Whether you saw our post on social, you’ve only heard whispers, or this is your first time hearing about it, these days you need social SEO.
But what is social SEO?
Social SEO refers to collectively optimizing your social media profiles and content. The goal is to make your social easier to discover on a given social platform and by search engines like Google. And yeah, Google may be going through some big changes soon, which makes social SEO even more important.
While social media platforms are certainly not search engines (you’re thinking of Pinterest), many have built-in search functionalities. This means that the content you post on social can also rank and be discovered via a Google search, just like copy on your website!
Social SEO can give your profile and content a boost by getting your content in front of more eyes.
Some First Steps to Give Your Social SEO a Bump:
1. Optimize Your Profiles
Polish up your Instagram and TikTok bios, select a single profile photo to be featured across all social platforms, write a headline and set up highlights on your Instagram profile. Not sure how to approach it? We’re covering all of this over on Social Media Snack Break – sign up to learn all about it!
2. Be Thoughtful With Your Hashtags
Use a mix of trending hashtags (between 10k-1 million posts are using it), niche hashtags (specific to what you do, #WebDeveloper), and branded hashtags (#YourBusinessName) to increase the chance of your content being seen. Don’t overdo it though – focus on 5-10 relevant hashtags per post. Otherwise, you might end up looking spammy to the algorithm and your audience.
3. Post Consistently
When you regularly post content that provides real value to folks, they’re much more likely to stick around and engage with you! That results in your content being prioritized in social media searches. Note: “regularly” does not necessarily mean daily! Even once per week can work if you do it consistently.
4. Give Your Images and Videos a Description
Use alt-text to give the images in your social content a keyword-rich description. This helps search engines identify what exactly your content is about and include it in relevant searches.
5. Cross-Promote Content
Share your social media content across different social platforms, websites, and blogs. Cross-promotion can give your content a healthy engagement boost and build backlinks that benefit both social SEO and traditional SEO.
My recommendation for busy business owners: Start with small changes, like refining your social profiles with keywords, and build from there. Over time, you’ll see these social SEO strategies increase your reach and engagement.
