Let’s just be straight about it, Google says social media doesn’t directly affect SEO rankings. Likes, shares, followers? Not official ranking signals. We’ve heard it a hundred times.
But here’s the part most people miss: social media still moves the needle. Just not in the way SEO purists like to measure it.
If you run a digital marketing agency, or work inside one, you probably already sense it, when your content starts gaining traction on social media, good things happen. More traffic. Faster indexing. Better brand recall. Even backlinks, if you’re lucky.
So no, SEO and social aren’t separate teams anymore. It’s all part of the same system. Let’s break it down.
1. Social Traffic Can Jumpstart Indexing
You write a blog. You post it. Now what?
If you’re smart, you’ll immediately share it on your social channels. Not for the likes, but because you’re trying to light a fire under it. And every click from social? That’s a little signal to Google that says, “Hey, this content’s alive.”
Search engines pick up on those signals. It helps them find and index your stuff faster, especially useful if you’re pushing out time-sensitive posts or regular content updates. And here’s the secret: if people actually stay on your page (thanks to a compelling post that led them there), your dwell time improves. Bounce rate drops. And this is very SEO-friendly.
Any good social media marketing agency knows this is the quiet magic behind cross-channel promotion.
2. Branded Searches Are SEO’s Secret Weapon
Let’s say someone stumbles across your Instagram post. It hits. A few days later, they type your name into Google. Boom, branded search.
And yes, that absolutely matters. According to WordStream, 70% of people discover new products on social platforms and then search for them online. When that happens, it tells Google you’re a brand worth noticing. And the more that happens, the more trustworthy your website appears in your niche.
So whether you’re running a branding agency or building your own brand from scratch, this is the kind of momentum that reinforces your SEO authority over time.
3. Social Buzz Can Lead to Real Backlinks
Let’s not get it twisted, social shares aren’t backlinks.But here’s the thing: they often lead to backlinks.
Imagine one of your blog posts gets a bunch of love on X (or whatever Elon’s calling it this week). Maybe a journalist catches wind. Maybe a fellow content creator links to it in their next roundup. That right there is a legit backlink. No cold outreach. No guest post begging. Just organic link-building.
That’s why any digital marketing agency worth its salt doesn’t just create content, they push it hard on social media. Because shares build visibility, and visibility builds links.
4. Social Listening Gives You Better SEO Ideas
Want to know what your audience really cares about? Start listening.
Social platforms are full of people asking questions, venting frustrations, and sharing insights, often in the exact language they’d type into a search bar. Tools like Sprout, Hootsuite, and Brandwatch let you monitor that chatter.
So when you’re planning blog posts or updating service pages, you’re not guessing. You’re using real language from real people. That makes your content feel relatable, and it gives you a better shot at landing in search snippets or even Google’s AI overviews.
If you’re a marketing social media agency, this is where strategy meets empathy.
5. Social Proof Boosts Local SEO
If you’re running a local business, café, salon, gym, whatever, people are checking you out on social media before they ever walk through the door. Around 40% of consumers peek at your socials before visiting IRL.
So yeah, if your social pages are consistent with your business info (Name, Address, Phone), and you’re posting updates regularly? You’re building trust, without even trying.
Even better, Facebook and Instagram profiles can show up in local search results. That makes your social presence part of your local SEO toolkit, whether you’re a branding agency running local accounts or a business owner handling it solo.
6. Repurpose
You don’t need to crank out new content every day. Repurposing is your best way.
Take a blog post and turn it into:
- A Twitter thread
- A carousel for LinkedIn
- A snappy stat reel for Instagram
- A quick tip for TikTok
Each version gives people another way into your content. More touchpoints mean more site visits. And the more people that land on your website from social media, the more data Google has to work with.
7. Stop Splitting Your SEO and Social Teams
SEO team over here, social team over there, and no one’s talking. So your blog title sounds like it was written by a robot, while your Insta caption is fun and punchy, but disconnected.
The best campaigns happen when everyone, SEOs, social strategists, content writers, designers, sits at the same table. You test headlines on X, spot what’s resonating, and use that data to craft better blog titles or meta descriptions.
That kind of alignment? It’s what makes a marketing social media agency unstoppable.
Some Quick Stats for Perspective
- 5.4 billion people are active on social media right now
- 53% of web traffic starts with organic search
- 70% of consumers find products on social first, then search for them
- Google’s AI Overviews are cutting organic click-throughs by up to 50%
- Social shares can lead to a 22% increase in inbound links (thanks, Moz)
Everything’s Connected Now
Once upon a time, SEO was all about keywords. Then it became a link chase. Today? It’s about attention. And trust. And showing up when people need you.
Because your audience? They’re not just “search users” or “social followers.” They’re the same people bouncing from Instagram to your blog, from Google to LinkedIn, back to YouTube, and maybe back to your website again.
Whether you’re a solo creator, a digital marketing agency, a growing branding agency, or a full-stack marketing social media agency, the blueprint is the same:
Spark curiosity on social media. Capture intent through search. Build trust everywhere.
And if social media helps you do it faster, why wouldn’t you use it?
FAQ
1. Can social media drive more organic traffic to my website?
Yes. Here’s how it usually goes: You post a killer blog or guide, share it on social media, and people actually click through. That’s traffic. It’s not “organic” in the Google sense, but it’s still real humans landing on your website without ads.
Now, the fun part? The more buzz your content gets on social media, the higher the chances of it being seen, shared, maybe even linked to. And that’s when organic search traffic starts creeping in too. It’s like planting seeds on social media and watching them grow roots in search.
2. Do social media backlinks help SEO?
Technically? No. Not directly.
Google doesn’t count links from social sites like Twitter or Facebook as “do-follow” backlinks, so they don’t carry traditional SEO weight.
But hold on, don’t write them off just yet.
Those links still matter because they get your content in front of people who can link to you. Like journalists. Bloggers. Niche site owners. If one of them sees your post and includes it in their article? Boom. Real, valuable backlink. That’s the ripple effect social media creates.
3. How can social media engagement influence search engine results?
It’s less “engagement is ranking” and more “engagement is momentum.”
When people comment, share, and interact with your posts, you’re building visibility. That visibility leads to clicks. Clicks lead to dwell time. Dwell time tells Google, “Hey, people care about this.”
Also, more engagement means more eyes on your content, which increases the chances of someone linking to it or Googling your brand later. Both of those things do influence search rankings.
So yeah, while a like doesn’t boost your rank, what happens after that like can.
4. Can social media presence improve domain authority and SEO?
Indirectly? Absolutely.
A strong social media presence means your content gets seen, your brand gets searched, and your name gets remembered. And those branded searches? Google eats them up.
Plus, when your content circulates on social media, it has a higher chance of earning backlinks, mentions, and citations, all of which help boost your domain authority over time.
So no, posting a selfie on Instagram won’t magically lift your Moz score. But showing up consistently, sharing useful content, and staying relevant? That adds up.
5. What are the best social media practices for improving SEO?
Here’s the short list, the stuff that actually moves the needle:
- Share your content early and often: Especially right after publishing. It speeds up indexing.
- Use real, natural language: Mimic how people search when you write captions or tweets. It helps with content discoverability.
- Repurpose smart: Turn blogs into threads, guides into reels, stats into carousels. More formats = more traffic routes.
- Engage back: Reply to comments, answer questions, join conversations. The more active you are, the more visible your content becomes.
- Be consistent with your NAP (Name, Address, Phone): Especially for local SEO. Keep it identical everywhere.