Why Tumblr Should Have a Place in Your Online Marketing Strategy

If you pay attention at all to the ever-evolving world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), then you might have heard recently that Google’s own social media platform, Google+, has become less important in determining search engine rankings.

In the eyes of most people, this change probably wasn’t groundbreaking. Google+ never gained as much traction as the search engine giant had hoped it would, reaching only 38% of America’s digital population per comScore. On average, G+ users only spend 7 minutes per month on the site (compared to 20+ minutes on Facebook per day!) with the average G+ session duration only clocking in at 3 minutes and 46 seconds. Stone Temple Consulting even found that of 90.1% of all valid G+ profiles have no content posted at all — suggesting that G+ user stats aren’t fully reflective of actual usage.

But from an SEO and marketing standpoint, the news that Google+ was becoming more divorced from Google rankings came as a shock. After witnessing the importance of consistent Google+ updates in relation to local search rankings, to have G+ become less crucial was a little jarring. With Google+ Local pages no longer appearing in search results, though, it’s clear that your marketing efforts should shift to platforms that present more viable SEO value.

That’s why we are shifting our efforts from Google+ upkeep to a more visible platform: Tumblr.

How exactly will Tumblr benefit your business? Here’s what your small business stands to gain from a strong Tumblr presence. A Quick Guide to Tumblr for Your Small Business

What is Tumblr?

Tumblr is a microblogging platform where users share graphics, posts, GIFs, links, and other short-form content. Tumblr posts are quick to consume and highly-shareable, presenting an opportunity to gain links, engagement, and social shares.

Compared to Google+, Tumblr has more widespread, active usage. There are 217 million Tumblr blogs,120.7 billion posts, and 550 million monthly users. Demographically, according to AdWeek, 23.3% of users are ages 18 – 24, 27% are ages 25 – 34, 15.5% are ages 35 – 44, 10.8% are ages 45 – 54, 6.2% are ages 55 – 64, and 2.2% are 65+.

All of these numbers equate to one thing: a huge opportunity for your business.

Tumblr’s SEO Value

If you leverage the platform right, Tumblr can be a useful tool in your SEO arsenal. There are three key ways Tumblr can boost your SEO:

1. It’s a visible content marketing platform.

Content marketing is an essential arm of any SEO strategy, and Tumblr is a great place to produce and share quality content that will, in turn, get consumed and shared by your target audience. You can combine the written word and visual content — think GIFs, photos, graphics, and videos — to produce highly shareable content.

2. It’s a link building opportunity.

Tumblr provides a great chance for your business to improve your link building strategy. White hat SEO practices call for a business to sprinkle high quality links back to their website. By linking to your website in your Tumblr content, you not only help boost your traffic by increasing the likelihood someone clicks on your link then and there — you also build your domain authority.

3. It’s fertile ground for social sharing — another search engine ranking factor.

Tumblr uses love commenting on and sharing content — a feature called “reblogging” on the platform. As users read and share your content, search engines will get clues that your business — and your website — are both legitimate, helping increase your online presence.

So, Let’s Tumble.

Wanna get start your business out on the right foot on Tumblr? Our social media team can help. Give us a call at (402) 334-3530 in Omaha or (470) 344-1799 in Atlanta.