If you’ve ever been interested in website promotion, you’ve probably heard about SEO. This is a set of measures that help the site rise higher in the search results. However, there is one factor that is often underestimated — social signals.
Social signals are signals from social networks. Simply put, these are all user interactions with the site’s content on social networks: likes, reposts, comments, mentions. Although search engines do not directly say that they take these signals into account, practice shows that they affect the position of the site.
How are social signals related to SEO?
When users actively share content, search engines receive an indirect signal that it is valuable and interesting. This may affect the ranking of the site.
- Traffic growth. When posts with links to the site become popular on social networks, it brings more visitors to the site. And high traffic is one of the ranking factors.
- Increase trust. If people are actively discussing and distributing content, then it deserves attention. This can increase the site’s credibility.
- Improvement of behavioral factors. Search engines evaluate how users behave on a website. If they linger after leaving social media, read articles and switch to other pages, this is a good signal.
- Natural links. When content is popular, it is more often posted on other sites, which leads to new backlinks.
How to use social signals for SEO?
Considering the importance of these signals, it is logical to use them to promote. Here are some ways to do it:
- Create high-quality content. If the material is useful, it will be shared without unnecessary promotion.
- Call for action. Remind users that you can like, share, or leave a comment.
- Place social media buttons. The easier it is to share content, the more people will do it.
- Use trends. Content related to relevant topics attracts more reactions.
- Be active on social media. Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and interact with the audience.
Is it worth betting only on social signals?
Although social signals can really help the site, you should not rely on them alone. Search engines take into account hundreds of factors, and even if your content is popular on social media, it won’t rise to the top if there are serious problems on the site.
SEO is a complex work that includes page optimization, working with backlinks, the technical condition of the site, and much more. Therefore, it is better to use social signals as an additional tool, rather than the only way to promote.
Errors when working with social signals
Many website owners know that social signals can affect promotion, but they make mistakes that reduce efforts to zero. Let’s look at the most common ones.
- Artificial cheating. Buying likes and reposts may seem like a quick way to boost popularity, but search engines can easily recognize such patterns. Inflated signals do not create real interest and do not bring benefits.
- Lack of strategy. Just posting links to a website on social media is not enough. You need to think through the content, engage the audience, and motivate them to interact.
- Ignoring comments. If users actively discuss content but don’t get a response, their interest quickly disappears. Feedback is important to build trust.
- Rare publications. The less frequently the content appears on social media, the fewer interactions there are. Regularity helps maintain the audience’s attention.
User interaction with social media content does affect SEO, but not directly, but indirectly. The more people discuss and distribute the materials, the higher the chance that the site will receive more traffic, backlinks and trust from search engines.
