Our team of digital marketing experts has implemented a weekly series, Ask the Experts, dedicated to answering client questions regarding L2TMedia’s available products and best practices. The success of our dealerships is our number one priority, but we know that many of our clients have questions when it comes to what we do. As these questions arise, let us know what we can help you understand.
What role do social media and online reviews play in SEO?
Social media, online reviews and search engine optimization have always been thought to be three separate digital marketing strategies. Now, you can’t have one without the other. Last Wednesday, L2TMedia’s SEO Manager Nikki Paladino and Senior Social Media & Reputation Management Specialist Danielle Naselli presented a webinar called “How Social & Reviews Complete the SEO Puzzle” to discuss just how they’re connected.
L2TMedia’s SEO Specialists work to increase organic website traffic for your business, while our Social Media & Reputation Management Specialists work to network your business and ensure your brand’s online image remains reputable. Studies show that a top ranking factor in organic search is the local citation sites, such as Yelp and Google My Business. These local citation sites allow customers to review your business. Google algorithms have changed throughout the years and now place a greater emphasis on businesses that have complete local citations and a good number of positive reviews. Local search results are pulled from Google My Business pages and show your business’ star rating right in the results.
Reviews can make or break if a potential customer decides to visit your dealership and become a customer. According to a study conducted by Dimensional Research, 90 percent of respondents claimed that positive online reviews influenced their buying decisions, while 74 percent said they would drive an additional 20-60 miles to shop at a dealership that had good reviews. This study further emphasizes the reason why your online reputation is important and shows what impact positive reviews have on the consumer buying process.
It’s also important to create pages for your business on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. According to a study conducted by Moz.com in 2015, link signals and social signals are among the top ranking factors for organic search. Being listed on social media sites, having customers interact with your profiles and posting high-quality content will help your dealership rank higher in search results.
When our dealerships have our SEO Specialists working to increase their organic traffic and our Social Media & Reputation Management Specialists monitoring their social profiles and online reputation, they have an increased chance of populating higher within search results and will drive traffic from different channels.
If you’re interested in more information from Nikki and Danielle’s presentation, please feel free to contact L2TMedia.
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