Social interactions like +1s on GooglePlus, Facebook likes, shares, and comments, etc. are called social signals.
Google has been tracking social signals as part of its ranking algorithm for several years now.
Note: Google encourages website owners to build their brand on social media as a long-term investment to drive qualified traffic, instead of aiming for short-term benefits like search ranking placement. Google’s own head of the web spam team Matt Cutts has stated that Google takes a cautious approach when it comes to social signals, as so many things change quickly on social media. Without a full ‘map,’ Google is understandably reticent to assign too much importance to social signals over other aspects of their search algorithm. In summary, Google’s strategy is a sensible one - “wait and see” how things develop over time, as sites that provide value normally develop longevity, trust and authority, and these are the sites that Google wants to ascribe higher search rankings to.
Social Signals – Which Social Sites Matter?
Social sites that search engines like Google look to for measuring social signals include:
With almost 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is the most dominant social media community in the world. Research shows that one great post on Facebook can reach up to 150,000 users, so even if it seems like Facebook is not driving droves of customers to your website, you should not be quick to dismiss Facebook as an important part of your online business strategy, as Google processes data and information from Facebook when determining your search rankings. In fact, Facebook seems to have the most influence on search engine rankings of all social media sites.
(Number of active Facebook users. Source: Statista.com)
After Facebook, Twitter is the second biggest social media site in the world, with over half a billion tweets sent out every day. Twitter plays a significant role as a global influencer online and places great emphasis on tweeting posts that provide great value to followers over the volume of tweets sent …
(Over 500 million tweets are sent each day. Source: InternetLiveStats.com)
Google Plus
As Google’s own social networking site, GooglePlus naturally carries great authority online, even if it is still a fledgling social community compared to sites like Facebook and Twitter.
(More people are interacting socially on GooglePlus every month. Source: Internet Live Stats)
In addition to the big three social media giants listed above, there are a number of other sites worth paying attention to, like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Digg, StumbleUpon, and Reddit.
(A number of social media sites provide important signals to search engines that can affect your rankings)
Which Social Signals Should You Pay Attention To?
Search engines like Google and Bing track various social signals, including the following:
- Facebook – e.g. how many Facebook shares, likes, and comments a person has, growth rate of likes and shares, etc.
- Twitter – e.g. how many tweets and retweets your site has, how influential the person tweeting is, trending topics, etc.
- Google+ – e.g. who is following you (high profile users), how many people are following you, spread rate of adds and shares, etc.
- Other sites – e.g. number of Pins and re-Pins on Pinterest, upvotes on Digg, etc.
- Other signals – In addition to the above, there are other not so obvious social media-related factors that can indirectly influence search traffic. These include positive and negative factors, such as age and authority of your social media account [positive], and whether your site is deemed to be of low quality by visitors [negative].
As a business owner, it’s not only important to grow your presence on major social networking websites, but also to be able to track, measure and analyze your social media in order to improve your business results.
(Use social media to help improve your business results)
Tracking social media activity allows you to find insights into what people are saying about your brand, products, or company on social media, take preventative measures against the spread of negative comments or feedback by dissatisfied users, measure the impact of your marketing campaigns, spot opportunities for engagement, and spy on your competitors. Additionally, social media monitoring can also provide valuable data about emerging trends and what consumers and clients think about specific businesses, brands, products, or topics.
As a tool for business intelligence, social media signal monitoring is invaluable. Using social media monitoring as a form of business intelligence, however, is a complex undertaking, typically carried out by a cross-section of people including market research, PR companies, marketing teams, sales teams, social engagement and community personnel, and social marketing agencies. Typically, smaller businesses do not can’t afford to pay a media monitoring service to continually track their coverage in the and actively monitor their digital reputation.
Fortunately different technology companies have developed tools and solutions that facilitate the active tracking of a variety of social media channels, allowing you to track consumer behavior around your brand so you can respond to conversations and engage with consumers in a timely manner.
We have written a comprehensive article about social media measurement tools and technologies that are worth knowing about. Go here to learn more:
(Can you track social signals effectively?)
This article explores a simple, yet effective social media monitoring plugin for WordPress and increasing your social media presence online.
Introducing …
SocialMetricsPro – Social Media Analytics For WordPress
Description Of Plugin
Social Metrics Pro is an easy-to-install social media analytics premium WordPress plugin that is designed to make increasing your social media exposure online uncomplicated. It is built on a simple premise – Social Metrics Pro measures and tracks how each signal is performing and returns either a red or green indicator. The user’s goal is to change more reds into greens.
(A standard operating procedure that any website owner can follow … turn reds into greens!)
Colors indicate relative popularity. Posts that receive the most shares show up green. Posts with low social media activity display amber and red.
