Social Sharing Optimization: Which Tool is Best?

When it comes to search engine and social sharing optimization, not every blogger or webmaster can (nor should) have an in-depth knowledge on how to optimize their site. After all, SEO has become a progressively more complex and technical process, especially as search engines like Google are continuously improving their algorithms. Strategies that worked in the past are now obsolete, giving way to more ‘white-hat’ techniques of on-site optimization.

The trend is now moving away from the standard SEO practice of yesteryear and instead focusing on what will affect search engine rankings in the future. Ranking factors stand to change dramatically, and we are seeing the impact in search results already.

So what may be the next ‘big’ ranking factor for the likes of Google and Bing? All signs point towards social signals becoming a larger influencer in coming years.

How does social sharing impact SEO?

The understanding among SEO experts is that social signals will have a stronger impact in search rankings. Social shares are viewed by search engines as one of many signs of trustworthiness and quality. After all, a post that has numerous social shares displays engagement and interest for the content. Those are aspects that a search engine will value.

That is why it is absolutely vital to optimize sites for easy social sharing.

Which tool is available?

Now that social aspects are becoming an integral part of SEO, it’s important to use plugins that combine onsite optimization with social activity.

The majority of WordPress SEO plugins have only minimal social features, usually to set-up a few defaults settings on major social platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

However, WP SEO Plugin by DELUCKS is the one tool in the market that combines the features of social sharing optimization with onsite optimization.

The Social Sharing Optimization Option

One of WP SEO’s strongest suits is its integrated social sharing optimization. A quick glance of competitor plugins shows that it’s a major missing factor within competitors’ functionality, and usually requires installing an additional plugin.

With WP SEO, the social sharing optimization comes packaged within the plugin, making it extremely easy to set-up as well as avoid installing external applications.

The convenience of these social sharing buttons can benefit SEO in a myriad of ways: they can inspire sharing by being easily accessible, the social shares could be a positive signal to search engines, they could increase incoming traffic, bring potential links from other sites, and (SEO aside) could even bring leads.

Benefits:

• 1-step installation, perfect for most WordPress users who do not have the knowledge required for technical implementation
• 12 of the most popular sharing platforms are available
• The buttons are configurable in shape and design, so they can naturally integrate with a website’s aesthetic
• Sharing counters can be added to display the number of shares per platform
• Ability to display functions based on the device, such as tablet, mobile or desktop. This allows for placing Whatsapp sharing on mobile devices, while focusing on more relevant sharing buttons on desktop.
• The tool does not pull information from social networks and thus doesn’t slow down the site
• No external applications are necessary, which increases privacy and security
• Fully compliant with European data privacy

Drawbacks:

Generally, the WP SEO’s social sharing option is top-notch. Many of its features are not available on similar social sharing plugins.

If there is a drawback, it’s that the social sharing is not available in the free version. However, the licensed version is extremely affordable, costing only $40 for a lifetime license. Considering that it includes numerous tools aside from social sharing (such as breadcrumbs implementation, image optimization, microdata, sitemaps, etc.), it’s a fair deal.

After all, developing good plugins requires resources. Free plugins tend to be lacking in support and eventually stop being updated. Often, investing in an affordable plugin that is very useful is worth the small spend.

Summary

DELUCKS SEO Plugin for WordPress fills the missing social gaps from other SEO plugins in the market. With its easy sharing and set-up, its features come together to create a powerful  search engine optimization tool.