SEO for Social Media - Latest 12 Key Insights [Don't ignore]

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio [Pexels]

Social Media as the New Search Engine [SEO for Social Media]:

Search engine optimization (SEO) has been long associated with Google. Now, search queries are expanding to social media and e-commerce platforms. Marketers can stay ahead of this evolving user behavior and projected demand by learning to optimize SEO for social media.

"43.3% of internet users use social media for brand research" - Global Digital Trends 2022 by Hootsuite

Here are the 12 Key Insights [derived from] ICUC Social’s Social Media as a Search Engine [How to Optimize SEO] E-Book/Report:

1. TikTok and Instagram, specifically, are reaping the rewards of a generational shift in search habits. Roughly 40% of those aged 18 to 24 reach for social media over Google when determining their lunch plans.

2. SEO for social media is similar, but with a critical focus on keywords.

3. A well-developed social media content strategy will address SEO when assessing your customer’s desires and pain points, targeting the topics and keywords they search for.

4. Add alt text to categorize your content and make it more discoverable — with thoughtful and accurate keywords, this will increase organic reach, catapulting ROI on your content creation efforts.

'Alt text' is an important part of both social accessibility and searchability.

5. Embracing Social Accessibility, backed by social listening and data analysis, allows your channel to tap into a form of SEO and maximize results.

6. Now, hashtags are an invaluable part of Twitter’s search capabilities and allow users to navigate or join conversations and communities on social media.

7. For brands and creators, tapping into trending hashtags or keywords has therefore become an important way to boost the visibility of content on Twitter.

8. According to Pinterest, organic video pins are up by 240% year over year, suggesting that they are growing exponentially in use and popularity on the platform.

9. Gen Z continues to tap into social media platforms to discover new content, and brands can reach them and others by adopting key audiences with an ‘always on’ approach to SEO.

10. From the messaging in long-tail content campaigns to the way brands respond to users’ comments, every audience interaction is a chance to boost reach and visibility if done strategically.

11. General SEO Recommendations:

SEO should be a key part of your content strategy and overall presence on social media.

Begin optimizing your social channels for modern searchability using: Keywords, Hashtags, Description Page, and Alt Text.

12. Social Media Platform-Specific SEO Recommendations:

TikTok Social Media SEO:

Video captions, in-video copy, and cover photos are all important for searchability on TikTok. Include key terms in all three of these to keep content discoverable.

Do not copy and paste text from other apps or documents into your video. If the in-video copy is written outside of the app, TikTok is not able to identify the words used.

"Average time spent on TikTok by social media users is 22.9 hours per month" - Global Digital Trends 2022 by Hootsuite

Instagram Social Media SEO:

As a rule, consider using 3-5 relevant hashtags per post on Instagram. Relevant hashtags and keywords are essential for every caption. Optimizing your profile name (not just the handle) with keywords also improves searchability.

Utilize alt text for social accessibility to ethically widen the number of keywords used in the content. Avoid keyword or hashtag ‘dumping’ in social copy.

"Average time spent on Instagram by social media users is 11.7 hours per month" - Global Digital Trends 2022 by Hootsuite

Pinterest Social Media SEO:

Make use of Pinterest tags, use alt text, and utilize video pins. Pinterest boards can also show up in search results.

Making sure that board names and descriptions are SEO-friendly is therefore important. This means using strategic keywords to name boards boosts searchability, including detailed board descriptions for additional support.

The ideal image size of Pins uses the 2:3 ratio (or 600 x 900 pixels). Using an optimal ratio ensures that your Pins fully display fully in search results.

Twitter Social Media SEO:

Twitter recommends only using 1–2 hashtags per Tweet. Make sure all social copy includes relevant hashtags and keywords. These words should be relevant and trending.

Businesses with a physical location should also include location-specific hashtags or keywords to aid in searchability.

"Average time spent on Twitter by social media users is 5.5 hours per month" - Global Digital Trends 2022 by Hootsuite

As search queries are expanding to social media services and e-commerce platforms, a shift in marketing mindset might be required to stay ahead of this evolving user behavior and projected demand.

I sincerely hope that these essential tips on social media SEO might be useful to you. You can access the ICUC Social's full report or read the e-book here if you require more details.

Here's related information that you may find helpful – Key Steps To Retain Your Social Media Audience.

P.S: Visit Digital Marketing Forum that answers [most un-answered] questions.

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