How to Create and Optimize Social Media Channels 2017

Creating your social media profiles and optimizing them for search establishes your business presence on sites such as Google, Trip Advisor, Facebook, Yelp, and others! Check out our free resources below to learn best practices in 2017 for making the most of your social media channels.

Create and Claim Your Social Media Channels

The first step to getting your page to rank is to create your social media channels. Below we have provided a how to video to walk you through creating each of the major social media channels. Click watch the video for a quick tutorial and then click “create business page” to get started.

How to Video Create Business Page

5 Tips to Optimize Social Media Channels

1. Add Photos to Your Listing

To ensure your social profiles showcase your brand and business in the best possible light, be sure to add a profile image and a banner image. Remember to stick to the recommended image dimensions that the social networks use. It is also recommended to use a high-quality version of your logo, mascot, or product as your profile photo to keep your branding consistent and recognizable across channels.

Here’s are the profile and cover photo dimensions for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube. All dimensions are given as width x height in pixels.

Create a profile picture that is 500x500px and it will look great on all social media profiles listed below
Facebook – Cover photo: 828 x 315
Twitter – Header image: 1500 x 500 (there is an overlay on the top and bottom of the image)
LinkedIn – Banner image: 1536 x 768
Google – Cover photo: 1010 x 608 (recommended)
Pinterest – Board cover: 217 x 147
YouTube – Banner image: 2560 x 1440

You can easily create your social media imagery with a free tool called Canva. Click here to go to Canva.

2. Complete Every Field in Your Profile Consistently

Each field in your business listing should be filled with accurate business information. There should not be any blank fields on your company profile unless you genuinely don’t have the information to include. Each of these fields is an important factor to a potential follower or customer, and most only require a sentence or two to be effective. The second part of this is to be consistent. If your business name is Chevy’s Diner, all of your listings should say exactly that and should NOT have any variations like Chevy’s Pub and Grill, Chevy’s Restaurant, etc. Variations of your business name confuse customers and search engines. Being consistent goes for other pieces of business information listed as well such as hours of operation, website URL, etc.

3. Have Clear and Concise Profile Messaging

It’s amazing how many businesses don’t clearly explain what it is they do on their social media profiles. As a hypothetical example, imagine the company “Tech Corp.,” whose company profile describes them as “bringing unique tech solutions to consumers everywhere.” What does this really say about the company? Nothing. It’s full of buzzwords and not much else. Be as concise as possible with something like “we make software that tracks your time to help you be more efficient.”

4. Be Sure to Use Keywords in Your Business Descriptions

An important optimization factor is to include relevant keywords and phrases in your business descriptions that customers would use to find you. It’s a simple step that can help you pop up for more searches and get in front of more potential followers. For example, if you are a local plumber, you may describe your business as “We are a local emergency plumber conveniently located in Salt Lake City, Utah. We specialize in affordable plumbing repairs, drain cleaning, and water heater replacements all with a 100% satisfaction guarantee” Our example description tells readers what you do, where you do it, and why they can rely on you.

5. Be Active

If you want your social channel to rank, you need to be active. This means posting updates, gaining followers, keeping the business information up to date, and getting reviews. This shows that your brand stays modern, but also makes sure your customers always have the most accurate, up-to-date information on your business, such as events and hours of operation.

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Chevelle Garnett

I am insatiably curious, fueling my learning about all things business, tech, and marketing. I'm a dog lover, tree hugger & fitness enthusiast. Yes, I was named after a car. No siblings named Mustang.