Below, we give some tips on using Social Media for SEO purposes.

Where to post?

As you might imagine, asking a complex question to a consultant almost always yields this answer: "It depends."

Still, there are some networks you could consider:

• LinkedIn - organic posting can have its audience. Good for B2B marketing, but for other industries (marketing, IT, sales - for example).
• Facebook - general audience.
• Instagram - images/videos, a general/younger audience.
• YouTube - videos, general audience.
• TikTok - videos, younger audience.
• X/Twitter - more tech-savvy audience.
• Pinterest - for beautiful images.
• Reddit - longer-lasting presence.
• Threads - a new Twitter via Facebook/Meta.
• WeChat - communication; for businesses interested in China.
• Kuaishou - videos for businesses interested in China.
• Snapchat - for a younger audience.

What to post?

Try to post things that your audience is interested in. If possible, content that your audience will want to share.

It's easier said than done, but this is a general principle you should aim for.

What is the advantage of using social media for ranking?

According to a study done in 2018 by Hootsuite:

"Remember, it might only take one new backlink to significantly improve the search rank of a URL (depending on how competitive the keyword is and how authoritative the site is that links to your own). If you impress the right person enough to share your content on their website, you’ll see a boost in search rank and search visibility."

Source: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-seo-experiment/ 

An article by Larry Kim on Moz.com:

"Remarkably high social engagement rates correlate strongly with high organic search CTR, which correlates with high rankings. Meaning, that the click-through rate matters a great deal. Think of it like an invisible hand that helps determine whether your content succeeds (thumbs up) or fails (thumbs down)."

Source: https://moz.com/blog/relationship-between-organic-rankings-and-social-shares 

How can social media help with reputation management?

When people search for your brand on Google and get results, some might be positive, some may be negative mentions.

Promoting content you own and control can give you better visibility on Google.

Having active social media profiles generally means you can make the negative results on Google less visible.

How do you handle criticism (a crisis, even)?

If you get a negative comment, try your best to respond positively and professionally. Refrain from replying with an angry voice.

You should have a procedure created specifically for what to do when a crisis occurs, including who should post what on social media. The more detailed, the better.

What's the impact of social media on local SEO

For Local SEO, social media can help users learn more about and interact with a business.

Getting feedback from your audience

One way in which social media can benefit a brand is by getting visitor feedback. When visitors interact with a brand, they tend to mention relevant things that can help the brand better adjust to customer needs.

How does social media increase trust?

People might trust your website more if you include social media sharing buttons. When embedding social media sharing buttons, respective platforms might add cookies to track your visitors. You should double-check the specifics on data privacy.

How does social media increase EAT?

Posting on social media and having a good presence (engagement rates, number of real followers) can help increase EAT—” Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness”. EAT is essential for Google rankings.

The use of AI

Do your best to post content created by humans, not AI, as Google's stance on this is currently uncertain.

What's the impact on website visits?

Post things on social media that will engage your audience. If your audience shares your content, you can get exposure and new visitors.

Paid social media vs. Organic social media

It's not impossible to post on social media platforms and get visitors to your websites, but investing in paid social media exposure is generally more straightforward. Do both, and see how it fits your online presence.

Linking from the social media profiles

Most social media platforms add nofollow links to external websites, thus making the SEO value of links lower.

Still, our suggestions:

#1 When linking to your website URL, always link to the canonical URL. Don't link to http://site.com, but link to https://www.site.com (notice https:// instead of http:// and with www. instead of www.). Whatever your "natural"/canonical URL is, point to it, don't add an unnecessary redirect.

#2 It's fine to use platforms such as bit.ly to shorten URLs, but make sure they 301-redirect URLs. You can check this using: https://httpstatus.io/

Technical aspects

Consider using hashtags in your social media posts.

Some social media platforms don’t like it as much when you add links directly to posts, so consider adding them in comments/profile bio (profile page).

Simplify your posting activity.

If you have multiple social media accounts, investing in tools like Hootsuite or Buffer might be wise. These tools can help with posting on many platforms, scheduling posts, obtaining Analytics, and much more.

Automate your posting activity

Another option is to use tools like IFTTT or Zapier to post on social media automatically based on various factors. For example, when you publish a new blog post, it could automatically be shared to your social networks.

Track your results

Consider using a URL builder and/or analytics from tools like bit.ly to better understand who clicks on your links.

Conclusions

In conclusion, leveraging social media effectively can significantly enhance SEO efforts by driving traffic, improving engagement, and increasing brand visibility online. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter provide opportunities to craft content that resonates with audiences, leading to increased shares and organic backlinks.

Integrating social media into your overall SEO plan can create a more compelling online presence.