SMO:: Social media optimization content and IBL's

[kgun]

1. Background: It is assumed that clean well-formed (and valid) code with great content and IBL's with foccused anchor text is the heart of search engine optimization, SEO.

2. SMO Social media optimization, is a fairly new concept in online marketing. Microsoft bought 1.6 % of FaceBook for USD 240 mill without the site having income. In other words, Microsoft valued FaceBook to USD 15 billion (240x100)/1.6. That indicates the weight Microsoft puts on social networking. This adds a new dimension to search engine optimization and on more and more sites you see bookmark tools like those you find on AddThis - Social Bookmarking Sharing Widget Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Button.

3. SEO with the SMO dimension added. There is difference in opionion on the importance of IBL's and content for SEO. Some take the position, that the importance of great content is an illusion. It is all about links, inbound links to your site. It is not so important whether these links are from authoritative sites any longer. So getting inbound links from social networking sites like FaceBook and social media sites is of utmost importance. Sites with great content, without inbound links will die a natural death. This is even more important in the SMO marketing world.

Conclusion:
I formulate this statment to implement at constructive discussion. Relative importance of:

1. Inbound links with relevant anchor text, 70 %.
2. A social media button like the tool found on AddThis, 20 %.
3. Clean code and great content, 10 %.

Related link:
Influential Marketing Blog: 5 Rules of Social Media Optimization (SMO)

Humor:
Without "lobby activity" your site is soon dead. The greatest lobbyist has the chance to die well fed

[fernimac]

We included SMO in our SEO strategies long ago. We have journalists that write press releases, take part in blogs, chats and forums and even keep updated some blogs. They add content to the Wikipedia, vote for content in Digg... etc. You could call that PR in the Internet. I think it is going to play a more and more active role in the positioning of a web in the near future.

[calledminime]

Definitely a very worth-while post. I recently started a thread about managing a site's online reputation by utilizing social media/marketing and your thread definitely has some very interesting and insightful information that fits into that question.

Thanks for the share!

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by kgun

So getting inbound links from social networking sites like FaceBook and social media sites is of utmost importance.

huh? When is the last time you saw a profile page from one of these ranking high, let alone indexed? I think you may be looking at this the wrong way. Getting links from social networking websites may not be the direct goal from an SEO point of view, but it surely is from a overall marketing point of view. People linking to you will equate to traffic, getting traffic from these websites one way or another will definitely help your main domain get eyeballs. But does the traffic convert? My experience so far is not that well from the two sources mentioned above.

[fernimac]

Yes, we are using SMO more in a sense to improve our clients reputation and citation on the Internet that actually to get traffic that converts. But it is definetely something you want to be following just to know the role it might play in the future.

[kgun]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

huh? When is the last time you saw a profile page from one of these ranking high, let alone indexed? I think you may be looking at this the wrong way. Getting links from social networking websites may not be the direct goal from an SEO point of view, but it surely is from a overall marketing point of view. People linking to you will equate to traffic, getting traffic from these websites one way or another will definitely help your main domain get eyeballs. But does the traffic convert? My experience so far is not that well from the two sources mentioned above.

My bolding. Yes, social networking and social media optimization is part of the same dimension in my personal view. Like Aaron Wall, you are sceptical. I wrote a follow up article about this a few days later, where his and other sceptiscism are expressed.

Having a bookmark button at the bottom of a story can not hurt, or can it eat too much bandwith for 0.001 cent/100views?

Note: Wall's conclusion.

Private conclusion: Aaron Wall is perhaps not objective since he has his own (me included) affiliate network.

[incrediblehelp]

kjell I think you misunderstand. I totally agree that adding social networking buttons to blog posts and information pages is GREAT idea. Never said it was not.