Is Social Media Optimisation Replacing SEO

Some people jokingly call it “Twitter Optimisation”, but the truth is that Social Media Optimisation (SMO) is quickly replacing search engine optimisation (SEO) as the preferred way to get your business blog or website noticed.

So, is Twitter the new Google? Along with other immensely popular social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, and FriendFeed, sharing links via micro-blog posts seems to be the modern way to drive traffic.

One reason is due to their popularity. With one Twitter post, you can reach lots of people – and they are all interested in your business, or at least your topic(s).

Why Is Social Media So Popular

There’s been some speculation about why Twitter has achieved such tremendous success in the internet world. After all, it’s certainly not the only social media site. MySpace was at the forefront when it first showed up in August of 2003, following closely on the heels of Friendster. And while it is still very popular with a young demographic, Facebook now enjoys the privilege of having the most users worldwide.

For the furthest reach into your target market, however, Twitter may be the best way to go. It has grown exponentially since its humble beginnings in 2006. Now, it is perhaps the most visited social media site on the internet.

Why? Some seem to think it is because of humans’ inherent laziness. There’s very little you have to do to set up a profile, and all of your “tweets” are limited to 140 characters or less. What could be easier, or quicker?

Is SEO Linking Dead

One of the best white hat optimisation techniques has traditionally been building links, both incoming and outgoing. High authority links got your blog or website to the top of SERPs quicker than many other methods of SEO. This link profile was the mainstay of SEO specialists for many years, ensuring that a URL would appear at the top of the three major search engines.

But in today’s World Wide Web, traffic is the name of the game. And the best way to gain a lot of traffic, far more than you could ever achieve with all the links you can build – is by socialising on sites like Twitter.

Of course, this premise is based on fewer people using Google for anything, and more people using their social networks to gain information, get advice, and give them recommendations for products and services. This, in fact, seems to be the case. Some sites claim that Twitter is actually mentioned on the internet more often than Google, iPhone, or Facebook and it is the premier source of information for a large percentage of consumers.

How To Utilise Social Media Optimisation

Unlike search engine optimisation, Social Media Optimisation means that you absolutely must create really good content. People are not fooled by meta tags or impressed by the number of links to your site. People are more interested in reading about, and viewing, content that is informational, relevant, and interesting.

In a way, this levels the playing field. Spammers are not tolerated on Twitter (at the very least they’ll quickly lose followers). Savvy internet marketers compete against each other to best provide what their followers are seeking.

You cannot discount the advantage of reaching the top of the SERPs with your website or blog, but neither can you discount the immense opportunity for the internet marketing and promotional benefits offered by Twitter and other social media sites. Both are key to success online.

Have a most outstanding day.

Sean Rasmussen
Aussie Internet Marketing
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008 - 2010