Discover how social media can supercharge your SEO. Learn how to drive organic traffic, boost brand visibility, and improve search rankings.
Published on October 15, 2024
Social media is more than a platform for sharing pictures of your cat. It’s a valuable tool that significantly influences your search engine optimisation (SEO) plan. You can boost your website’s visibility and draw in more organic traffic when you get how social media and SEO work together.
How Social Media Impacts SEO
While Google officially states that social signals don’t directly impact search rankings, some research suggests a correlation between higher social engagement (likes, shares, comments) and better search engine performance.
It’s important to note that this correlation doesn’t necessarily mean social signals cause higher rankings.
However, some interesting data showcases how important it is to include social media as part of your digital marketing strategy.
Google search data shows that people look more for social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp than other online resources. These platforms have huge search numbers, with
YouTube getting 1.2 billion searches, Facebook 867 million, and WhatsApp Web 543.3 million. This points out how powerful it can be to include social media in a full digital marketing plan. [Forbes]
While social media isn’t a direct ranking factor for Google, it can significantly boost your SEO indirectly.
Here’s how…
Brand Visibility
Social platforms help people find and interact with your brand, making them more likely to search for you on Google.
Send More Traffic to Your Site
Engaging content on social media can make users want to click on your organic search results.
Show’s You’re an Expert
Social media lets you prove you know your stuff. This fits with what Google looks for in its E-E-A-T rules.
Get More Links
When your social content does well, people often share and link to it, which helps your website’s link profile.
Learn About Your Audience
Look at your social media numbers to see what your audience likes then use this to shape your SEO plan.
Keep People on Your Site Longer
Social posts can bring people to your website, leading to more time spent there, which helps your SEO.
Show Up in Local Searches
Being active on social media and getting good reviews can help you appear more in local Google Maps searches.
Best Practices for Social Media and SEO
- Quality content: Share informative, entertaining, and shareable content that will catch the target audience’s attention.
- Enhance your profiles: Incorporate your target keywords into your profile descriptions and in the usernames themselves for better visibility.
- Use consistent hashtags: Use appropriate hashtags to make social media content more discoverable.
- Sharing: Allow easy sharing by adding social sharing buttons to a website.
- Track your social media analytics: Learn how your social media is and isn’t working to create a more dynamic content strategy.
- Engage with Your Audience: Reply to users’ comments and messages on your page. This will help you connect with your audience.
- Cross-Promote Your Social Media Accounts: Want your Instagram followers to follow you on X? Cross-promote your other social media accounts.
- Run Social Media Contests and Giveaways: Incentivise users to share your content and follow your brand by giving away a free product or prize.
- Run targeted social media ads: Make sure your advertisement reaches specific demographics and interests.
- Influencer partnerships: Team up with influencers in your industry to reach more clients.
Social Media Success Tips
✔ Regular posting provides consistency and will keep engagement high.
✔ Visual content is more likely to be shared and create more engagement.
✔ Experiment with content format. Try different types of content to see what works best for your audience.
Further, monitor your social media performance with analytics for measurement and data-driven decisions guaranteed to make you successful.
Best Social Media Platforms for SEO
YouTube
- Videos often rank on Google SERPs; Google owns YouTube.
- Optimise videos with relevant keywords using SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.
- Embed videos in on-site content to increase views.
TikTok
- Gen Z uses TikTok as a search engine; great for younger audiences.
- Incorporate keywords in on-screen text, captions, and voice-overs.
- Utilise SEMrush’s tools for scheduling and audience insights.
- Results are influenced by user activity; prioritise meaningful content.
- Use a variety of tools and formats for better engagement.
- Build trust through accurate and informative posts.
- High search activity; optimise username and bio with keywords.
- Include relevant keywords and hashtags in captions, not just comments.
- Use alt text for images to enhance accessibility and SEO.
X (formerly Twitter)
- Use search functions to find posts and trending topics.
- Secure a searchable username and include keywords in your bio.
- Engage with trending topics and other users for higher visibility.
- Great for B2B; write descriptive overviews for company pages.
- Experiment with diverse content formats and respond to comments.
- Use analytics to refine post strategies.
- Popular for visual searches; utilise Pinterest Trends for keywords.
- Create engaging, high-quality Pins with informative descriptions.
- Regularly publish content and save Pins to relevant boards.
Quora
- High visibility on Google for Q&A; ranked highly for many keywords.
- Answer relevant questions and share helpful insights from a company account.
- Avoid overt self-promotion; focus on providing value.
- Communities (subreddits) focus on niche topics; valuable for SEO.
- Be cautious with branded content; focus on adding value.
- Use Trend Analytics for subreddit research and opportunities.
Tools to Help You with Social Media and SEO
- Buffer: A tool for scheduling social media posts, helping you handle several accounts and plan your content.
- Hootsuite: A platform for managing social media, with options to schedule posts, analyze performance, and monitor interactions.
- Canva: A design tool that lets you easily create attractive visuals for your social media updates.
- Google Analytics: A tool to monitor your website’s traffic and see how your social media work affects your SEO.
- SEMrush: A tool that offers SEO insights and analysis, including data on social media performance.
Found can help you create a winning strategy. Our expert team specialises in crafting tailored social media and SEO plans that deliver results.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you with your digital marketing!
Megan Smith
Content Marketing Specialist
Megan is a seasoned digital marketer at Found, specialising in creating compelling content strategies that boost brand visibility and business growth.
