Why It’s Vital for Your Social Media Accounts to Appear in Google Search Results

For many companies, social media is the most straightforward way to engage with a target audience. However, social media also carries big implications for SEO growth! Social media is vital for companies looking to complement their paid search costs, because not only do direct sales and lead generation conversions take place on social media, but social media posts and accounts also appear on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). 

Social media can indeed play a crucial role in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) growth for businesses. By effectively leveraging social media platforms, businesses can enhance their online visibility, increase website traffic, improve brand recognition, and ultimately boost their SEO efforts. Here are some of Fuze7 Marketing’s answers to questions we field frequently from prospective clients:

While social media posts and profiles themselves may not directly influence organic rankings, they can contribute to an enhanced online presence and visibility, which can indirectly affect search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Here’s how social media accounts relate to Google search results:

Increased online visibility: Maintaining active and well-optimized social media accounts can expand your online visibility. When users search for your brand or relevant keywords, your social media profiles may appear in the search results. This provides more opportunities for users to discover your business and engage with your content.

Brand recognition and authority: Building a strong social media presence helps establish your brand’s credibility and authority. When users frequently encounter your brand on social media platforms and engage with your content, it reinforces your brand’s recognition and reputation. This can positively impact user perception and potentially increase click-through rates from search results.

Potential for social signals: Social signals, such as likes, shares, comments, and followers, indicate user engagement and can indirectly influence SEO. Although Google has stated that social signals do not have a direct impact on rankings, content with higher social engagement may gain more visibility and attract natural backlinks, which are important ranking factors.

Social media profiles in search results: Google often displays social media profiles alongside traditional search results. When users search for a specific brand or company, their social media profiles may appear in the sidebar or Knowledge Graph panel on the search results page. Having a well-optimized and active social media presence increases the likelihood of these profiles being prominently featured.

Potential for social content indexing: There are instances where social media content can be indexed. For example, if a tweet or a Facebook post receives significant attention and engagement, it might appear in search results for relevant queries. 

Personalized search results: Social media activity of individuals within a user’s social network can impact personalized search results. If someone in a user’s social circle shares or engages with your social media content, it might have a higher chance of appearing in that user’s personalized search results. This highlights the importance of social sharing and engagement for broader visibility.

As mentioned, there is no direct impact that social media has on SEO. However, the goal of your business should be to have your social media accounts and pages appear in organic search results for your business name. The goal of this effort is to capture inbound inquiries (those actively searching for your business rather than your ads appearing without a search) to answer questions quickly via social media posts. The searcher can find your social posts, have their questions answered, see that you are actively responding to questions, and ultimately, feel more confident about making a purchasing decision for your products or services.

Social media platforms often allow users to leave reviews and ratings for businesses. Positive reviews on social media can contribute to your overall online reputation and credibility. Search engines may consider these reviews as a local SEO ranking factor, particularly for businesses with a local presence. 

By utilizing social media strategically and integrating it into your overall digital marketing strategy, you can enhance your SEO efforts and achieve improved online visibility and website performance.

Depending on the search, Google will pull results from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and utilize public posts from Instagram in image search results. From Facebook pages to the tweets themselves, Google is capable of displaying information it deems relevant to your search query from what it crawls on social media.

If your social posts contain relevant hashtags, Google’s machine learning and new AI capabilities can also find and index the hashtags accordingly. The most common connection for hashtags is when you utilize hashtags to help viewers understand your business location, such as #PDXeats, #PortlandClothingshops, etc. Similar in strategy to hashtags, make sure you are utilizing core keywords (buzzwords) for the products and services of your business.

According to Synup.com, “67% of searches are zero-click searches. That means that the snippets of posts, tweets, Google and social media profiles, and website or listings pages are all a consumer sees before deciding whether or not to patronize your business. Every great piece of content counts – especially when a consumer is just skimming the first page of search results.”

Additionally, 53% of consumers in a recent study say they prefer to buy from brands that are active on social media. Social media posting and active responses to comments on posts can appear in Google search results, showing potential buyers, clients, and customers that your business truly cares about them, and improves the likelihood of connection, and revenue.

Fuze7 Marketing is celebrating 10 years in business! Come find out how we’ve built a robust SEO strategy for many clients over the years. We recently covered how to leverage Voice Search capabilities for SEO efforts, and we’d be happy to discuss our approach to SEO tactics with you! Drop an email to info@fuze7.com or give us a call at (503) 830-0355. You can also connect with us on our website.