Can someone clear up social signals as a ranking factor?
-
I'm aware that Google have addressed this before and specifically said that social signals are not a ranking factor: http://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2325343/matt-cutts-facebook-twitter-social-signals-not-part-of-google-search-ranking-algorithms
However I came across this (admittedly great) infographic from Neil Patel, an SEO I have a lot of respect for: http://www.quicksprout.com/2014/01/31/how-social-signals-impact-search-engine-rankings/
In the post he specifically states that "both Google and Bing use data from social sites in order to determine how high to rank your website."
I have always understood that social signals help drive links by spreading your content to a bigger audience, thereby getting your content in front of people who are likely to link. I also appreciate that content that is shareable is also likely to be linkworthy.
However. Neil doesn't talk about correlation here, he talks about social signals as a ranking factor. Is he being misleading, or has the game changed since Matt Cutts said they don't use social signals?
-
I think that John Mueller confirmed that they are not using social signals as a factor as well.
I believe personally believe that to be strictly true. That doesn't mean that at good social presence can't help you rank though. A successful social presence will create other positive signals. For instance if Google considered repeat visits to be a positive signal then this is a signal that comes as a by-product of a strong social presence.
That all said, it probably isn't a brilliant use of resources to "do social" just for rankings. Social media can bring targeted traffic and conversions, build brand loyalty, increase your reach etc. These are all good reasons to use social media. If you are using it for those reasons then any benefit to rankings is a free extra.
-
I don't know the actual answer but this http://themoralconcept.net/pandalist.html implies that they are or were up until very recently.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What's your preference - regurgitate content on social media or just post it the once?
Hi All, Not been on the forums for a while and this isn't really an SEO question. How do you feel about Twitter feeds that constantly regurgitate the same content. It's pretty much industry standard on most pages but if the content is yours, no affiliates or other people are involved - is it really necessary to plug the same 500 word blog post over and over? Personally, I don't like it. I think it looks spammy and unprofessional and in all honesty, I unfollow pages regularly because of it.. What do you guys think? Am I squandering content by not regurgitating? Happy Monday all - Jamie
Social Media | | SanjidaKazi1 -
How can I have mistaken identity Facebook work history removed from uncooperative person's profile?
My client, a cosmetic surgeon in Lynnwood, WA was attacked earlier today on Facebook by the supposed ex-wife of a cosmetic surgeon in Arizona with whom they have no association. The other practice has a name that is close, but there is absolutely no relationship between the two. We promptly removed the comments from my client's wall and images and blocked the person who posted them. Unfortunately she has posted in her work history on her own page that she works for my client's practice and blocking her has not removed my client's name, logo or fb link from her page. This poster's comments are so tragic and bizarre I'm honestly not sure she is a real person, though the doctor she mentions in her posts does appear to have a real practice in AZ. I could not find a way to report to Facebook that she did not in fact work for my client at any time. I have so far had no response from her to my request to remove it from her About page and due to the bizarre nature of the comments, I don't well trust she'll follow through. How can I have this erroneous work history removed from this person's profile page? Facebook FAQ offered no answers. Thank you.
Social Media | | Sharla0 -
Pay with a Tweet (or other social payments) in the Freemium world
Hi Mozer(s), I work for a company which provides cloud-based collaboration environments for companies. Like many companies in this field, we offer a Free package, which gives users enough capabilities to explore our tool under business-alike circumstances. However, we currently dont have a time limit for our free version - which, makes us (I think) quite unique from a competitive standpoint. But consequently, it also means a lot of users see no immediate need to upgrade to a business package. If maintaining this business model, we are considering various options in how to generate more awareness. The company is quite new and can generally only get better results of SEO and social media advancement. One alternative is to start charging for signup to the Free package, using Social payments scheme, i.e. get access to the collaboration tools for free if liking, tweeting, plusing us, using a pre-defined message, hashtag, etc, using a hybrid approach, allowing users to edit some/all of the message. It may have an impact on number of sign ups, but are there other potential negative effects? I have seen some comments, both positive and negative, about its SEO impact, mostly positive, not least from this [Youmoz post](How To: Win Tweets and Influence Search Engines with PayWithaTweet).- though unlikely to have a direct SEO effect, it can increase sharing, exposure and SERP presence. But any flip sides social payment users should be aware of? Thanks in advance.
Social Media | | Clinked0 -
Social Signals and SEO
What is more beneficial in regards to SEO and Social Signals. A like button that "Likes" your web site or your associated Facebook page?
Social Media | | chris.green0 -
How can I create product page in Facebook to sell products?
Today, I found interesting stuff in Google result. I found that few Facebook fan page have created product page in Facebook to sell products via Facebook like follow. http://www.facebook.com/notes/-buy-best-price-123/-low-price-uttermost-21006-vetraio-6-light-chandelier-oil-rubbed-bronze-finish-o/123586901083141 So, How can I get it done?
Social Media | | CommercePundit0 -
Optimal Placement For Social Buttons on a Website
Hello, I want to know what the best versions of twitter, facebook, and Google+1 buttons are, and where optimum placement is. site: bobweikel.com but I want to know in general as well Thanks!
Social Media | | BobGW0 -
What Social Media Buttons/Links When & Where?
Our web development team members are having a debate on when and where to add various social media buttons / links. The crux of the debate is when does adding various calls to social media services become detrimental to page load time. We have really been focusing recently on optimizing page load speed using YSlow and Google Page Speed tools to tweak templates and pages as much as possible. Our webmaster argues that we should be selective on what pages we add Google+, Facebook LIKE, Twitter/Follow buttons. e.g. just 'important' pages such as the home page. Here is a forum link that speaks of this... http://www.webmasterworld.com/google/4358033.htm Bottom line? What are your thoughts on when and where to place various social media buttons and links for Google+, Facebook LIKE and Twitter/Follow. Thanks,
Social Media | | RoyMcClean
Roy McClean P.S. We have pretty much agreed to use AddThis button set on our clients' blog pages that includes FB LIKE and SEND, Google+, Twitter and the AddThis general share buttons.1 -
Anybody can invite me to Quora ? please!
Hello, it will be much appreciated if anybody could please invite me to Quora, my email address maddogx@gmail.com thanks again!
Social Media | | maddogx0
