Your audience is searching on social. Will they find you?

Think back to the last time you were looking for the best affordable face cream/protein powder/place to go for lunch (delete as appropriate). If you’re like 46% of Gen Z or 35% of millennials, you didn’t head to Google’s search engine to find the answers. You popped your question into your social media platform of choice instead.

The way we search is changing, meaning your strategy needs to change with it. Now,  optimising your content doesn’t just mean focusing on traditional SEO (i.e. Google). Enter the wonderful world of social media SEO to get found in more places (and make more sales). 

How, you ask? Well, look no further – we’ve got you covered.

What is social media SEO?

Social media SEO is all about optimising your content to be found when your audience is searching for relevant topics on social media.

A word to the wise: this isn’t about the mystical land of social media algorithms. That’s what helps you show up on feeds unprompted. We’re talking about showing up when your audience is actively searching for answers to their questions.

What’s the difference between social media SEO and traditional SEO?

There’s definitely some crossover between the two, but there are some big differences, too.

Content format

• Social SEO: Mostly visual (videos and images)

• Traditional SEO: Mostly text-based (articles)

Engagement metrics

• Social SEO: Likes, comments, shares, views

• Traditional SEO: Website stay time, link clicks, bounce rate

Longevity

• Social SEO: Time-sensitive due to high upload volume and changing trends

• Traditional SEO: Evergreen content that can rank months or even years after uploading

It’s worth noting that LinkedIn search is a lot more like traditional Google search, with a preference for authoritative, expert content. But we’ll come back to that.

Will optimising for social help me rank on Google?

Not necessarily. But the point here is that it actually might not matter. If you’re battling with some industry top dogs for the first page on Google, it might be tricky (but not impossible) to compete there.

But if you get on top of your social search game, you’re giving your potential customers another way to find you and buy from you without setting foot (or thumb) on Google. Good, right?

How to optimise your social content for search

Let’s have a gander at what you can do on each platform to help you get found.

Instagram: the double whammy

Not too long ago, there was a switch-up with Insta that means your business or creator account’s content can be found through a Google search as well as search inside the platform – a double whammy, if you will. So if you’re putting your effort into any social search strategy, Insta might be the best place to start (assuming your audience actually hangs out there).

Search within Instagram itself is based on three things:

1. The relevance of the content compared to the search.

2. User activity (you’re more likely to be served content from the kinds of accounts you engage with).

3. Post popularity (posts with a bit more clout can come higher up the search as long as they’re relevant).

So it pretty much comes down to helping the Instagram overlords figure out what your content is about by:

• Incorporating relevant keywords in captions (but save the stuffing for your Christmas dinner, please).

• Adding text overlays to images within the Instagram platform, including relevant keywords.

• Using ALT text on images to improve accessibility and add keywords.

• Using subtitles in your videos and – say it with me – including relevant keywords.

A few relevant hashtags are handy, too. They won’t directly help with search necessarily, but they’ll give Insta a better idea about the kind of content you create, which helps it decide who to show your content to.

TikTok: the cool and complicated younger sibling

The best thing about optimising for search on TikTok? It isn’t affected by follower count. So you could have a brand new profile that only your mum follows, and you could still reach the right audience if your content is search-optimised.

You can increase your chances of being found by:

• Adding keywords to your captions and video subtitles.

• Using up to five relevant hashtags.

• Using sounds that are popular with your audience.

• Regularly engaging with other accounts.

LinkedIn: the fun sponge

As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn search is a lot more like traditional search than Insta or TikTok. Like Google, LinkedIn prefers to offer up authoritative content that demonstrates expertise relevant to your niche. 

You can optimise your personal LinkedIn profile for search by:

• Regularly posting about your niche, using keywords in captions, ALT text, subtitles and articles.

• Adding relevant keywords to your profile headline alongside your job title.

• Showcasing your expertise in your ‘about’ section. Keywords here don’t actually help with search, but they can make your audience more likely to reach out to you by giving them confidence that you’re the right person for the job.

“You keep banging on about keywords, but how do I know what they are?”

Alright, hold your horses, I was getting there. 

If you’ve done any work with traditional SEO, you know that keywords are the cornerstone of search. But, depending on your budget, full-blown keyword research might be a little out of reach.

Don’t worry – there are ways to get around it. 

Here are some quick and dirty ways of working out what keywords to sprinkle into your content:

• Use the search function on each platform. Start your search with a relevant topic and look at the dropdown menu to see popular related search terms.

• Have a look at free resources like TikTok’s keyword insights, Pinterest’s trends tool, and Answer the Public.

Don’t forget about brand

Remember, it’s all very well and good getting found. But if your voice isn’t content and your messages aren’t clear, those social media searchers are going to scroll on by your content to find brands that know who they are and articulate it like pros. 

So, go forth and be found! And of course, if you need any help optimising your social media content for search, or nailing down your brand voice and messaging, the So Contented team would be more than happy to help.