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Love it or hate it, social media is a big part of any business’s marketing strategy. It’s a powerful way to connect with people, build your brand, and boost your online presence.
But if you’re trying to improve your local search rankings, you might be wondering:Does social media affect local SEO?Well, the answer isn’t that simple.
Despite what many believe,Google doesn’t use social media as a direct ranking factor. In other words, your social media activity won’t directly influence where your website ranks on Google.
However,other search engines, like Bing, do consider social media when ranking content.
Even if social media doesn’t directly impact your Google rankings, it still plays an important role inlocal SEO. It can help increase your online visibility, drive traffic to your website, and improve brand awareness—all of which contribute to better search performance in the long run.
So, while social media might not be a direct ranking factor, it’s still a valuable tool for growing your local presence online.
How Does Social Media Impact Local SEO?
Does Social Media Affect Google Rankings?
Nope! Googledoesn’tuse social media activity to decide where a website or business listing should rank. That means your Instagram followers or Facebook likes won’tdirectlyimpact your local search ranking on Google.
This might sound a little confusing because you’ve probably seen claims thatGoogle considers social signals(likes, shares, comments) when ranking websites. While there’s evidence that Googleexperimentedwith this in the past, it’s not a factor in their current ranking system.
Of course, Google is always testing new ranking factors, sosocial signals could become more important in the future. But for now, they don’t have a direct effect on rankings.
Does Bing Use Social Media as a Ranking Factor?
Unlike Google,Bing has confirmedthat it considers social signals in its search algorithm. However,how muchthey matter is still unclear.
Bing mainly focuses ontraditional ranking factorslike content quality, relevance, and backlinks. So while things like social shares and likes might help a little,they’re not as importantas good SEO practices.
What About Other Search Engines?
Google and Bingdominatethe search market, making up over95% of global searches. Smaller players like Yahoo and DuckDuckGo each hold around1% market share.
Because these alternative search engines aren’t as widely used, it’s harder to say for sure if social media affects their rankings. However, sinceYahoo and DuckDuckGo are powered by Bing, it’s likely that they also use social signals in some way.
Other search engines, likeYandex (Russia) and Baidu (China), may also factor in social media. In fact, leaked Yandex ranking data suggests thatsocial signals do play a rolein their search results.
What Should You Focus On?
SinceGoogle is the king of search(with Bing as a distant second), yourlocal SEO and social media efforts should focus primarily on ranking well for Google and Bing. Social media might not directly boost your rankings on Google, but it can still help in other ways—like driving traffic and increasing brand visibility.
Bottom line?Social media is valuable for online growth, even if it’s not a direct ranking factor!‘
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Possible Indirect Benefits of Social Media for Local SEO
Social Media Profiles Can Show Up on Google
Even though social media activitydoesn’t directly impact rankings, your social media profilescan still show upin Google search results.
Ideally, yourwebsite and business listingsshould rankhigherthan your social media pages. But if someonefinds your social profile first, that’s still a win—especially if it leads them to your website!
Social Media Can Drive Website Traffic
Every social media profile should include alink to your website—it’s a simple way to drive more traffic. And while Googledoesn’t use website traffic as a direct ranking factor, there’s astrong connectionbetween high engagement (like longer time spent on pages) and better rankings.
So, whilemore traffic doesn’t guarantee higher rankings, it certainly won’t hurt your SEO efforts!
A Great Way to Promote Content & Earn Backlinks
Content isone of the biggest ranking factorsfor Google. And guess what? Social media is the perfect place toshare your contentand get it in front of more people.
The more peoplesee, share, and link back to your content, the better chance you have of earningbacklinks—whichdohelp improve search rankings by boosting yourdomain authority (DA).
Helps Keep Your Business Info Consistent (NAP Consistency)
Forlocal SEO, keeping your business infoconsistent across the webis super important. That means yourName, Address, and Phone Number (NAP)should bethe sameeverywhere—including social media.
Platforms likeFacebook, Instagram, and LinkedIncount as business listings too, so making sure your NAP info is accuratecan helpyour local SEO.
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What’s the Final Takeaway Regarding Social Media and Local SEO?
Google might be thebiggest player in search, but itdoesn’t use social media signalsto rank websites. On the other hand,Bing has saidthat social signalsdoplay a role in its rankings—though it’s unclearhow much they actually matter.
That said,social media can still help your local SEOin other ways. Your social profilescan show upin search results, giving your businessmore visibility. Plus, social media helps drivewebsite traffic, promote content, build backlinks,and keep yourbusiness info (NAP) consistent—all of whichindirectlyboost SEO.
Sincesearch algorithms are always changing, social media’s role in SEO could evolve too. That’s why it’simportant to stay updatedand tweak your strategy when needed.
For now, the best approach is tocombine social media with solid SEO tacticsto get the best results and boost yourlocal online presence.
