,” link to your business name or a product or service that your business offers.

It is important to remember, though, when using social media or SEO in the Bay Area and other areas, that SEO is not the most important part of social media. The relationship is the important part, and the SEO part is important but not the most important. Using SEO to the exclusion of relationship building may backfire on you.