Most, if not all, reputable SEO companies tout the benefits of social linking for a website. If you’ve ever wanted to see some proof – or a breakdown of what exactly social media will do for you – I have just what you’ve been looking for.

MarketingSherpa (a reputable research organization that specializes in tracking marketing trends and has been praised by The Economist and Entrepreneur.com) recently conducted a case study on the effectiveness of social media in a couple different arenas. As anyone familiar with social media and search engine optimization would expect, the results put a very positive spin on social media and the value of linking.

Social Linking Effectiveness Breakdown

Social Linking Effectiveness Breakdown

 

As you can see in the chart, social media has been shown to influence brand reputation by 39% and increase brand awareness by 37%. Social media helps improve search engine rankings by 38%. In all instances, social media was considered at least somewhat effective.

Social media can incorporate blogging, posting websites and information on networks such as Digg and StumbleUpon, directory submissions, issuing press releases and more. It increases your website’s visibility and presence on the internet, making it more likely for your site to rank well in search engines. Naturally, increased visibility and presence means increased website traffic as well.

Qualified SEO companies will help you strategize and develop a social media campaign that specifically targets your market audience and best publicizes your particular service or product.