How to benefit from SEO on social media?

And how to secure the No. 1 position in social media searches?

Hi, it’s Andreas, and I’m back with Growth — my newsletter that breaks down startup growth in the AI era and gives you hacks, strategies, and a behind-the-scenes look at playbooks from today’s unicorns.

Today, my guest is Nika Kotláriková, Nika is a marketer through and through, and she’s here to share one growth tactic that’s often overlooked. How can your social media benefit from SEO? You’re probably thinking, What do search engines have to do with my socials? But trust me, a lot!

This one’s important, so let’s jump in.

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If you want to get more orders → your website (or social media profile) must have high traffic → you must be the first to appear in search (ideally organically) → and that's what SEO is all about.

This rule works within the web. But what about social networks? How does SEO work there? Today, we will discuss it.

You'll find out why to focus on social media SEO, how it all works and how to proceed, useful tools for social media SEO, and I'll show you a few profiles for inspiration.

This article covers these fundamental topics:

• 🔍 Why do social media SEO?

• 🚀 Steps to improve your “SEO score” on social networks

• ⚙️ Useful tools

• 🌟 Inspirational profiles with good social media SEO

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🔍 Why do social media SEO?

Marketers and entrepreneurs spend the vast majority of their time figuring out how to organically rank at the top of web search results and how to stay visible. With AI entering the picture, the only thing gaining more attention is search SEO and AI SEO.

But where else are users frequently present?

Yep – social media.

• 82% of internet users worldwide use social media to research products they‘re interested in buying. (Marketingscoop)

• Social media platforms have become significant sources for news consumption. Predominantly Facebook, YouTube, X and TikTok. (Pew Research)

• Gen Z prefer using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram for search queries over traditional search engines. (Forbes)

Social shopping – it’s already a $727 billion dollar market according to Grand View Research, and it will reach $6.2 trillion by 2030. Source: Neil Patel – X

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🚀 Steps to improve your “SEO score” on social networks

Each social network has its specifics, how it is used and what rules it applies. But most of them use a fairly general formula for social media SEO.

Here are the steps that will help you optimise your profile and make it easier to discover:

• Use keywords in your bio

• Use keywords in your name

• Use keywords in your handle @

• Add alt text to images – this also helps people with visual impairments

• Use hashtags – even though Mosseri said hashtags aren’t a big deal on IG, platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn still rely on them

• Use keywords in your captions

• Use trending music in your posts and try remixing your content with content from bigger creators in your niche

• Add your location to increase discoverability in your region

How does all this affect your visibility?

Your profile will start appearing in the Explore/Search sections of a given social media platform. Your posts will show up under specific keywords (hashtags) on IG (if you used them in your captions, for example). The same applies to Twitter (X) as well.

I included “YouTube” in the post description. When I searched for “YouTube” using the Explore feature on X, my post showed up in the results.

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⚙️ Useful tools

For more precise social media SEO, you can use a variety of tools. Here's a list of some of them:

• AnswerThePublic – helps you find questions (topics) people are searching for across platforms

• Brand24 Hashtag Search – allows you to search and analyse hashtags

• Keyword Tool – offers hashtag ideas for Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, and more

• RiteTag by RiteKit – suggests hashtags based on the image you upload

• TikTok Creative Center – great for discovering hashtags, trending sounds, and keyword suggestions based on region and industry for TikTok

Of course, there are many other tools available on the market. But for the purpose of this article, I’ve limited the selection to just these.

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🌟 Inspirational profiles with good social media SEO

The best strategy is to fill out your profile as thoroughly and precisely as possible, including as much information as you can – this increases your chances of being discovered by potential clients or buyers.

So, complete as much as you can (even when it comes to published photos, for example, don’t forget alt texts; use clear CTAs in your bio, add relevant links, etc.). I’ve taken the liberty of including a few good examples with a short analysis.

💡 PRO TIP: You can use emojis to visually “highlight” text.

Source: Instagram – @brock11johnson

Source: Instagram – @imdanielaqueiroz

Source: X – @danielcranney

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We are at the end.

I hope this episode helped you get a clearer understanding of SEO on social media, and that after applying these steps, you’ll start seeing better results.

If you’re looking for more tips on marketing or business, you can find them in my Substack articles at Business & Marketing with Nika. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss my newsletter, published every week.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Andreas for the opportunity and for sharing his valuable insights in his newsletter.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

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PS: If you enjoyed this growth hack, please tap the like button below. Thank you! 💛

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