Is consolidating social media into one core channel hurting SEO?

[Tarquin]

We have a 3 main domains that are all in a similar field, but have very distinct and separate subject matters. The domains rank well in their subject matter within that field, however recently we have seen a little slip in rankings. Onpage SEO and inbound link, etc.. are all pretty much the same - the one main difference is that about 1.5 to 2 years ago - we merged all the social media channels for those 3 domains into one central channel. So that each domain does not have its own FB, Twitter of G+ channels, they all use the same core channel.

With social factors becoming more important - was this a good move? Should we split them back out into their own channels again? Thoughts and input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[goodroi]

IMHO Social signals are currently overrated. That is not to say that I think social signals are worthless, just that they are overrated.

If you are serious about a website you should build up some social channels for that site. By developing a strong social marketing campaign you can actually develop real traffic that will convert. Plus it will make you less dependent on Google traffic with all of the traffic from those social sites. Not all social channels are a good match for every website so pick and choose wisely.

On the other hand if resources and time is limited then developing social campaigns might not be the best investment for your limited availability.

[tedster]

At a recent conference Matt Cutts indicated that while social signals are not a strong organic factor right now, in the future he sees them becoming more important. Take that with some caution, of course - it could be a Google versions of vaporware for the algorithm, but it also could be a good heads-up to site owners.

[Tarquin]

Thanks for the feedback - it all helps in making some hard choices.

However, do you have any feedback on the consolidation of the channels?

We currently have it setup like this:

Website A - Social Media A
Website B - Also all directed to Social Media A
Website C - Also all directed to Social Media A

Social Media A is all branded to website A, while website B is in the same industry, its slightly different, so does not having a Social Media B channel in that brands name, etc.. harm us or is all the weight going to website A?

Thanks

[tedster]

Social Media A is all branded to website A

I'd say sending Website B to the Social Media A is creating a chaotic user experience, whether or not that hurts your organic rankings in Google is not certain, but it sure isn't helping your users and that's what matter the most. In the long run, it probably does hurt you.