At long last, the elusive answer to the age-old question of whether the realm of social media has any sway over the enigmatic forces of SEO has been unveiled. After an extensive month-long exploration within the confines of our own social domain, we have discerned a positive correlation between the fervor of social engagements and the shifting tides of rank.
Can this ethereal realm of social media truly intermingle with the grand domain of SEO? Ere we delve deeper into this inquiry, a brief lexicon shall be unveiled for the edification of those unversed in the esoteric arts of search engine optimization.
Hark! Behold the Glossary of SEO terms:
– SERP: The expanse of Search Engine Results Page
– Search rank: The noble position a URL occupies upon a SERP for a particular keyword
– Search visibility: A metric devised to ascertain the visibility of a website or page upon a SERP. If this number were to ascend to 100 percent, it would signify the URL reigning supreme in the initial position for a particular keyword(s). The importance of search visibility is most pronounced when tracking the collective ranking of a website across an assortment of keywords.
– Domain or page authority: The fortitude possessed by a website or page upon a particular topic in the discerning eyes of search engines. Forsooth, the Moyens I/O blog is deemed an authority on the realm of social media marketing by search engines. Thus, we are bestowed with a greater likelihood of ranking for keywords entwined with social media when compared to a culinary chronicle such as Smitten Kitchen.
Lo! Does social media wield the power to influence SEO? This query has stirred debates of yore. In the bygone year of 2010, both Google and Bing graciously acknowledged the utilization of social signals to bestow ranking unto pages within their vaunted realms. Yet, four cycles of our earthly orb later, a shift in stance transpired when Twitter temporarily impeded Google’s ingress into their social network. In 2014, the erstwhile head of webspam at Google, Matt Cutts, unveiled a video proclaiming the inability of Google to rely upon signals that may vanish like shadows at dawn.
This marked the culmination of discourse. Since the year 2014, Google has staunchly disavowed any direct correlation between social realms and the fates of rankings.
Yet here we are, amidst the tapestry of 2018. The visage of our digital domain has undergone manifold transformations over the ephemeral span of four years. Notably, social realms have begun to manifest within search engines on a grander scale.
A study of the ebb and flow of Facebook and Twitter pages permeating Google’s results, reminiscent of burgeoning flora in springtide, impelled us to scrutinize the interplay between SEO and social realms through a series of arduous trials.
Enter “Project Elephant”, an endeavor christened in homage to the ‘elephant in the room’. In this instance, the elephant embodies the enduring query that hath echoed: can social media serve as a beacon to illuminate the path towards improved search rank?
A structuring of experiment was devised, wherein our content – in the guise of blog articles, for the purpose of this venture – was segregated into three entities:
I. The control group: Comprising of 30 articles devoid of organic publication or paid promotion upon social realms (or any other dominion)
II. Group A (organic only): Consisting of 30 articles disseminated organically upon Twitter
III. Group B (paid promotion): Encompassing 30 articles initially published organically upon Twitter, subsequently bolstered for a span of two days with a financial allocation of $100 each
To streamline the constellation of data points, the premier test was conducted upon Twitter, accompanied by a meticulously crafted schedule of publication to maintain course.
Yet ere the inception of our experiment, a harmonization of field was requisite. For a full week leading to the commencement, none amongst the 90 chosen articles for this experiment received any modification or promotion. This lull served to carve a foundation for the assessment of their ranking fortunes.
Thereupon, two offerings per day from Group A and Group B were promoted over a fortnight, with the ensuing outcomes measured in the week that ensued. From start to culmination, the entire trial spanned a lunar cycle.
In adhering to meticulous standards, an archive of the ensuing data points was maintained:
– The roster of keywords under our vigilant scrutiny
– The roster of URLs (the esteemed articles) under our vigilant scrutiny
– The monthly search volume accorded to each keyword
– The vaunted Google search rank of each article ere the inception of the test
– The vaunted Google search rank of each article 48 hours subsequent to the inception of the test
– The vaunted Google search rank of each article one week subsequent to the inception of the test
– The tally of links bequeathed unto each article afore the commencement of the test (for links are deemed the prime catalyst for search rank)
– The tally of unique domains bequeathed unto each article ere the commencement of the test
– The URL rating (aHrefs metric, further elucidation to follow) for each article afore the commencement of the test
– The tally of links bestowed unto each article in the aftermath of the test
– The tally of unique domains bestowed unto each article in the aftermath of the test
– The URL rating (aHrefs metric) for each article in the aftermath of the test
At the eve of our foray, we burgeoned with the acknowledged credence that a wispy link of connection intertwines the realms of social vogue and the sovereign dominion of SEO. Forsooth, content that blossoms forth in the realms of social might likely garner an augmentation in backlinks, thereby fostering an ascent in search rank.
