Building A Strong Social Media Presence While Increasing Search Engine Ranking

So – you have a website – GREAT – now how to you get people to find it?

Unless someone types in your website address (URL), they are most likely to find your business online by using a search engine.  Getting your website recognized on these search engines and thus be found by your prospects and customers is not rocket science – but neither is replacing a quarter panel.  Both however require unique tools, some forethought (strategy), ingenuity (innovation), and a person with the right skills to get the job done.

Replacing a quarter panel isn’t a job for the inexperienced; similarly marketing your business online isn’t kids play.

These steps are sure to get you headed in the right direction – this isn’t article fluff, this is the same tactic I use for my clients.

1. Start with your website!  A website that scores high in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Compliance – yes, there is a tool for that – is the foundation for social media because all your online and social media profiles should point here.
2. Content and Compliance are king when it comes to ranking on search engines.  What you say; and how you say it – makes all the difference between ranking #1 or #101 on the search engines.  The art of crafting word-content that increases your search engine ranking (and thus more people see your site) is referred to as Search Engine Optimization – SEO for short.
3. Constantly source and link-to online networks like LinkedIn, profile pages such as Yahoo!, maps including Google, and directories – MerchantCircle and YP to name a couple.  This is referred to as link-building.  The more online connections you have, the greater visibility your business will have to search engines.  There is a direct and well-published correlation between social media activity, and link-building that will improve your ranking on the big three search engines – Google, Bing, Yahoo! (listed in order of influence) and thus elevate your website exposure to more prospects and customers.
4. Engage with people who engage with you – simply stated; if someone comments, likes, or shares your post; at the very least send them a thank you.
5. Inter-link all of your online activity.  FaceBook allows you to link to Twitter and several other communication sites – take advantage of this, it will make it easier for your viewers to connect with you and hear your message.  Many social media channels have this inter-connectivity – look for it.  Also, don’t forget to add your social media badges to your website home page (also called a landing page).
6. Be consistent – schedule time to commit to social media and stick to it!  If you post two posts each week, stay resilient.
7. Reaching Business-2-Business (B2B) through your vendor partners is a great way of extending your social media audience.  Combine this with your Customer-2-Business (B2C) activities to increase your chance of your social media affecting your search engine ranking.
8. Lastly – share other people’s stories if it is in-line with your strategy and make sure to give them ample credit, as you would expect to receive.  (you can start with this story :)

Sometimes having all the answers still isn’t enough – applying the theory is often more difficult and complicated than it seems on paper.  If this sounds like your situation, or if the article above might as well have been written in Navajo, consider hiring a pro – it’s an investment that could be a game-changer for your business.

By: Chris Sheehy – Auto Body Consultant at Autobody Consulting Group LLC www.AutobodyConsultingGroup.com

Autobody Consulting Group, a business operations, administrative, production, estimating, management, marketing, and social media consultancy serving auto body collision repair businesses and vendors to the autobody industry.

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