In this article, we will understand how social media optimization can boost your results on the Google SERP .
Are social networks a positioning factor on Google?
The answer to that question is “no”… at least not directly. However, these platforms can indeed contribute to the website with the necessary elements to position itself in search engines.
Therefore, it is important to understand that there is no point in applying the same good practices to search engine pages on your social networks hoping that the results will appear.
On the other hand, there are techniques to optimize content within the social platforms themselves, generating more engagement and visibility for your brand’s profiles.
We will talk more about the relationship between SEO for search engines and social networks below.
The relationship between SEO and social networks
Applying the best SEO practices facilitates the growth of your social networks, as it builds authority and drives visits to your pages through internal links.
On the other hand, social networks have their own search engines that also consider a series of optimizations to determine the pages that are offered to the user when they perform a search.
Furthermore, as we discussed in the previous topic, social networks are an indirect factor for positioning on Google.
Therefore, the relationship between SEO and social networks is positive and should be worked on by any professional looking for authority on the internet.
But, finally, what are the characteristics that differentiate SEO for search engines and for social networks?
How does SEO work for traditional search engines?
Traditional SEO is done thinking about the user’s search intentions on Google and other search engines.
Therefore, it works based on keywords , which are the terms used by the user to perform a search in the search engine.
This strategy consists of studying the most interesting keywords for your business to meet user needs.
This improves the positioning of content on the SERP and attracts qualified visitors to your blog, who can become leads and even customers of the brand.
There are several factors that influence the positioning of content, whether on-page or off-page:
- Quality backlinks;
- Domain authority;
- Relevance of content;
- Page performance.
However, social networks do not fail to exert an important influence, and much of this comes from so-called social signals .
They are likes, comments and shares on social media posts, which help to spread your content across the internet.
Remembering that media is not a positioning factor for SEO in search engines, but it is clear how having an engaged audience can boost your results.
How does SEO for social media work?
How SEO works on social media is different from traditional SEO, which makes perfect sense.
After all, there are countless ranking factors in search engines that simply do not need to be considered for networks.
That said, each platform has its own search page, and you can take actions to ensure your profile is prioritized in searches by your target audience .
It is possible to optimize publications in different ways, always in accordance with the guidelines of each social network used.
We will talk about specific actions for each type of media below:
SEO for Instagram
Instagram has millions of users in the world. These millions and millions of people represent countless business opportunities for companies that manage to occupy the platform intelligently.
In the case of Instagram, hashtags are one of the pillars of optimization for any brand.
By using the right tags, you put yourself in a prime position to be found by your target audience.
Furthermore, keep in mind that the “for you” section (recommended posts for the user) is created based on the behavior of each person on the network.
This includes the profiles she interacts with, topics she is interested in and posts she usually engages with.
SEO for Facebook
In the case of Facebook, it is even possible to rank your posts on Google. The dynamic is different from the traditional one, as the posts do not have topic divisions and keyword work.
However, it is possible for your publication to appear to a search engine user based on some central requirements.
The main one is the format of answering a question: the post begins with a question and its body is formed by a solution to it.
Think of Facebook posts as types of Featured Snippets , which appear to the reader in content highlighted on Google.
This way, there is a chance that you will position social media posts on the first pages of the search engine.
SEO for YouTube
SEO for YouTube is very similar to that used to position on Google, with fundamental elements for you to pay attention to when optimizing, such as:
Catchy title that is faithful to the content of the video;
Explanatory descriptions (write as much as necessary);
Well distributed keywords;
Thumbnails containing strategic terms.
The same goes for Shorts, YouTube’s short video format that is very similar to TikTok.
3 tips for optimizing your social networks using SEO
A consolidated and relevant profile on social networks increases your reach and can be converted into results on the brand’s website.
However, for this to happen, it is necessary to follow good practices for producing and optimizing posts, among other elements.
With this in mind, we have prepared the 3 best tips for you to use SEO with a focus on your social networks.
1 – Increase your number of followers
Having a good number of followers is a relevant factor in building authority on social media.
As much as it is a vanity metric, there is, in fact, value in having many people following your brand.
Bing, the second largest search engine in the world, claims to consider this an important factor in its ranking.
However, gaining a valuable follower base requires some care. His first is: never buy followers!
Networks like Instagram have mechanisms to punish those who carry out this type of action, compromising their reach on the platform.
Instead, identify your persona and build a content plan aimed at impacting that specific audience.
You can also use paid media to build targeted ads and assertively impact your target audience, generating immediate results.
2 – Create posts optimized for each social network
Optimizing your publications is essential to meet the requirements of network algorithms.
Remember that each one has its own good practices and recommendations, which requires customization .
However, some factors are important on social media in general, such as the strategic use of hashtags and a good level of engagement in posts.
Therefore, create posts that stimulate interactions and are capable of going viral, even if only in your niche.
3 – Do link building
In this case, link building is a two-way street: it is ideal for you to publish links to your blog on social media, and vice versa.
In the case of your blog, create social sharing buttons to direct audiences to your profiles.
On social media, ensure that the blog is referenced in the bio (creating a linktree, for example) and share relevant content for the public to access.
This way, you encourage visits and, if the audience likes your productions, you can increase the shares of these links.
From this, both social media and search engine algorithms begin to understand that your brand produces relevant materials, generating positioning and authority.
