How Does Social Media Affect SEO?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) and social media marketing are two cornerstones of digital strategy. While they operate on different channels, their influence on one another is undeniable. A strong social media presence can indirectly boost SEO performance, driving traffic, improving brand visibility and influencing search engine rankings. But more specifically, how does social media affect SEO? Is it positive or is it negative? Let’s take a closer look:

Understanding the connection between social media & SEO

It’s important to clarify one point: social signals (likes, shares and follows) are not direct ranking factors in Google’s algorithm. Essentially, that means having more followers on Instagram or more likes on Facebook won’t automatically move your site higher in the search results. 

However, the interactions and visibility gained through social media create conditions that positively affect SEO. In other words, social media acts as a distribution and amplification tool for your content. The more exposure your content gets, the more likely it is to attract backlinks, engagement and website traffic – all of which are SEO factors.

What are the indirect SEO benefits of social media?

Increased content visibility

Social media platforms are content discovery engines. When you share articles, videos or infographics, you extend their reach beyond your website. If more people encounter your content on platforms like LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter), there’s a higher chance that bloggers, journalists or site owners may link back to it, creating valuable backlinks.

Boosting website traffic

While Google doesn’t count social engagement as a ranking factor, traffic generated from social platforms does matter. When users consistently arrive at your website via social channels, it signals to search engines that your content is relevant and engaging. 

Enhancing brand awareness & authority

SEO isn’t just about keywords – it’s also about trust and authority. When your brand is active on social platforms, building communities and sharing through leadership, you establish credibility. Over time, users are more likely to search for your brand directly, increasing branded search volume (which is a positive SEO signal). 

Improving indexing speed

Social sharing can help search engines discover new content faster. If a new blog post goes viral on X or LinkedIn, search engine crawlers are more likely to find it quickly, index it and display it in search results sooner.

Driving engagement signals

Although social engagement doesn’t directly affect rankings, it influences user behaviour metrics that matter – such as dwell time, bounce rate and repeat visits. High-quality, shareable content that attracts social clicks can lead to longer onsite engagement, which indirectly supports SEO.

How do social media platforms interact with SEO?

YouTube

Owned by Google, YouTube videos frequently rank on search engine results pages (SERPs). Optimising video content with keywords and sharing across platforms improves both YouTube SEO and website SEO.

LinkedIn

Though leadership articles and blog posts can boost professional credibility, they can also drive organic backlinks in the process.

X (formerly Twitter)

Journalists, bloggers and influencers alike will often use X to source their content, which can translate into high-authority backlinks.

Pinterest & Instagram

Visual-heavy platforms that can drive traffic to product pages or blogs, especially for e-commerce purposes.

What are the best practices for using social media to boost SEO?

When it comes to boosting SEO with social media, there are multiple things you can do to make the challenge far easier. Here are some of the best and most common practices used for using social media to drive and boost SEO in this modern, digital age:

1. Create shareable content – infographics, listicles and videos tend to perform well across multiple platforms
2. Optimise social profiles – use consistent branding, keywords and links to your website. Social profiles often rank on SERPs for brand searches
3. Encourage engagement – ask questions, run polls and engage with followers to increase visibility
4. Leverage hashtags and keywords – just like SEO, discoverability on social media relies on strategic keyword and hashtag use
5. Promote evergreen content – regularly reshare timeless content to extend its lifecycle and reach
6. Collaborate with influencers – partnerships can amplify reach, therefore leading to potential backlinks and mentions

How to measure social media’s impact on SEO

You can track the effect of social media on SEO through analytics tools by doing one or more of the following things:

• Google Analytics – to measure referral traffic from social channels
• Ahrefs/SEMrush – to monitor that may originate from social shares
• Social analytics dashboards – to gauge engagement and reach, which indirectly influence SEO outcomes

What is the future of social media & SEO?

Search engines are evolving to integrate social signals more deeply. Already, Google displays tweets (on X), YouTube videos and even TikTok content in search results. As platforms and algorithms continue to overlap, the line between social media marketing and SEO will blur further, therefore making a combined strategy essential.

Kumo provides tailored digital marketing services to businesses throughout the UK. Based in Nottingham, our skilled team offers expertise in SEO, PPC, content marketing, web design and more. If you’re ready to grow your business, connect with our approachable specialists – we’re committed to delivering sustainable, measurable results that make an impact.