Since the creation of social media Google has never stated or acknowledge the social signals are ranking factors. As of recently, because there is so much data out there from 3rd parties digital marketing agencies showing that social signals increased search rankings Google cannot deny it anymore. That is why recently Google has stated and confirmed that links shared on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels are used as ranking signals.
If you don’t believe me, you can watch the video that confirms Google is using social signals to help rank content:
How Do We know Google Used Social Signals as Ranking Factors?
Google never likes to admit these types of ranking factors because they like to keep their ranking algorithm information to a minimum, so people do not try to manipulate the system. However, many SEO experts have known this for years.
How did we know? As an SEO company we look at thousands of websites per year and we must audit and analyze them. We would come across websites or competitors that would rank high, but their website was not SEO optimized, their content was terrible, their site was slow, and they had no backlinks. So how are their blogs ranking on Google you ask? Simple, once we looked at their social media presence, we found the answer. Typically, those types of websites would have many followers with high engagement and that is how they were ranking without having any SEO value.
On average, social presences (which includes likes, shares, and comments on Facebook, plus shares on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest) are negatively associated with site rank, and the relationship is close to linear (and perfectly linear for the first 5 ranks). This means that, in general, the smaller the rank number is (so, the higher up the website), the higher the chances are that the average presence on the social networks is larger.
What are the Social Signals that Google Looks at?
Through some reverse engineering, we are able to know what social signal Google values the most. They might seem obvious to a digital marketing expert, but Google gives priority to these social signal aspects for a reason. The main reason it is very similar to how Google values SEO strategies.
1. Link Sharing:
When you post a link on your social media, and it gets many shares this is very similar to someone backlinking your website to give you credit or show they link your content. For example, a company achieved over 130,000 Facebook shares to a web page and shot up the rankings for keyword phrases that were competitive. It still ranks #1 (as of this writing) and is a really good example of a good content creation and promotion strategy.
Back in 2014, we assumed Facebook shares were a good ranking signal and, therefore, we preached Facebook shares would help rankings. What we were unable to see was that it wasn’t about Facebook shares at all. It was about links that can come from Facebook shares.
2. The Size of your audience or followers:
This is a very obvious point, but I am going to make it anyways. The more followers you have the more eyes go on the links or content you share. This large audience is a big ranking factor for Google because it shows Google that people know and like your brand. It gives your brand more credibility and gives Google an inside scoop if your audience likes or dislikes the content you share based on engagement.
3. The Number of people mentioning or tagging your business on social media:
When I am explaining how Google works to my clients that know nothing about SEO, I tell them that Google is just a big popularity contest and the more popular you are the higher Google will rank you. This is true of social media signals. The more people mention or tag your business in posts or comments the more popular you become in Google’s eyes and the higher they will rank you.
The Future of Social Signals
In two Decades, companies playing in competitive niches that do not possess a robust social strategy will be left in the dust from the ones that do; social signals are getting to be the new “connection" in terms of overall importance in Google’s ranking algorithm. While I do not believe the worth of links as a ranking sign will completely disappear, I really do believe that indirect and direct impacts of social signals will eventually surpass links as the very valuable ranking element.
Why? Several reasons:
The world is becoming more social. Today's kids are tomorrow's consumers, and they have increased their communication on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc. As this generation ages, many customers will spend more time on social media platforms, probably causing an increase in societal signals as these consumers interact with their favorite brands on social networks.
Individuals are more inclined to trust a site recommended by their friends than by a Google search. Websites using a strong social presence are easily shareable and reachable, and therefore make it easier to recommend to others. Search engines may also examine these shares as recommendations, fostering the authenticity (and ranking) of their site.
Websites using a strong social presence have improved conversion rates and brand loyalty, resulting in more sales, more word-of-mouth referrals, and greater brand awareness, which all lead to more favorable reviews and inbound links.
How to Increase Your Social Signs
So, what are a few ways you can boost your social signals? Let us look at a few of the simplest ways.
1. Link Your Website
Be sure to link to your site in your profile. Even if the Links have no follow tags, so you may still get a few direct visitors whenever people find your profile through search engines or via the social platforms themselves.
2. Use Clickbait Titles
Produce clickbait titles. Whether you like clickbait or not, then These types of names can be extremely good at bringing attention and clicks. Just make sure that you are following the guidelines of the social networking platforms you are posting to because many have begun cracking down on deceptive clickbait practices (which you should avoid).
It is also significant that the content you are sharing is really engaging when the user lands on your webpage, otherwise, this practice can be damaging to your overall SEO program.
3. Employ Call-to-Actions
Utilize calls to action to promote involvement. Simply asking audiences to like, share, and comment can dramatically improve engagement.
4. Use Social Sharing Player
Use plugins to create sharing your articles easier. You will find many good social networking plugins you can use on your blog to insert links to the many common social platforms, allowing users to directly share a part of the content on various platforms.
5. Just Share Your Very Best Content
Only share your best content. This might appear a little counterintuitive, as you need traffic to all your content, however, sharing only your best content will help you get noticed more often on social media to new customers. For example, Facebook promotes content from posts that get a lot of engagement more often than pages with less engagement, so by posting your best content, you can ensure that all your articles have a fantastic engagement rate, which will allow your content to be shown more often to more people outside your network.
Conclusion: Social Signals are Important
While social signals may not necessarily have a direct impact on other search engines and will make it easier for others to find your content and link to it. You can also get some direct traffic out of your social networking profiles; therefore, this is an extra benefit, which makes it worthwhile to focus on social media as one of the many elements of your overall SEO and Digital marketing strategy. If you need help with your social media profiles or creating engaging content let us do the heavy lifting so you can get back to the important aspects of your business.