In this post, we’ll take a look at how you can use social media to boost your SEO and why these actionable social media tips have an effect on your search rank.
Though Google has expressly stated that social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, there are actually multiple studies that show that it does have some sort of impact on search rank. In 2018, Hootsuite tested this, comparing the search rank of articles with and without social promotion. Content with top social shares received an average boost of 22%. Further research from Cognitive SEO backs this up.
The bottom line, there is a strong correlation between rank and social activity. But because the effects are indirect, it’s hard to measure. Having an understanding of how and why social media affects rank can help you optimize your strategy accordingly.
So we’re going to get real with you: There’s no one way to use social media to boost your SEO.
That said, there are some things you can do that will help move the needle, like the five strategies below.
1. Use influencers to get your content shared
Many companies are already doing this, but what you might not know is that it actually has a positive effect on search rank. Influencer marketing is incredibly effective at increasing brand awareness and earning you new leads. But the effects of an influencer campaign don’t just end there.
A study by Ahrefs showed that social shares from Influencers actually had a positive effect on search rank. They looked at thousands of pages that had earned links from social shares, and found that pages with more social shares ranked higher in search results. And while they didn’t measure how many shares came directly from influencers, it was still enough to show a significant correlation between share count and rank.
2. Have a strong social presence with a consistent brand image
There are 2 million blog posts published every single day.
That’s a lot of competition.
So how do you set yourself apart and get your content to stand out?
You use influencers.
Influencer marketing is a great way to boost brand awareness, earn new leads, and promote your content. But did you know that using influencers can also help your content rank better in search results?
A study by Ahrefs showed that social shares from Influencers actually had a positive effect on search rank. They looked at thousands of pages that had earned links from social shares and found that pages with more social shares ranked higher in search results. And while they didn’t measure how many shares came directly from influencers, it was still enough to show a significant correlation between share count and rank.
Having a strong social presence means having one that is active and engaging with your audience multiple times per week, if not daily. Posting regularly helps increase brand awareness, as well as earn you followers and subscribers.
Influencer marketing is an incredible way to earn brand awareness and new leads. And while you may know all about how powerful it can be, what you might not know is how much it can impact your search rankings.
A study by Ahrefs showed that social shares from Influencers actually had a positive effect on search rank. They looked at thousands of pages that had earned links from social shares and found that pages with more social shares ranked higher in search results. And while they didn’t measure how many shares came directly from influencers, it was still enough to show a significant correlation between share count and rank.
3. Create event-related content before big events
If you can create content related to major events before they happen, you can take advantage of the increased interest around that topic to get noticed by more people.
If you can create content related to major events before they happen, you can take advantage of the increased interest around that topic to get noticed by more people. This also helps make your business visible among those who are already searching for information related to the event—meaning the searchers are already interested in what’s going on and will likely be intrigued by your content.
For example, let’s say you’re a sneaker company and you want to promote your new line of sneakers that have been designed with one of the best basketball players in the world. You could wait until March Madness (the NCAA basketball tournament) and then make an announcement about your collaboration with that player—but if you announce it early, you’ll be able to get more visibility during an event when people are already thinking about basketball and sneakers.
Think of it like this: if you’re the first one to create event-related content before everyone else, you get to ride that wave of increased interest and attention. If other people start creating content related to your topic once the event is over, they’ll have less of an impact—the excitement around that event will have died down, so people won’t be searching for it as much.
4. Use Optimized and Top Quality Images
When we talk about SEO, we always get wrapped up with keywords and written content. But images are oftentimes equally as important. It’s the same way with social media. If you fail to properly optimize your images for social media and SEO, you’ll miss out on ranking opportunities, and decrease the engagement with your social posts.
Why is this? Because Google looks at images in two ways: how they improve user experience and how they help your site rank. In other words, if you have high-quality images that are relevant to the topic of your article or page, you’ll be rewarded by Google.
It’s also true that posts with images receive 2x more engagement than posts without images on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. So it would be a big mistake to leave them out!
So how do they tie together? Let’s look at how you can optimize your images for SEO on social media:
Choose Your Images Wisely
Good images are the key to driving traffic to your website via social media. People love visuals, but they also love realness and authenticity. So when choosing the right image for your blog post or website page, consider the following:
Make it relevant – The image should be relevant to the content of your post or page. If possible, it should have some close connection with what you’re writing about.
Make it original – Try to avoid using stock photos as much as possible. If you must use stock photos, be sure that they are high-quality and professional-looking ones. Most people prefer seeing real people in real situations than overly posed ones in a generic setting.
5. Boost SEO with a Smart Social Media Strategy
Everything you do online, from the way you socialize to the content you create, has the potential to have an impact on your search ranking. The web is connected in so many ways that it’s hard to tell which actions directly affect your SEO and link-building efforts, and which have a more indirect effect.
But does social media really have an impact on SEO? And if so, how?
According to recent studies and research, as well as what we know about Google’s algorithms and search engine behavior, social media does indeed have some sort of indirect influence on SEO. But what exactly it is, and how it works remains a mystery.
Though social media might not be a direct influencer of SEO, it’s clear it has some type of impact. Having a smart social media strategy, and taking steps to optimize your posts can certainly improve brand awareness, engagement metrics, and consequently page rank in search engines.
But it doesn’t end there; there are other factors that contribute to SEO success. These include the number of quality backlinks pointing to your site, how fast your website loads (and its overall performance), the keywords you use in your content—the list goes on.
