The exact definitions of SMO and SMM are still being bantered around the SEO community. SMO, or social media optimisation, is very close to social media marketing (SMM), although the two terms are often used interchangeably. To be frank, all these acronyms, confusing to outsiders, can seem more trouble in the industry than they’re worth.

Social media optimisation is worth its own acronym, however. Most SEO pros agree that SMO is the process of optimising a site for interaction with social media. This may seem a very specialist niche, but as the popularity of social media networks grows, it is of increasing importance to your website.

Social media optimisation is all about increasing the visibility of your site to social media networks. This opens up more avenues for the site. It can generate links, draw independent traffic and spark buzz across the internet. All of these things ultimately boost your site’s visibility in the search engines while at the same time strengthening it in other areas of the net.

The first step when optimising for social media is to look for ways to open up the pathways of communication. Most social media sites have buttons available to stick on your web pages, and many businesses have been taking advantage of this. When considering buttons for your pages, however, be selective. Not every social media platform will appeal to your users.

Which brings us to the next important issue: strategising. You need to plan your approach to social media just as carefully as you plan your search engine strategy. You can talk to your SEO consultant about which social media platforms are best for your business to approach when you talk to us at SEO Consult.

Next is the need to make your site worthwhile for social media users to consult. You should already be considering fresh content as part of your search engine optimisation strategy. When considering social media networks, start to think about the sort of resource your site could be and work this aim into your content.

You should also provide ways for your site’s users to communicate with you. This is an important aspect of developing social media appeal. Social media users are fond of open communication and any site that simply provides information will seem slightly dead in comparison. Talking with your users will also make them feel important and solidify your relationship with them.

The social media industry is turning into a search engine power of its own. Many social media platforms these days have developed their own search engines. These have an edge over Google and other traditional search engines as they are geared toward real-time search. Real-time search is, of course, vital in social media, as its users are interested only in the latest news. It is possible that social media will emerge as a parallel kind of search platform. Regardless of whether this happens, social media networks are of sufficient importance for most businesses to turn their eye to when they optimise. Don’t get left behind.

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