Using LinkedIn, Quora, etc. for SEO

In the early days of the internet, SEO was limited to search engines only but as large scale social platforms (YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook, etc.) proliferated, so did the scope of SEO. Any successful SEO strategy nowadays involves putting content on the myriad of social platforms out there. We’ll cover a few as examples below but we can also find online resources that cover in-depth practices to maximize SEO for each platform.

Quora

Answering on Quora can be a very useful strategy to drive traffic to our platform or website. In a way, we are short-cutting the search engine and answering a user’s query directly. If we go over to Quora and enter the question “How do I prepare for Google interviews?” we’ll see a list of Quora questions on the topic with slight variations:

• What is the best way to prepare for Google interview in 3 months?

• How should I prepare for my Google interview if I have 1 month left and I’m applying for a software engineer role?

• How much time did you spend preparing for Google’s interviews? Is everyone who got into Facebook, Google, etc. really that good to solve or understand every classic algorithm or problem?

• How do I start preparing for Google interview given that I am a beginner?

• I decided to quit my job and spend at least 4,000 hours to prepare for the Google interview. How should I get started?

The above are just some of the examples returned by Quora in response to the initial question posted. Answering some of these questions if we have a product or service that helps candidates prepare for interviews at tech companies is a great idea. In fact, if we browse the answers to some of these questions, we’ll observe some companies (especially smaller) ones answering these questions and putting links to their platforms/websites in their answers usually in a subtle manner. Note that Quora will ban or hide our answers if it deems the content as spam. Our answer should be detailed, helpful and not come across as an advertisement. Mentioning our service along with a list of competitors in passing or as a foot-note can be considered a fair attempt to answer the original question and not just self-promotion.

Quora is a great platform for bringing awareness to our product service and thousands of companies are already leveraging the platform to that end.

Stack Overflow

Answering questions on Stack Overflow, either in individual capacity or under a company account can help with gaining visibility on search engines. Here are some of the techniques we can use:

Provide helpful answers to questions: By providing useful and detailed answers to questions related to our area of expertise, we can establish ourselves as an authority in our field and potentially drive traffic to our website. Make sure to include a link to our website in our profile, so that users can easily find our online presence.

Include keyword-rich tags: When asking or answering questions, we can use tags to categorize the content. Choose tags that include relevant keywords, as this can help increase visibility and improve our website’s search engine ranking.

Use the “Related” section: The “Related” section on Stack Overflow can be a great place to find new questions to answer or topics to write about on our website. This can help us create high-quality, SEO-friendly content that attracts visitors to our site.

Utilize backlinks: If our answer is well-received and upvoted, it can potentially drive traffic to our website through the backlink. A backlink from a high-authority website like Stack Overflow can improve our website’s search engine ranking and visibility.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn started as a professional networking website and has grown to millions of users over the years. LinkedIn comprises of both company accounts as well as individuals branding themselves on the platform. There are couple of ways LinkedIn can be used as part of one’s SEO stratgey.

Posts

Both companies and individuals can make posts from their accounts. As an example consider Educative’s LinkedIn page, which regularly makes posts for its followers. The intent of these posts is to engage, increase its readership, and acquire new customers.

Articles

Another strategy is to post the first paragraph or part of a blog/article on LinkedIn either from our personal or company account and then put a link at the bottom to the full article. As likes and shares of the posted content increase, interested customers naturally click through to our website or blog.

Medium

Medium is another blogging platform for individuals and companies alike. A lot of big tech companies such as Netflix, Tinder, Pinterest, etc. have engineering blogs on Medium. SEO is likely a secondary or even tertiary concern for these blogs as these are well-established companies. However, smaller growth companies such as Educative run their blog on Medium which is additive to the SEO efforts for the company.

Instagram, Pinterest, X, etc.

In this course, we won’t delve into the specifics and the individual strategies that can be used on each social media platform but the point being driven home is that SEO shouldn’t be limited to just Google and Bing. All the other social platforms act as important levers to enhance SEO. Here are some guidelines for social networks such as X, Instagram and Pinterest:

Optimize the profile: Make sure our profile includes keywords relevant to our business or website, such as our business name and location, to improve visibility in search results. Also, make sure to include a link to our website in our profile description.

Use relevant hashtags: Including relevant hashtags in our tweets, posts, stories, etc., can increase the visibility of our content and make it easier for users to find our profile. We can also use popular hashtags related to our business or industry, which can attract new followers and drive traffic to our website.

Share high-quality content: Share high-quality, engaging content that provides value to our audience, such as blog posts, infographics, or videos. Encourage engagement by asking questions, starting discussions, and responding to comments.

Collaborate with influencers: Collaborating with influencers in our industry can help expand our reach and drive traffic to our website. We can work with influencers to create sponsored tweets or collaborate on content that features our products or services.

Test your knowledge

Match the platforms on the left with the relevant strategy in which the platform can be used to uplift online presence.