Impacting search results isn’t as simple as it used to be. You can’t just plant a link farm or stuff keywords like crazy and expect great results. Those actions are actually much more likely to earn you a Google penalty. Today’s SEO is all about publishing quality content and driving organic user engagement. There are no shortcuts to winning Google's heart.

But, there are still 6 steps I always use as a default when building social profiles for a new client. I’ll go through them here and use my Twitter as an easy example. I ran into some classic stumbling blocks along the way, so I'll share those here and give you my thought process for each step.

Step 1: Reserve Your Custom URL

Keywords aren’t what they used to be but search engines still look to the URL as a sign of what the online property is all about. If I want my Twitter profile to rank well for my name, it’s wise to have my name in the URL slug. That means making my username my full name.

Protip: Don’t get twitter.com/rickross if people know you by Richard Ross.

Above, you'll see the one thing a brand strategist hates to see: the ideal username is already taken.

In this case, there are a number of directions you can go. Ryan_erskine and erskineryan were already taken as well and I’m not one to add numbers at the end of my username. So I decided on ryanerskineNY. Putting my location in the URL slug won't hurt and it might even offer a slight boost to my search results.

Step 2: Put Your Name in the Title

It seems obvious, but step 2 is putting your name — or whatever you’re trying to rank for in search results — in the title. Search engines still take title tags seriously and I would be wasting a useful spot for my name if I didn’t put ‘Ryan Erskine’ here.

Step 3: Upload Your Optimized Image

The next thing you’ll want to do is upload a profile picture. Some social profiles automatically rename and resize your image (as Twitter does here) but it’s useful to remember this step as you construct other social profiles and web properties.

First, name your image appropriately. This part is easy. Rename your image on your desktop (or wherever you’ve saved it) as the full keyword. In this case, I’ve renamed my image as “Ryan Erskine” before uploading it.
Optimize your image’s size. As Google cares more and more about load speed as a SEO factor, it is critical to upload images that are appropriately sized. We’re only dealing with a handful of pixels here in the Twitter profile picture, so a high definition picture would be a waste of space and load time.

Step 4: Input Your Location

You should always determine a consistent public location to use when building your social profile foundation. Yes, there will be overlap when people search your name from different locations, but the city you input will be an important factor for search engines that tailor their results according to geography. I've used New York here.

Step 5: Link to a Property in Your Campaign

The logic here is this: by linking to another site in my campaign, I’m taking the valuable authority my Twitter account generates and am providing an authoritative link back to my main website.

My website, ryanerskine.com, is an important link in my campaign’s link structure, so I’m linking back to it here.

Step 6: Write a Unique Bio With Your Name

Your bio is another prime opportunity for you to use your full name or keyword. Clients sometimes feel weird about this concept of writing in the third person, but the reasoning is simple - search engines don’t know what “I” refers to, but they sure as hell know your name.

Unfortunately, Twitter leaves us very little room and I wanted to include @Brandyourself and a number of relevant hashtags so I actually skipped this step in my optimization process.

Closing Note

This is a great place to mention a caveat. You have to pick your battles when working in the world of SEO. Sometimes what’s best for SEO isn’t best for the online branding campaign. In this case, I couldn’t fit my name because it was more important for me to have the association with my company and some relevant, valuable hashtags so I could drive user engagement.

These 6 steps are all important defaults but they are just that — defaults. Feel free to break the rules when it makes sense for your campaign. And don’t forget to have fun!

Be Deliberate:

Did you know that most Amish groups don’t reject technology? In fact, many are actually quite engaged with modern tech, including company websites and personal telephones. The difference is that the Amish are much more suspicious of technological advancements. When a new technology comes out, they make a deliberate choice whether or not to include it into their life.

The question the Amish raise for new technologies -- “Will this hurt me?” -- is the same sort of question you should ask when deciding to jump on the bandwagon for a new fad, twitter campaign, or trending hashtag. If cookie giant, Entenmann's, had asked itself this question in 2011, they might have avoided the #notguilty mess after the Casey Anthony trial.

Fill a Niche:

Today, Lehman’s is an internationally known hardware store with over 40,000 square feet of showroom space. But Jay Lehman started his small store in Ohio back in 1955 with a unique goal: to build a non-electric hardware business to serve the needs of the Amish community. He loved the Amish country and wanted to capture that niche market.

Filling a distinct niche is the best way to pave a clear path to success for yourself or your business. Determine what unique benefit you want to offer your Twitter followers and try to primarily stick to tweets that fit that criteria. Remember, by trying to please everyone, you spread yourself too thin and please no one.

Build to Last:

Quality. Reliability. Durability. These are the traits that come to mind for Amish craftsmanship. Brands are bound to fail when they focus exclusively on efficiency, speed, and profits at the expense of quality connections with their consumers.

When building a Twitter following, make sure you focus on the core elements that will keep your followers coming back again and again. A hastily-planned twitter account may cause you headaches as you try to expand or change later on. Do your research, track your analytics, and take the necessary steps to continually engage the right types of users. That means offering fresh and original content, using creative campaigns and tactics, and following the most influential users in your niche.

Be Honest:

Amish craftsmen are known for being honest about their products’ features and letting their customers make up their own minds. In fact, the link between the Amish and honesty is so strong that many companies are starting to put Amish on the label as a marketing ploy.

Flashy sales pitches may capture your followers’ attention, but they won’t help your brand or reputation. People will feel emotionally connected to you if you appear open, honest, and a real live person. Give your tweets an honest and engaging personality and you’ll reap the benefits. (Check out my previous article for more info on creating conversational and engaging content.)

Embrace Simplicity:

The beauty of Amish food, furniture, and clothing is its superior craftsmanship and utter simplicity. When deciding how to create your Twitter strategy, remember to prioritize what’s most important and let the rest fall to the wayside. Tweeting every hour on the hour may reach a ton of users, but it comes across as needy and will alienate your most active followers who will prefer some breathing room in their Twitter feed.

If you come up with a bunch of promising tweets in one go, save them as drafts or schedule them out over the next week to keep things consistent. By crafting fewer tweets that have a greater impact, you’ll dramatically increase your credibility and reputation.