How to Use Social Media to Boost Your SEO (Yes, They’re BFFs!)
As a marketing professional, one of the questions I get asked a lot is: “Does social media actually help with SEO?” The answer? Absolutely! While social media doesn’t directly impact your search engine rankings (Google has said as much), it plays a major role in supporting your SEO efforts—and in some pretty powerful ways.
Let’s break it down. If you're looking to grow your visibility online, drive more traffic to your website, and climb those search engine result pages (SERPs), then social media needs to be part of your strategy. Here’s how to make the most of it.
Social Media Drives Traffic to Your Website
At the end of the day, SEO is all about getting more eyes on your content. When you share blog posts, landing pages, or product updates on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or LinkedIn, you’re inviting followers to click through and visit your site.
The more traffic you drive (especially if it’s engaged traffic), the more positive signals you’re sending to search engines that your content is valuable and relevant.
✅ SEO Tip: Include a clear CTA and a clickable link in your posts. Make it super easy for users to hop over to your website.
Social Sharing Increases Content Visibility and Backlinks
The more your content is shared, the more likely it is to get in front of people who might also want to link to it. And we all know backlinks are SEO gold. Think journalists, bloggers, or industry peers who stumble across your content on social and end up linking to it in their own work.
✅ SEO Tip: Create content that’s not only valuable but also share-worthy. Think infographics, how-to guides, and juicy data points.
Boost Your Brand’s Visibility and Authority
Search engines want to show users trusted, credible sources. A strong social presence builds brand recognition and authority. When people consistently see your brand pop up in their feeds, they’re more likely to search for you by name—and click on your content in search results.
✅ SEO Tip: Keep your social profiles optimized with consistent branding, up-to-date bios, and links back to your website.
Social Profiles Can Rank in Search Results
Ever Googled a business and had their Instagram or LinkedIn page show up in the top few results? That’s no accident. Your social media profiles can actually rank on their own, which gives you more real estate on that coveted first page of Google.
✅ SEO Tip: Use your target keywords in your social bios, descriptions, and post captions to help reinforce your niche and expertise.
Social Signals Help Search Engines Understand What’s Popular
While Google won’t come out and say that likes and shares directly impact rankings, they do use engagement as an indirect indicator of quality. If your content is getting a ton of attention on social, that’s a big clue that it’s worth showing to more people.
✅ SEO Tip: Post consistently and engage with your audience. Comments, shares, and saves matter more than ever.
Bonus: Repurpose for the Win
One of my favorite time-saving tricks? Turn blog content into bite-sized social posts, Instagram carousels, Pinterest pins, or TikTok videos. Repurposing not only stretches your content further, but it also increases the chances of it being discovered by a new audience—who may end up Googling you later.
Final Thoughts
SEO and social media are like peanut butter and jelly—better together. While your social channels might not boost rankings directly, they absolutely amplify your content, drive traffic, build backlinks, and strengthen your brand authority, all of which feed your SEO strategy in a big way.
So next time you hit “publish” on that blog post, don’t let it sit lonely on your site. Share it, promote it, pin it, and shout it from your digital rooftops.
Your SEO will thank you.