Social media SEO: get found by people ready to buy

Key takeaways

Social media SEO is making your profile and posts easy to find when someone searches inside a social platform. People who search are closer to buying than people who scroll. Put the service and the place in your name field, bio, captions, on-screen text and alt text, in plain words.

• Searchers are closer to buying than scrollers.
• 5 places carry keywords: name, bio, caption, on-screen text, alt text.
• Service plus place is the phrase that matters most.
• 15 minutes is enough to tidy a profile for search.

What is social media SEO?

Social media SEO (search engine optimisation) is the practice of wording profiles and posts so that platform search, and sometimes Google, can match them to what people look for. It is not a trick. It is describing what you do, clearly, in the places platforms read.

• How to create social media content that attracts the right customers

How do people search on social platforms?

People search social platforms the way they search the web: with a need and a place, or a question. 'Wedding florist Bristol', 'how to fix condensation', 'accountant for contractors'. Ofcom's research on UK online habits shows social video platforms are used for finding information as well as entertainment, particularly by younger adults.

• How to reach Gen Z on social media in the UK

Where should keywords go?

Keywords belong in five places: the name field, the bio, the first lines of captions, the text shown on screen in videos and images, and image alt text. Speak the phrase in videos too, since platforms can transcribe audio. Use natural sentences. A list of stuffed keywords reads badly and helps nobody.

• Name field: 'Hale Joinery | Fitted wardrobes Cheshire'.
• Bio: service, customer and area in one sentence.
• Caption: say what the post shows and where.
• On-screen text: the question or topic.
• Alt text: a plain description of the image.

• How to write a social media bio that attracts buyers
• Accessible social media content: alt text and captions

Which words should you use?

Use the words customers use, not trade terms. Check what they type in enquiries, what platform search suggests as you type, and the queries in Google Search Console. Add the towns or areas you serve. A handful of well-chosen phrases used consistently beats a long list.

• Use your customers' own words in social media content
• Google Search Console for small businesses

Do hashtags still matter?

Hashtags matter less than they did. Platforms now read captions, on-screen text and audio to understand a post, so a clear sentence does more than a block of tags. Use a few specific hashtags, including a local one, and write the words out in the caption as well.

• Hashtag strategy for UK businesses

What are the limits of social media SEO?

The limits are that platform search is less predictable than Google, results change often, and rankings cannot be guaranteed. It complements a findable website and Google Business Profile and does not replace them. Treat it as good housekeeping that makes every post work a little harder.

• Google Business Profile vs social media: what comes first?
• Local SEO for a small business website

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK local businesses: the account name is the company name alone, the bio is a slogan, and captions never mention the town. Searching the platform for the service and place does not show the business at all. Three small wording changes correct that.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses
• The right-customer content scorecard for social media

Social media SEO checklist

A 15-minute tidy-up.

• Name field includes service and area.
• Bio states service, customer and place.
• Recent captions name what is shown and where.
• Videos carry the topic as on-screen text.
• Images have alt text.
• You have searched the platform for your own service.

Next step

Search your main platform for your service and town. If you do not appear on the first screen, work through the checklist today.