Is Your Site Social Media Friendly?

Looks like the 50's were right all along.

Our insatiable hunger for information has only grown exponentially with the advent and evolution of social media. It’s true, society has become the Blob – a giant Jello-like amoeba slurping through the streets feeding on any sort of information it can get from politics to sports to this. Quicker. Faster. More!

So how does your website fit into all of this social media buzz? Here are a few things to consider:

Content

How fresh is the content on your website? In order for there to be an interest from search engine or any form of social audience your site must be publishing new content on a regular basis. Your new content doesn’t need to be elaborate either. If you aren’t up to publishing regular blog style content, consider syndicated content or even simpler, a Twitter feed. Frequent updates encourages search engines to index your web pages and you’ll be keeping those ever-roaming web bots busy, improving the organic ranking of your website.

Interactivity

Social media is all about discussion, conversation and interaction between people.  Giving your customers the ability to create Facebook style profiles on your website might be a little over the top, but allowing simple interaction between business and client or client and client can help with the buzz surrounding your website. This can be achieved through the ability to review or rate your content, post comments, or even forum discussions.

Share This

How accessible is your content? Is it locked up like the Caramilk secret? Unless you’re trying to hide the launch codes for a nuclear submarine within the content of your website, you’ll want to make sure it’s easy to find and easy to share. You’ll notice that many websites have a “Share This” option that allows users to spread content via Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc. Remember, word of mouth is your friend, and when people are talking online it all gets indexed by search engines.

Social media has indeed changed the way that we absorb information online. The tools now exist for businesses to interact closely with client and prospects and give them the best opportunity to capitalize on their wants and needs. The greatest challenge for any business, however, is to figure out just how social media fits into their overall marketing and business goals.