Typically when we think of using Social Media for our websites, we’re imagining viral traffic and creating buzz. However there’s an additional benefit that is often overlooked: search engine optimization and, more specifically, backlinks. In this quick list we’ll take a look at several unique strategies that can get your site tons of free backlinks.

Video sites

Video upload sites can be a fantastic source of backlinks. Each video that is uploaded generally allows a direct backlink to your site within the video’s description. Of course, these links do not include your anchor text, but they are valuable links from high-value websites. If you can, upload several videos across all major video sites (YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, Revver, etc.) for maximum exposure. NOTE: sometimes these links include the nofollow attribute, yet I have a strong inclination to believe that even nofollow links play a role in search rankings.

Twitter

Twitter profiles provide a free backlink from the “website” area of your profile description. These links are indexed by the search engines and can have an impact. Much like the video descriptions, they can’t include anchor text, but they are a direct backlink from a valued source.

Forum Signatures

My personal favorite way to get social media backlinks. Register for every single forums that is relevant to your site’s topic. Then include a short description of your site (~150 characters) and include 1-2 backlinks using your anchor text. Then, for each post you make on the forum, you’ll receive one free backlink – typically without the nofollow tag. These, alone, can truly make an impact on your seo.

Social Networking

Do you have your site in a Facebook profile? Myspace? MyBlogLog? Sign up for every single social networking type of site, even if you don’t use it often, and add your backlink to your profile. Some examples are Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster, MyBlogLog, Tumblr, and others. You shouldn’t stop before you hit 20+ different networks.

The goal of this quick list of strategies was to show how easy it can be to generate free backlinks from social media sites, often providing you with lasting search rankings. More often than not, if two sites are using the same strategies, and one adds social media to their arsenal; that site will rank higher. Be sure you employ these tactics on a regular basis!