Chris Krasovich

For those businesses focused on maximizing the effectiveness of their website, gone are the days of simply considering search engine optimization (SEO) and online ads. An increasing number of smart organizations are recognizing that by applying lessons learned from social to their website, they stand to improve traffic and, ultimately, its effectiveness.

When it comes to increasing blog traffic, a few practical steps make a big difference in readership:

By now you may have heard about the hot web property receiving well-deserved attention in social media circles. Introduced in 2010, Pinterest is an image-based social bookmarking site that allows users to collect and “pin” content in a digital scrapbook of sorts. The visual format of the site is proving wildly popular with users, resulting in a 4,000 percent increase in traffic in the fourth quarter of 2011 and a new spot as a top ten social site according to Hitwise. By finding the right way to utilize Pinterest for your business, you may just find the site makes a positive impact.

There's no doubt that social media has become an essential tool for businesses. While Facebook has long reigned supreme, the heavy hitters at Google recently threw their hat in the social media ring. Is that a reason for the reigning champs to get nervous? It depends on who you ask. Here, two experts at GS Design weigh-in.