The Truth of Social Signals in SEO: Do They Really Matter?

Search engine optimization (SEO) can feel like a never-ending game of catch-up. Not only do you need to post a steady stream of quality content, but you also need to nail the nuances of technical SEO and tracking performance metrics.

But there’s one area that even the SEO experts can’t seem to agree on: What’s the role of social signals in SEO?

Likes, shares, and comments on Instagram might seem completely unrelated to where your website appears in the search engine rankings, but that’s not entirely true. Google’s John Mueller has shared that while social signals aren’t a direct ranking factor, a strong social media presence can still have a big impact on SEO performance.

From driving organic traffic to building backlinks and boosting brand visibility, integrating social media marketing into your SEO strategy can transform how potential customers perceive your brand. Since being active on social media is a branding best practice anyway, you deserve to get a little SEO juice from your social media efforts, too.

In this guide, we’ll break down how social media platforms work with SEO and share some helpful tips for securing higher positions in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Should I Care About Social Signals in SEO?

SEO professionals have argued about the role of social media in SEO for years. Search engines are staying suspiciously silent on the exact role that social media plays in SERP rankings, but there’s a good chance it has an indirect impact on your online presence.

Some SEO pros claim that you should focus your resources on creating high-quality content for your website or earning backlinks. And they’re right: These activities are great for boosting SEO!

But that doesn’t mean you should ignore social media, either.

Google doesn’t directly consider social signals, but alternative search engines like Bing do consider them as ranking factors. Google is the top search engine, but overlooking social signals could mean missing out on traffic from other sources.

Ultimately, social media has an influence on your search engine rankings, even if it doesn’t directly affect your Google ranking. You should care about social signals in SEO because they have the power to:

Improve online visibility: Engagement on social media sites increases the reach of your content, making it more visible to your target audience. For example, social platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn are great ways to amplify your reach with content distribution. That leads to more organic traffic from users clicking through social posts, plus more linkbuilding opportunities for your brand. These activities tell search engines that your content is valuable, leading to better rankings over time.
Boost domain authority: Social signals may not directly affect your Google rank, but they do have an indirect effect on the trustworthiness of your site. For example, social sharing can result in backlinks from credible websites, boosting your website’s ranking. Even unlinked mentions of your brand on social networks can strengthen your site’s SEO performance. Neat, right?
Forge a better brand image: What’s good for users is good for search engine rankings. The more people trust you, the better your rankings will be. A strong social media presence increases brand visibility and recognition, offering much-needed social proof that persuades your audience to engage with your brand. Google’s algorithm loves to see engagement, so this is a one-two punch for both sales and search engine rankings.

4 Practical Ways to Integrate SEO Into Your Social Media Strategy

Social media content is the perfect way to meet customers where they are. If you’re already on social media, why not tweak your approach slightly to earn a little SEO power at the same time? Try these practical tips to boost the impact of social signals in SEO.

1. Repurpose High-Performing Content

Look, businesses of all sizes struggle to create content regularly. The good news is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you post. It isn’t a content marketing faux pas if you repurpose high-quality content.

With this approach, you transform your best pieces into different formats to maximize their reach. For example, you can repurpose blogs into short, engaging videos to boost social media engagement. Share these videos on YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn — and don’t forget to pepper in some relevant keywords in the video titles and descriptions. Always link back to the full blog in the video description to earn an easy backlink.

That’s just one approach. You can also turn blogs into visuals, like infographics or Instagram posts, and convert long-form content into carousel posts on Instagram. If you need a lead magnet for LinkedIn, combine a few of your most compelling blogs into a free eBook with a strong call to action (CTA).

Repurposing content is a great way to revisit some of your best ideas in new formats. But if you don’t have the time to crank out content, partner with Growth Machine’s SEO and digital marketing pros to transform your big ideas into organic traffic that converts.

2. Create Shareable Content Formats

We love a good blog post, but how shareable is that, really? Engaging content is a must, but you want social media posts that go viral. The best way to reach more folks in your target audience is to create shareable content formats with bite-sized information.

