"Is your website search- and social-media-friendly?" inquires a recent post at the Online Marketing Blog. According to Lee Odden, search is the most efficient and effective way for consumers to discover content. However, focusing on standard SEO tactics, such as keyword usage and links, is not enough to remain competitive, he says. Odden stresses that increasing demand for fresh, live Web content, as well as consumer expectations to interact with information in search results, require today's Web marketers to complement SEO with social media.

Here are a few tactics Odden suggests to help incorporate a social-media strategy with your overall search-marketing plan:

Provide always-fresh content. Provide updated RSS feeds or widgets so that website visitors can access additional forms of information and interaction with your company.

Offer social content. Add a blog, reviews, forum, or even a social network to your site. Provide opportunities for consumers to interact with other brand fans as well as with your company.

Make everything easy to share. Use "share this" options that make it easy for readers to share content at social sites like Facebook and Twitter—and just about anywhere else.

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