Think about it - why did Google ever allow links to determine which websites ranked above all the others? The answer is simple: links were like "votes" for your website. The more votes you get, the better off you are.

So SEO companies started building links (aka "votes") manually. Then, Google -- to counter all of the fake voting -- figured out that some votes should count more than other votes. So SEO companies went around manufacturing websites with the best votes. And Google, finally, realized that SEO link building would never work long-term for ranking websites.

So Google started penalizing websites with "fake votes" (which is basically anyone who pays a company to do SEO link building for them). Seeing a trend here? The idea behind links as a ranking factor is a very good idea, but since it's become so easy to manipulate, Google has been forced to turn to social media channels which do the same thing but are much harder to manipulate. Link building was always about social proofing.
 

When you have a following on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn, you create a team of fans who can share your content.

So when you write a new blog post on your business blog, you can take that content and share it on Twitter and then get some of your followers to share your content. You can also get your website visitors to share pages of your site and your blog on social media by adding simple social buttons to allow people to quickly and easily "vote" for your content right there on your website. Sure, many of these people will never become your actual customers, but that's not your objective here. Your objective is to build buzz and attention around your website.
 

The problem with old school SEO link building is you are always building "signs" to your website in places where nobody is looking. It's something like buying a billboard in the desert.

 Social media, on the other hand, is a dynamic world of interaction and activity where things are constantly happening in real time. This is why it's so crucial that you have a social media presence -- not just social media accounts where you never or rarely post anything. You've got to be active, you've got to be social. This is the fastest way to multiply your online presence simply because it's where everyone is.
If you get in front of the right people (which is a matter of consistency, not luck) then you can build some buzz around your business and your website.
 

I'm sure you've heard the term "social signals" floating around out there. Love it or hate it, this is a real thing. Google is definitely measuring your website's "pulse rate" on social media channels.

How often do you share content on social channels? How often do people visit your website for social channels? How many fans/followers do you have? Does your website have social sharing elements available for visitors? Social signals really is the new "link building" metric you should be concerned about and worried about.

95% (or more) of links from SEO link building never bring a single new visitor to your website. They just sit out there pointing to your site and not really doing anything else at all. This was the other major revelation Google had: They realized that by promoting links as a way to popularize your website, they were creating a web filled with spam and junk all designed to get more links (and only that).

Most SEO companies build links on sites that will never bring you an actual customer. They're just fabricating links to try and boost your search engine positions. Now that it doesn't work, you're basically throwing money down a drain every time you pay for link building.

Social links, on the other hand, have the real potential to bring real people into your website AND into your social followers or social circles. This means at some point these people could very well turn into a customer or a content promoter for your business.

Google has been very clear about this - stop building fake links to your website and start focusing on providing value and being of value within your marketplace. Social media is the very best place to achieve that goal online today.