The plugin developers tested Social Metrics Pro on a network of 2,000+ websites over a period of three months. During this period, all they focused on was turning the “reds” to “greens” and then keeping their metrics on “green”. From these tests, they noticed that their top 10 best performing sites saw an improvement of up to 360% more traffic, 410% more keywords ranked in the first page of Google and they also experienced a 310% increase in revenues.
(According to SocialMetricsPro developers, improving your social media marketing can dramatically impact your search engine rankings, traffic and revenue!)
More info:
Benefits
Here are just a few of the benefits and advantages of using SocialMetricsPro to track Likes, Tweets, +1s, Pins and more directly from your WordPress Dashboard on your site:
Ready To Start Using In Minutes
SocialMetricsPro is really easy to install. Just upload it to your Plugin folder via your dashboard and activate.
Really Simple To Use
As mentioned earlier, the site owner’s task is to convert reds into greens. The plugin tracks and measures social media signals the way Google sees it so you know where to put more effort and which need to be better optimized.
Track Social Signals From Social Networks You Care About
Social Metrics Pro provides a powerful dashboard to centrally track and monitor social activity across leading social media networks like GooglePlus, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, and Digg.
Social Metrics Pro lets you easily answer questions like:
- Which social networks work best for my site?
- Which social campaigns are performing the best on these social networks?
- Which are my most popular posts?
- And more …
With Social Metrics Pro, all of this information is available on-demand, with a single click.
(Social Metrics Pro constantly monitors the social sites that you care most about!)
Product Features
SocialMetricsPro offers WP users with a number of features. Below we have listed just a few of these:
- Quick and simple to install and implement. Ready to start using in no time.
- Social Metrics Pro Is Widgets And Extensions Ready. You can extend its functionality using external and built-in widgets. Access updated information right on your WP dashboard, add socially popular content to your blog sidebar or anywhere in your site using point-and-click widgets.
- 1-click updates. Update the plugin in a single click via the WordPress Updates screen, or update it manually. You can also opt to be notified via email when new versions are released.
- Plugin uses minimal resources. Reporting is fast, consuming little hosting resources. The tool also displays the amount of time used to retrieve information and the server resources consumed when gathering data.
Additional features include:
- Sorting, Searching & Filtering Features: SocialMetricsPro lets you sort and filter the information however you like. You can perform keyword searches to study posts related to certain topics, and even filter the results by category, publishing date, post type, or post authors.
- Export Data To Excel: You can export filtered data and custom queries to Excel for further analysis. Data can be exported in tab-delimited and comma-separated file formats, and imported to the spreadsheet application of your choice.
(Social Metrics Pro is very simple to use … just change all the red squares into greens!)
Testimonials
Here are some of the testimonials and feedback plugin users have submitted for SocialMetricsPro:
”Our entire marketing strategy relies on social media. Each post on the site has viral potential, but we needed one place to see which social networks are performing the best for us…We went ahead and got the PRO Version of Social Metrics.” Syed Balkhi, Founder of List25 and WPBeginner.com
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”Social Metrics is one of the recipes for Social WordPress. You can integrate it quickly and easily on your WordPress site to view your performance on social networks” Jean-Francois Arseneault, Arseneault Consultation (WordCamp Montreal 2011)
SocialMetricsPro Plugin – Tips
Social Metrics Pro comes with a step-by-step, practical guide showing you how to optimize your campaigns and improve your social media strategy (i.e. turn reds into greens).
Product Support
The plugin is well-supported, and users get lifetime software updates and new releases for free with their purchase, backed by a no-risk, 60-day, complete money-back guarantee.
Plugin Cost
Social Metrics Pro plugin is available in two editions:
- Single Site Licensing – This allows you to activate SocialMetricsPro on 1 domain only. Includes free lifetime updates and support. Cost = $27.00 (one-time).
- Multiple Sites License – This option lets you install SocialMetricsPro on multiple domains that you own. Includes free lifetime updates and support. Price = $47.00 (one-time).
Note: The cost of purchasing Social Metrics Pro depends on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. Currently, the plugin is selling for the pricing shown above. This may or may not be the actual pricing charged by the software seller when you visit the website and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after your purchase.
Check the plugin’s website for the latest price:
Additional Info
SocialMetricsPro requires a self-hosted installation of WordPress and can be instantly downloaded after purchase.
Install This Product
As mentioned earlier, with the rise of social sites like Facebook and Twitter, search engines like Google and Bing have started taking into account various social signals when determining website ranking.
No website owner can afford to ignore the importance of social media. SocialMetricsPro solves the problem of how to find a simple, time-saving solution that gives website owners instant feedback on the success of their social marketing campaigns and shows them how to improve their results.
Social Metrics Pro is ideal for beginners and advanced WordPress users alike. It tracks Tweets, Likes, Pins, +1s and more directly from your WP dashboard.
We recommend getting this plugin if you own or manage WordPress sites and would like to track your social signals automatically.
For more details, check out the plugin here: Social Metrics Pro – Social Media Analytics For WordPress
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