Tweets or Likes - what is best for Google. - Google Search and SEO forum at WebmasterWorld

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Tweets or Likes - what is best for Google.

MrFewkes

11:40 pm on Aug 25, 2011 (gmt 0)

Guys, in your experience - what do you feel deserves your effort the most for improving your google ranking postition in the serps?

1. A link to your site on your facebook page, which is then "liked" by your friends.

2. A tweet which contains your full link (not a URL shortener) which is then re-tweeted by your followers.

Please dont say this doesnt affect serp position - because I know it does - but just not which of the above two is strongest.

Sgt_Kickaxe

2:40 am on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

What is best for you?
What is best for your visitors?
What is best for your server performance?

Don't make decisions based on "what is best for Google", they don't want you to know and will change your rankings if you do ANYTHING too "right" anyway.

FranticFish

8:20 am on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

A comprehensive study I read lately said that there is no DIRECT link between FB likes and rankings, just that sites that attract FB likes and shares also attract links and citations. Correlation != cause.

Google does pass PR and anchor text through even shortened urls (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMkltd6dZzU) and Twitter, unlike FB, is open to Google and has many aggregators, some of whom strip off the nofollow attribute.

Robert Charlton

9:32 am on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

Isn't Twitter currently less open to Google than it used to be?

MrFewkes

9:51 am on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

Frantic - I suspect I read the same one.

Sgt_Kick - yes - its the old chicken and egg. I have no visitors until I use these tools to get them (FB / Twitter)

netmeg

2:06 pm on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

I don't think you can or should look at it as an either / or. If your content is shareable, you need to put the tools and the signals in place to make it easy to share everywhere someone would be likely to share it. I think that's what Google looks at - are people sharing your content across various networks and means? There's nothing so specific as a "tweet is better than a like"

MrFewkes

3:48 pm on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

I will do both - but I wondered which to start off with for a boost.

(And with twitter ive got some more learning to do whereas FB I am fairly ok with)

rowtc2

7:43 pm on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

Probably could be added a third option: Google Plus +1 button :)

I didn't found a direct effect in improving serps due the number of Likes (i have small number of tweets and Google +1).

MrFewkes

8:58 pm on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

Thanks rowtc2 - I am a bit worried about having the site in WMT though - theres nothing wrong with the site - sells electrical gadgets - paypal, fully legal trading registered company etc.

The reason i worry is because when google get fickle and decide its their view and everyone else can die - if im in WMT - im on their hitlist.

Its a VERY REAL quandry.

aristotle

9:05 pm on Aug 26, 2011 (gmt 0)

I don't understand exactly how this works. Will it create a sudden short-lived burst of "likes" and/or "tweets"? If so, I doubt that the Google algorithm would give much weight to it.