Social Media & SEO: Why Both Are Essential

Here’s the thing—social media doesn’t directly affect SEO. Social shares are not a part of Google’s ranking factors.  

BUT the links and content you share on your social channels help get your brand in front of a larger audience—this exposure can lead to all sorts of great things that do directly impact your SEO results.

Let’s dive deeper into social media and SEO—an overlooked yet essential strategy.

Why Is Social Media Important for SEO?

Social media impacts criteria that affect your search rankings. When you create high-quality content that fosters meaningful connections, not only does this amplify your online visibility, but it also encourages more traffic and backlink opportunities—two of many Google ranking factors. 

With social media’s ever-increasing influence, businesses can now reach customers in a more personal way than ever before. And when your social media strategy is executed well, advantageous results can show up in your SEO strategy and bottom line.  

How Does Social Media Indirectly Impact SEO?

Social media indirectly impacts SEO in six key ways. 

1. Elevates Brand Awareness

Social media is the prime place to expand your audience. After all, what good is it if you let your newly published content just sit there on your blog page?

When you share your content, you aren’t just sharing it within your network; you’re exposing it to a wider audience: 

• There are roughly 295 million social media users in the U.S.
• Social media users spend on average two hours and three minutes each day on social platforms

Users who love your content will give it a like and even might go far as to share it with their network. These actions expose your brand and content to more people.

2. Improves Content Performance

The more people who see and click on your content, the more traffic you’ll earn. 

Take tax relief business Instant Tax Solutions for example—when Big Leap executed a targeted Facebook Ads campaign, the business earned a wider reach with 2,000 additional users visiting their landing page. 

This type of boost in traffic can earn you more positive and quantifiable user signals, which can elevate your search rankings. 

3. Extends the Lifespan of Your Content

See that dusty post sitting at the bottom of your blog page? If it still has value, give it some life by sharing it on your social media pages. 

The awesome thing about social media is that it provides an additional channel to share your content and engage with your leads and customers. Good social media strategies keep conversations going. This helps your team continue to reel in good traffic and engagement rates.

4. Gains Backlinks

Sharing your authoritative content on social media can boost your chances of someone linking to it on their site page or blog post. In other words, you earn more backlinks.

Backlinks play a critical role in SEO. Backlinks tell search engines your content and site carries quality, authority, and value. They’re votes of confidence—the more votes, the more credibility you gain.

5. Improves Social Profile Rankings

What do you currently have written in your social profiles? Make sure you have the right branded key terms—they might just help on your way to better rankings. 

When your target audience uses your branded keywords to look up your company on Google, your social profiles can show up. Make sure your profile has detailed information that includes your branded keywords. The stronger your profile, the stronger it will appear to search engines.

6. Fosters Trust

Last but not the least, having a strong social media profile and presence helps solidify trust. 

Conversion likelihood shoots up by 71% when influenced by a social media referral. Consumers are cautious with who they decide to engage in business with. When they see you have a solid social media presence, this can reassure them that you’re a legitimate and trustworthy business. Not to mention, they’ll feel more comfortable taking actions (e.g., visiting your site, engaging with your products) that will directly impact your rankings.

Get in Touch with Our Social Media and SEO Experts

It can be challenging to find a team of professionals who understand the nuances that exist in digital marketing. At Big Leap, we’ve got that covered. Contact our team of social media and SEO experts to see how we can help you fill in any gaps and win the online results you deserve.