Does Facebook Affect Local SEO? [2021]
Everyone knows that Facebook is a powerful marketing tool. But does it affect your search engine optimization (SEO)?
Short answer: Yes, but indirectly.
According to Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, Gary Illyes, Google does not use social media as a direct ranking factor. That’s straight from the source.
But there’s enough evidence to suggest that social media can affect your rankings, as well as your local SEO.
Today, let’s explore how social media can affect local SEO. We’ll look at how social signals from your Facebook can impact your local SEO and how you can use those social signals to improve your online marketing strategy.
How Google Uses Social Signals
Google has gone back and forth on whether social signals are a ranking factor. In a video explanation from 2010, Google Webmaster Matt Cutts said yes, they are. Then in 2014, he reversed his answer and said they were not a ranking factor. What gives?
As a rule, Google doesn’t want to divulge too much about its search-ranking algorithm. They keep the details top-secret. It’s like the McDonald’s Big Mac recipe: You don’t want to release it to the world. Otherwise, your competitors would hijack it.
So, with that in mind, it’s hard to take Matt Cutts at his word. Can social signals really have no effect?
Doubtful. The evidence shows that social signals have a tremendous effect on your local SEO. In 2018, Hootsuite ran an experiment to see what impact social media shares have on SEO. Their findings were clear: The posts with more shares and more engagements performed better in search results.
Social signals will affect your search rankings. Whether directly or indirectly, social signals create opportunities for your website to get seen, noticed, and rank better than before. For that reason, social media needs to be a part of your SEO strategy.
3 Ways Facebook Can Power Your SEO Strategy
1. Use Facebook to Add to Your Search Results
Your Facebook profile ranks in search engine results. Take a look at ours:
You’ll see we have two listings from Facebook, both on the front page in the 5th and 6th positions. That’s two more places where our customers can see and contact us. In other words, Facebook enhances your online visibility, giving you more chances to catch leads and make sales.
2. Earn Facebook Reviews That Display on Google
Reviews on Facebook won’t just help your social media presence. They’ll also help you perform better on Google. That’s because Google takes your Facebook reviews and includes them in their featured snippets.
If you Google yourself and have some reviews on Facebook, you’ll see them displayed to the right on the front page. It’s powerful proof that you do good work, so use it to your advantage and ask your return customers to leave you a positive review.
3. Broaden Your Reach with Social Shares
One of the best ways you can use Facebook is to share your content on it. If you have an insightful blog post, a useful FAQ, or a few tips for people interested in your industry, you can share it across your platform and ask others to share it on theirs. Send it far and wide, because even if Google doesn’t take notice, your customers will.
The Bottom Line:
Facebook may not be a direct ranking factor for Google, but it is doubtless an indirect one. It serves a supportive role, strengthening your SEO strategy by increasing brand awareness and content distribution. By using Facebook to generate reviews, create new listings, and distribute your content, you can get even more out of your marketing without spending much more time or money on it. Small investment, big payoff: We call that a win-win.
Looking for more tips on SEO, social media, or Facebook marketing? LinkNow Media has you covered. With over 10,000 clients across North America, we’ve set ourselves apart as a leader in the digital marketing industry. We create content-driven marketing strategies that work, generating leads and driving traffic to our clients’ sites.
If you need help with your online marketing or would like to share your feedback, feel free to leave us a comment below, call us at 1-888-667-7186, or email website@linknowmedia. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Until next time!
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