Boosting Your SEO with the Power of Social Media

Boosting Your SEO with the Power of Social Media

When operating in the realm of social media, it may seem disconnected from the world of SEO. Similarly, as an SEO specialist, social media might not seem directly relevant to your daily work. However, both these digital marketing tactics have the potential to fuel overall success. As a Social Media Manager, I'm here to explain how SEO professionals can collaborate with social media teams to greatly enhance their SEO efforts.

Understanding Social Media Strategy

A social media strategy is a comprehensive document that outlines an organization's goals for social media and the methods employed to achieve them. It encompasses both high-level strategic approaches and practical on-the-ground tactics, forming the foundation for an organization's social media presence.

Social Media versus Search Engine Optimization

Social media involves maintaining active accounts and a strong presence on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube. Its aim is to cultivate brand awareness, encourage engagement, and drive traffic and conversions. On the other hand, search engine optimization (SEO) comprises a set of practices designed to enhance the visibility and ranking of web pages in organic search results, resulting in increased website traffic and greater brand exposure.

Do Social Media Links Benefit SEO?

Links originating from popular social media platforms like Facebook are typically classified as "no-follow" links, meaning they do not directly contribute to link authority for your site. Google's PageRank algorithm evaluates web pages based on the quantity and quality of external backlinks. Although "no-follow" links were historically disregarded by marketers for their lack of impact on organic ranking, the "no-follow" attribute still carries importance. A well-rounded backlink profile that includes both followed and no-followed links appears more natural to search engines.

Moreover, "no-follow" links offer the advantage of referral traffic. While search engines do not follow links with the "no-follow" attribute, users can still click on them and be directed to your site, generating additional traffic.

Although no-follow links do not provide the same ranking boost as followed links, Google considers them valuable components of a site's backlink profile and they serve as a valuable source of referral traffic.

SEO Benefits of Increased Brand Awareness

One of the primary SEO advantages that can be achieved through brand awareness in social media strategy is an upsurge in "branded" organic search volume and clicks.

While not every user who encounters your brand on Instagram or TikTok will click through to your site, they often make a mental note of your brand name or products, which leads them to perform a subsequent Google search, commonly referred to as a "branded search." This is particularly true if your social media messaging is strong and memorable.

For many websites, especially newer ones, branded searches can contribute significantly to organic traffic.