Apologies to Zoolander’s Jacobim Mugatu, but social media is so hot right now!

It is also a concept that is becoming increasingly important in the world of SEO. It even has its own name: SMO - Social Media Optimisation.

Social media encompass sites like Digg, Stumbleupon and, for the SEO-minded out there, Sphinn - they are kind of “highlight packages” of what’s hot on the internet, as selected by users. As a user, you can build up a strong reputation by posting interesting nuggets or being the first to draw attention to something that has recently been deemed newsworthy in cyberspace.

This is relevant to SEO for a couple of reasons. Firstly, from an old school SEO point of view (SEOPOV?), articles that are flagged up and popular on Digg attract links. These links will usually be from blogs related to the theme, but can come from anywhere on the web. Ergo if you post a popular article on your own site you can expect a free link bonanza of sorts.

Sadly, you have no say over exactly what these links say, and they are therefore of limited use when you are pushing to get highly competitive keywords up at the top of natural search. Of course, all reputable links are good links, especially if they bring targetted traffic.

More interestingly, sites like Digg mark a shift away from current search algorithms. At present, the major search engines are focused on who is linking to what and from where. Social media sites are all about what people are actually looking at and enjoying. By “Digging” something as a registered user, you give that particular article a little shove up the Digg listings. The better your profile, the more weight given to your opinions. Yahoo are already experimenting with the integration of natural search and social media, although this is in the early stages.

The idea of “Digging” is closely related to the original concept that Google had, where a link was rather like a Digg… you showed your appreciation of a site by linking to it. The difference is that these social media sites are happening in real time, while natural search results can be slow to update. This leads to the possibility that search will move towards specialist search engines, where user input and usage is given much heavier weighting than at present.

An interesting thought, no?