Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has been on the tip of the tongue for every marketer for quite some time. Now there is a new method to help increase your ranking: Social Media.

SEO has for years remained a mystery to many, with no exact science to building momentum to increase your ranking and no clear way to maintain it. As soon as someone thought they had perfected a technique, Google would somehow integrate new practices and alter the algorithm used to determine website rankings.

Today with social search on the rise, there has been quite a shift from traditional marketing techniques, where the main focus is sporadic ad impressions compared to social media campaigns where the focus is to increase the number of followers to influence search results.

With such a massive impact and a future projection that search adaptations will now lean closer to personalised results based on an individual’s online presence, marketers have been led to believe that their search engine ranking will now rely heavily on how successful their social media campaigns are.

For small businesses, embracing such a trend would be advantageous especially if it is considered as a part of an overall online marketing strategy to gain a competitive advantage and remain successful.

To be able to successfully market your business online and grow your customer base in such a way, you will need to think about increasing your number of readers through social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. This is important as Google will pick up that your website is gathering followers organically who also have a genuine interest in your site, which is a major plus to your website ranking.

Not only does this mean having quality content as a part of your strategy but it is more important than ever to think of ways to grab attention in a very competitive social market. This may involve developing ways to attract and retain readers through regular offers, interesting thought topics, daily tips and timely posts.

No matter what your online marketing strategy may be, traditional marketing techniques are no longer enough to keep up with the ever changing competitive market and trending topics should always be taken into account when reviewing your marketing plan.