In the embrace of this covert liaison between social realms and the realm of rank, we endeavored to expound whether the traditional metrics of domain and page authority played a role in the fluctuations of rank.
The metrics of page authority were rooted in the sacred lore of aHrefs’ Live Index. Verily, aHrefs stands as an SEO bastion that traverses webpages and hoards data concerning the kinship betwixt websites. To date, their explorations have spanned 12 trillion links, second solely to the omniscient gaze of Google.
The fruits of our expedition have borne witness to entrancing unveilings:
Exalted high above, we behold a vista of soaring search visibility amidst the triad of keyword clusters. Behold the tapestry of results above, wherein a resolute correlation between the ebullience of social activity and the fates of rankings doth unfurl.
Let us delve deeper into the heart of the matter, sowing the seeds of understanding amidst the bedrock of tangible data points:
– The control group descends to the depths of meager ranking gains and the zenith of ranking depletions when juxtaposed against their brethren.
– A visual tableau unfolds, portraying the gyrations of rank changes observed in the first moments following the breath of promotion upon social airs.
As the tapestry of rankings unfurls, the tendrils of social engagements entwine with the levers of change in rank, crafting a melody of unity betwixt their essences.
Desiringly, our gaze lingers upon the romance betwixt social engagements and the mettle of rank transformations, unveiling a melody of continuity that binds their fates.
Yet, what of the ancient parable whispering: ‘Social dalliance bestows a bounteous harvest of links, which in turn, enkindles the flames of favorable rankings’?
We unravel the annals of change in the domains of referrance entwined with the gossamer threads of social engagements. Behold, the harmonious duet betwixt the change in domains of referrance and the number of social engagements that bedecked their path.
SEO sages may breeze past this realm, well-versed in the melody of links and their kinship with elevated rankings. However, ye denizens of the social realm, incline thine ears unto this chamber.
As the journey unfurls, we unearth a profound linkage amidst the number of websites that proffer their blessings to an article and the celestial echelons of rank. Forsooth, the correlation betwixt these realms is made plain, resonating with the precepts of search volume and the visage of competitiveness.
Whence we refrain from tales of domains enshrined in metamorphosis?
Stripped of instances wherein the gaze beheld a shift in domains of reference, we approach a sphere where but two factors dwell: rank change and social engagements.
This winnowing hath pruned our sanctum, yet within this devoid landscape, a flourishing vista emerges.
A thread of unity entwines the script of social engagements with the chronicle of change in rank. An arbiter of positivity doth smile upon our findings, wherein the caress of social engagements hath ushered more towards laurels of improvement than the abyss of ranking losses.
Yet, this tome harbors a clarion call for a grander scale of inquiry, a venture beset with challenges given the stringent methodologies that adorned this expedition.
And to what ende shall marketers wield this boon of knowledge with sagacity?
Aye, the elixir of social realms can indubitably usher forth a boon unto SEO. Yet, let this not be a veiled sanction for the spewing forth of immoderate postures that may besiege the realms of followers. Upon such a path lies naught but the specter of alienation, a death knell to thy followers.
Quality ensconced within posts, not a deluge of mediocrity – such is the crux. Though a regular cadence of posting holds due importance, nary a shard of value shall be found if thine offerings fail to enrich the seekers of knowledge.
Cleave this truth unto thine heart: a singular link may enchantingly transmute the course of a URL’s standing upon the grand stage of search, contingent upon the ferocity of the keyword’s competition and the sanctum of authority whence the link hath sprung. Should thou impress an august soul to proffer thy content upon their domain, a boon in the form of enhanced visibility shall be thine.
Take heed, ye stewards of the social realms, upon the ramifications of paid promotion upon the annals of SEO. Yea, our expeditions have unveiled that paid promotion weareth the regal mantle of nearly double the SEO beneficence woven by organic promotion.
SEO, a dutiful companion, ought to be interwoven within the tapestry of thy broader social campaigns, yet never heralded as the paramount force. If thine gaze be fixed upon the crafting and bestowing of quality, thy mantle shall gleam with the golden sheen of approval. Quality, the lodestar that guides all voyages in the dominion of Google.
Thus unfurls the saga of social realms entwined with the sovereign dominion of SEO, a dalliance of yore sequestered within the annals of a month-long odyssey.
