SMO

SMO (Social Media Optimization) means optimization of a website for social networks. In other words, it is a set of activities that need to be carried out on the site to advance in social networks.

People often compare SMO to SEO (website optimization for search engines). However, these methods of promotion have significant differences. Therefore, SEO is a more technical toolkit that helps search engines to raise the site in the results. While SMO is more user-oriented, analyzing the standards of their behavior, introducing an intuitive and user-friendly interface, satisfying hunger for information.

First, what to wait from SMO: increasing user loyalty and brand awareness, attracting traffic from social networks, establishing a communication channel with subscribers.
SMO arsenal is not as diverse in comparison with SEO. The main task in optimizing a social network site is to make the site as attractive as possible.

Consider ten areas of work with the site within the SMO

1. Post interesting and useful content on the website. Your texts and pictures must be unique. Show the user that it is on your site s/he will find the most tempting offer, the broadest possible service, awesome video, philosophical photos. The trick is that users want and can share this content. 

2. Excite feeling of people to talk about you with their friends. For users to share your content, you need to provide two things (besides the material):

• Update content regularly. If you post news, articles or offers too seldom (once a month), users forget about you, too often (more than three times a day) – users will consider this obsession and may stop reading you.
• Post content at a convenient time for users so that they can find out relevant information quickly. Pay attention to when the site has the most visitors, what day and time. Usually, on weekends there are fewer users on the sites. On weekdays, closer to the middle of the week – more. However, indicators may vary by industry.

3. Diversify information. Do not fill the air with advertising messages only. Content should be exciting and diverse. Nobody wants to share with the advertising only, well, if only it is very creative. 

4. Give readers the opportunity to find with one click. Users should be comfortable sharing information from your site. For this, it is good to use the Share buttons from social networks. Place them under the text of the article or service. 

5. Allow me to demonstrate loyalty right on the site. Do you have an exciting offer? Tell everyone that your customers love it! Remember, it is essential for many people to "join the majority." You can show interest in using the "I Like" social network buttons. 

6. Give a greater voice to one's views. Communication is another way to increase user loyalty, as well as learn their opinions. Use comments for this. Now they are very easy to configure using the widget from social networks. Besides, this technique makes it possible to check the comments on honesty. It increases customer confidence. 

7. Tell your readers that you are available on social networks. Make it possible to join your group or subscribe to updates directly on the site. It is enough to generate the widget and install it in the page code.

8. Post links to the site in social networks. >Post regularly with links to the site in your groups, communities, and pages. Do not forget that the content should be different on the website and in each social network. Share one fact with the reader, do not copy the article thoroughly, and suggest that you continue to read the sequel on the site. Also, place links on the profile pages where your target audience communicates. 

9. Encourage users. Keep your readers interested all the time. Stimulate the desire to like and make posts from the site and social networks. Reward communication. For example, hold contests, give presents. 

10. Write what is attractive to users. To find out what your readers love, follow the statistics. Determine which posts are most posted comments and likes, what news more often go. To do this, use the site metrics and statistics on social networks.

And one more piece of advice as a bonus, concerning not so much SMO, but the development of the site as a whole – make your site as convenient and useful as possible. Improving the usability of the site, you will achieve the loyalty of users who come from both social networks and other sources. I, in turn, will affect the position in the results!

Search Engines will appreciate the activity of readers and will recommend the site because it is interesting.