Social SEO 101: How social media is reshaping the search landscape

If you’re looking for a new pair of running shoes or a couch that matches your midcentury modern décor, where do you search first? If you answered “Google”, you may be surprised to hear that this behavior appears to be falling out of favor – especially for younger generations.

According to recent studies, around 46% of Gen Z adults in the United States rank social media as their number one choice for conducting a search; citing factors such as authenticity, preference for short-form video content, and the perceived quality of results. This means that if your brand intends to be discovered online, it’s time to move past a Google-first approach and start thinking about optimizing your content for a broader social media landscape. This change is a necessary step to keep pace with the rapidly evolving world of search.

What is Social SEO?

Social search engine optimization (or “Social SEO”) is the process of fine-tuning social media content so that more people can find it. The goal is to increase a brand’s online visibility and to ensure that content ranks higher within each social media platform’s search engine results page. The following article will dive into the fundamentals of Social SEO, outline factors to consider within your strategic plan, and demonstrate how this process differs from platform to platform.

How is Social SEO used in a strategic plan?

In a nutshell, Social SEO isn’t just about posting the right content at the right time – it’s about leveraging the fundamentals of search engine optimization via a social media lens. When thinking about how to incorporate Social SEO into an existing strategy, consider the following SEO best practices and how they can be adapted to a social media model:

Keyword optimization: Just like traditional search engines, social platforms rely on keyword choice and clear direction to support search functionality. To help social algorithms quickly determine the purpose of your content and your target audience, spend time selecting the appropriate target keywords for content, profile bios, descriptive text, and more.
Content amplification: It is well understood that social media can help expand the reach of your brand’s existing content. Sharing relevant links within social media platforms can help drive website traffic and signal content relevance to other search engines such as Google.
Brand authority and trust: Having active social media profiles can help your brand build authority across the digital ecosystem. By fostering a strong level of engagement and positive audience interaction on branded pages, you can indicate to search engines that your brand has a trustworthy reputation. As a part of your broader digital strategy, optimize your presence by encouraging tactics like user-generated content and testimonials to further solidify a reputable social media presence.
Link building: While not every social media post will include a direct link to your brand’s website, those that do often drive referral traffic and encourage external linking. When thinking about your social content strategy, it’s important to develop content such as video, infographics, and long-form posts that naturally attract re-shares and backlinks from other authoritative websites.

How does Social SEO differ between platforms?

Just as each social media platform has its own unique presence and audience, a comprehensive Social SEO strategy must employ a distinct approach to ensure maximum visibility from channel to channel. Use these insights to understand the key differences between the top social networks and how a brand’s Social SEO strategy should be adapted to fit their needs:

Facebook: Built on personal profiles, brand pages, and community groups, Facebook content should be optimized to feature detailed page information and relevant keyword choice. To get started on your social optimization journey, utilize Facebook’s existing search function to monitor the performance of similar branded content, and encourage community participation via reviews, open-ended posts, and high-quality visuals.
Instagram: As Instagram’s short-form video content vessel “Reels” continues to rise in popularity, it will be essential to include the fundamentals of video optimization as a part of your broader strategic plan on the platform. Continue to leverage strong visual content, alternative text, and location markers on standard Instagram posts. It’s equally important to tap into high-value keywords and trending hashtags that can enhance your presence on the network’s “Explore Page.”
TikTok: As an ever-changing feed of content, TikTok optimization often includes harnessing the power of trending sounds, hashtags, visuals, and overlayed text. In addition to including well-optimized text within descriptive details, brands should prioritize content that encourages shares and audience participation via duets and stitches to maximize visibility.
YouTube: Holding the title of the world’s second largest search engine, YouTube content is already primed for search and discovery. Use keyword research to identify relevant and high-performing search terms, and then incorporate them into your video’s title, description, playlists, and tagging fields. Don’t forget to include high-quality visuals and engaging thumbnails to encourage additional visibility and promote a longer average view time.
LinkedIn: As a network that focuses on professional networking and thought leadership, LinkedIn optimization should include a thorough review of your brand’s company pages and leader profiles. Content should be optimized to include relevant keywords, industry-specific hashtags, as well as profile verification that can encourage trust from users. If you are an administrator of your brand’s account, you can utilize LinkedIn’s publishing platform to create long-form content that can further maximize your brand’s visibility.
X (formerly Twitter): According to CEO Elon Musk, the era of the hashtag is over on the platform. To successfully optimize content, brands should seek to identify high-performing keywords, participate in trending conversations, and leverage thought leadership to demonstrate trust and relevancy. Noting the channel’s goal of encouraging audience conversation and participation, brands should promote engagement through features such as polling to further maximize visibility.

Why is Social SEO important to marketers?

As user behavior continues to evolve and more consumers seek out information via social media search functions, Social SEO will become an increasingly critical tool in a brand’s awareness and visibility strategy. Benefits to building a robust Social SEO plan include:

Increased visibility
Enhanced brand reputation
Improved audience engagement
Expanded reach
Stronger (and more diverse) data-driven insights

If you are unsure about how to begin incorporating social media into your broader SEO plan, it’s important to know that you can start small. Take the first steps by beginning with one specific social media channel or conduct high-level keyword research to understand what types of queries you should be targeting within your social strategy. Even the smallest bit of progress can help put you on the path to greater social media visibility and set your brand up for greater success with long-term SEO goals.

Although Google won’t be disappearing any time soon, it’s critical for brands to recognize that the way users choose to search is rapidly evolving. Marketers who wish to stay ahead of the game must consider a more well-rounded approach to SEO and build a stronger presence in the social spaces that are occupied by their audience. Failing to adapt, or adapting too late, will all but ensure that your brand is leaving valuable visibility on the table.