Consider different formats like:

Infographics, which are highly shareable on platforms like Pinterest (hello, backlinks!)
Short-form videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube
Shareable Instagram images with short quotes or tips
Polls and quizzes
Memes and GIFs

Remember, you don’t have to write an original piece of content every time you post. Recycle ideas from time to time with different formats that will boost engagement and SEO performance.

3. Optimize Social Media Profiles for Organic Search

Here’s a little SEO secret: Search engines care about your social media profile. Make it easier for search engines to find your social media platforms by:

Integrating keywords: You don’t need to overdo it, but sprinkling relevant content in your social media profile can improve SEO. Include primary keywords in your bio, username, and post descriptions, if possible. If you target users in a specific location, add a few geo-targeted keywords (like “accounting firm in San Francisco”) to attract more users from your area.
Optimizing your photos: As always, make sure you use a professional profile picture and cover photo that aligns with your brand. But before uploading the photo, change the file name to include your primary keywords. Search engines look at back-end data like photo file names, so this little trick could help with ranking.
Tweaking your bio: Treat writing a bio like creating a landing page. This is a short paragraph that tells users what you’re about, but it’s also one of the social signals in SEO. Highlight your unique value proposition and include target keywords here. Hashtags are good for discoverability, but use them sparingly so you don’t overwhelm visitors.
Linking to your website: Most social platforms allow one link in your bio, so treat this as a juicy backlinking opportunity. You can link to your website’s home page, but consider sharing links to landing pages, e-books, or link trees to funnel users to the right place.
Being consistent: Every social media platform is a little different, but your profiles should be relatively consistent across all sites. Users and search engines hate inconsistencies, so if you update one profile, update them all to match.

4. Build Credibility With UGC

User-generated content (UGC) is the holy grail of marketing. Studies have found that UGC is 35% more memorable than other types of content and garners 50% more user engagement. The great thing about UGC is that it turns heads on social media platforms but also serves as a social signal in SEO.

UGC builds brand awareness by leveraging content made by your customers, influencers, and other brands. By leveraging authentic content created by your target audience, you can build trust, increase your number of social signals, and improve your search engine rankings.

However, UGC can be tough to come by, especially for new businesses. Follow these quick tips to generate UGC from multiple social media accounts:

Share reviews and testimonials: When you get a testimonial, shout about it from the rooftops! Highlight positive reviews on your social media profiles and website. Use your target keywords in posts about these testimonials to boost their reach in Google search. They’re also a great addition to product pages for e-commerce SEO.
Encourage UGC: It takes time, but you can encourage more of your followers to create content around your brand. Consider holding a contest inviting customers to share their experiences with your brand. If you make it fun and lively enough, customers will be eager to share their experiences without the promise of a prize. Create branded hashtags to encourage followers to share their experiences. Cute examples like #ShareACoke create a branded experience that also makes it easier for your team to spot UGC in crowded social media feeds.
Integrate UGC in your social posts: Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are ideal for sharing user-generated content. Repost customer photos, videos, and stories that showcase your products (with users’ permission, of course).
Run ads with UGC: Social media advertising can get pricey, but if you’ve already maximized organic traffic, it’s worth a try. There’s no need to create new content, either. Repurpose customers’ UGC (again, with their permission) to create compelling ads that win over your target audience.

Go Beyond the Algorithms With Growth Machine

Social media puts your brand in front of hundreds of potential customers. Some businesses consider SEO and social media to be two separate disciplines. That’s technically true, but there’s synergy between the two that you can leverage to boost website traffic.

Social signals in SEO have an indirect effect on your business. While they won’t revamp your social presence overnight, the tips in this guide will help you see more results from your SEO efforts.

Still, we know that both SEO and social media management aren’t for the faint of heart. While it’s possible to DIY everything, you might not have the extra time on your hands to continually create and share high-quality content.

That’s where we come in. Growth Machine crafts strategic content tailored for B2C, B2B, and D2C brands looking to establish brand authority and aiming for greater traffic and growth. Contact Growth Machine to enjoy the one-two punch of social signals in SEO.