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SEO Basics for Social Media

Writer's picture: Ashley PolanAshley Polan

You might be wondering why you need to learn SEO (search engine optimization) for social media... Great question! The importance of understanding SEO as it relates to social media strategy and marketing hasn't really been talked about in the past. It seems people are just started to catch on to this, so the sooner you work SEO strategies into your social media content the better!



If you think about it, social media acts a lot like a search engine! When you open up the app, the option to search is always prominently displayed. Similar to Google, you might type in a few keywords within that search to help you find a particular business.



How you're including these keywords into your profiles and content will dictate whether or not your business shows up! Just like Google, I'm sure you want yours to be the first one on these lists.



What are Keywords and Key Phrases?


Keywords and key phrases as it pertains to SEO (search engine optimization) are words and phrases commonly typed into Search to find a particular product, service or answer to a question. Therefore, when putting together your list of Keywords and Phrases consider what someone might type into a search when searching for your particular niche.


For example, if you work in the skincare business located in Reno, Nevada providing waxing services and facials here are a few key phrases you might use:

  • Skincare Reno Nevada

  • Facials Reno Nevada

  • Eyebrow Waxing

  • Bikini Wax

  • Facials for Acne

  • Anti-aging Facials

The list can go on and on!


Check out Google Keyword Planner to help you put together a list of keywords and phrases for your niche.



Bio's and Page Descriptions


The first and most obvious place you should strategically include industry keywords and phrases is within your social media page bios and page descriptions. And by "strategically" what I mean is that you should avoid what's called "keyword stuffing" and make sure the words are used naturally within your descriptions and content.



Instagram Page Name


On Instagram, your page name can now be up to 30 characters long. This means I recommend you include your business name AND a phrase that describes your business that might be used to search for your particular product(s) or service(s). If your business is tied to a specific location, it's good to include that location as well. For example, "Bridal Boutique in Reno, NV". If not in your page name, then the location should definitely be clearer listed in your bios.




Captions


The second place you should be working in keywords and phrases is within your captions. Similar to the Facebook page description example above, you want to make sure these are being placed naturally within the caption. The algorithm is smart and notices when "keyword stuffing" is happening. Therefore, don't include a list of keywords and phrases at the end of your caption or as the whole caption itself.



Hashtags


However, hashtags are a great way to incorporate and list those keywords into your captions! Uncover frequently used hashtags (used less than 1 million but greater than 1k) within your niche and incorporate them within your captions. ALWAYS make sure the hashtags you're using are relevant to the content you're sharing. For example, if you offer multiple services like waxing and facials, when you're talking about your waxing service don't include a string of hashtags regarding facials. I suggest creating multiple "hashtag bundles" for your different products and services and saving them somewhere where you can easily copy and paste, like the notes app on your phone.


I like to use Hashtag Expert to help me find hashtags within in niche and build out hashtag bundles. Or, I often search different hashtags on Instagram to see how many times they've been used and to engage with other users in my industry.



Hashtags can be used on all platforms, however, I suggest using up to 30 on Instagram and only about 3-7 on TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. With the shorter character limit on TikTok and Twitter, it doesn't make sense to fill it up with a bunch of hashtags. On Facebook and LinkedIn, hashtags are less frequently clicked on and searched than they are on Instagram.


To summarize, when writing your page bios, descriptions, and captions consider what someone might type into the search bar when searching for your particular product or service and strategically incorporate those words or phrases. SEO doesn't have to be as complex as some people make it out to be. Especially when it comes to social media marketing. I believe anyone can do it!

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