by Jake Magleby
I know what you’re thinking: “How can Twitter teach me anything about startup SEO?” But slow down—if you’re willing to suspend your skepticism for a few moments, you might be surprised at how much you can learn from a site based on 140-character messages.
The Genius of 140
Tweets, by definition, cannot be lengthy. They have to get right to the point, in a way that your followers can understand. The same is true of your websites.
If you want to rank higher on search engines like Google, you need to write clearly. Keep your content relevant and direct. The more on-topic you stay, the better Google can tell exactly what your site is about. So be clear. You don’t have to say everything in 140 characters, or even 140 words. But, in the words of the venerable John Mayer, “Say what you need to say.”
Pictures and Links
When you include pictures and links in your tweets, they stand out from the crowd, because they are not just boring blocks of text. Moreover, they encourage people to share your tweets and links with others.
This same principle also applies to your websites because Google ranks sites higher when they include relevant images, videos, and infographics. This added content will keep your site from looking bland, and that’s important when Google is looking for what sites to recommend to users. Plus, the more shareable content you have, the more traffic you will get to your site (and the higher Google will rank you).
Retweets and Followers
As you consistently and regularly post on Twitter, you will begin to develop a following. These followers and retweets are earned through diligence over time—whether you are posting humorous quips or serious news opinions.
Similarly, your website must earn its links and promotions. You get these through the same hard work and diligence as on Twitter. Sure, there may be places you can go to purchase followers, “likes,” and promotions, but those places aren’t nearly as beneficial for your website as publishing consistently good content. You need to be earning the supporters you have. Organic support is better than paid support.
Hashtags
Hashtags are simply labels for people to identify certain topics and threads on Twitter. That is why the best hashtags are those that other Twitter users are likely to search for. A rambling hashtag (like #wearebestfriendsforever) won’t get nearly as many hits as a short or well-known hashtag.
In startup SEO, the same can be said for keywords. Keywords are like hashtags. You want to have keywords people are likely to search for and be interested in. The longer the keyword, the less likely someone will search for it. So pick the best keywords to get the most traffic to your site.
SEO isn’t as complicated as lot of people think it is. With just a few basic tools (and a little social media savvy) anyone can improve their online optimization.
Jake Magleby has written extensively about effective marketing, sales, and financing strategies to help small business owners succeed in the fast-paced and ever-changing business world, with easy help like a free website report. He also has an interest in education and development.
Photo Credits
Bplanet | Freedigitalphotos.net | Courtesy of Author
