Many of us think of our SEO and social media teams as having very little that connect each other. But what if successful social media could improve our SEO efforts? This is exactly what Merriam-Webster — the 180-year-old dictionary — did. In her session, Lisa will be walking through how Merriam-Webster used social media to find an authentic, engaging voice and connect with data-driven trends across topics from politics to pop culture. Learn how the result was an ecosystem effect that also drove SEO ranking and CTR success.

1. The Ecosystem Effect:
How Our Social Voice
Boosted Our SEO
Lisa Schneider
Chief Digital Officer & Publisher
Merriam-Webster

2. How we got started

3. How we got started:
Cognitive Dissonance

4. Our social presence

5. IRL

6. Yessssssssss!!!!!!!

7. Yessssssssss!!!!!!!
Autocorrect has no idea of the power
of teenage girls to change language.

8. Important Qs from 2nd Grade

9. Important Qs from 2nd Grade

10. Important Qs from 2nd Grade

11. Our voice works because
it’s not a marketing construct —
it’s who we really are.

12. Merriam-Webster Mission:
• Propagate our irrational love of the English language

13. Merriam-Webster Mission:
• Propagate our irrational love of the English language
• Help people understand language better, so they can better
understand and communicate with the world around them.

14. Ecosystem

15. Engagement Content:
Our “On-Ramp”

18. Ecosystem

19. The power of
creative constraints.

20. Some of our constraints:
• Rigorous criteria for defining
• Social & political objectivity: we stick to the words

21. Some of our constraints:
• Rigorous criteria for defining

22. NO

24. Candidate for entry must have:
• Widespread use
• Long-term use
• Meaningful use
• Organic use

31. We have been data driven
for nearly 200 years.

32. More data online.

33. Some of our constraints:
• Social & political objectivity: we stick to the words

34. Some of our constraints:
• Use data to connect with public discourse
• Social & political objectivity: we stick to the words

35. Top lookups: a (fairly) static list
• Socialism
• Fascism
• Culture
• Serendipity
• Empathy
• Integrity

36. Trending words: enter the top
list for a few hours to a few days

37. Trending words: enter the top
list for a few hours to a few days
• Tells us that people care enough about language
to turn to the dictionary when a word is used in a
way that raises the question of meaning.
#WordsMatter

38. Trending words: enter the top
list for a few hours to a few days
• Gives us a platform to engage with current events,
while maintaining our objectivity: we are reporting
lookup data, and answering users’ curiosity.

39. Trending words

40. News & Politics

46. Weather

49. Sports

52. Pop Culture, Movies, and Celebrities

60. Another Way We Use Data

62. Ecosystem

67. Our debate coverage was proclaimed a winner

68. Merriam-Webster has been covered by
a wide variety of established and new online-only media,
appealing to thought leaders across every demographic.

69. We also won a bunch of awards

70. Ecosystem

71. Ecosystem
SEO WINS!

72. Social  SEO
• All that press coverage gave us high-quality, organic,
inbound links

73. Social  SEO
• All that press coverage gave us high-quality, organic,
inbound links
125% YOY
146% YOY
122% YOY
0
20000000
40000000
60000000
January-16 January-17 January-18 January-19
Inbound Link Growth
Inbound Link Growth

74. Social  SEO
• All that press coverage gave us high-quality, organic,
inbound links
• Users who love our voice, or read about us, are
more likely to choose Merriam-Webster

75. The Ecosystem Effect:
How Our Social Voice
Boosted Our SEO
Lisa Schneider
Chief Digital Officer & Publisher
Merriam-Webster