Optimizing Your Social Pages for Discoverability
We recently published an article on how to optimize your content for search engine optimization (SEO), and while we did touch on the subject of social SEO, we decided to dedicate another post to take a deeper dive into the matter.
Discoverability is crucial on social media to ensure your intended audience finds your content. It takes time to build a following, and knowing the social strategies to gain new followers organically can help expand your reach.
Here are a few tips by channel to optimize your social content for search discoverability and SEO:
Additional support: For tips on how to optimize your presence on Tiktok, see here. And for even more social tips, download our free guide.
Note: Given the current changes happening at Twitter, this is subject to change, but here’s what we recommend under normal circumstances.
Publishing
Experts recommend publishing on Twitter 1-5 times a day for optimal performance. For many small businesses and teams, keeping up with the necessary volume can be challenging. Nonprofits like the Brennan Center for Justice publish up to a dozen times per day, distributing multiple tweets for one single story or blog post. Whether you publish twice or five times a day, remember to remain consistent in your publishing cadence.
If you have the opportunity to jump into a trending conversation or hot topic, do so quickly! Twitter moves at the speed of news. Many media companies thrive on Twitter because of their ability to turn around tweets and responses to events within minutes.
Engagement
As with all social platforms, Twitter thrives on engagement. This means retweets, quote tweets, replies, and likes. It’s a two-way conversation and requires participation on both ends—publishing and responding to others.
In our work with Women’s World Banking, our Twitter strategy gradually shifted from majority link + third-party direct tweets to a combined direct tweet + interaction strategy. We found success when posting equal parts direct tweets and equal parts quote tweets/retweets to boost interaction and conversation on the platform.
SEO
Google now indexes tweets in the search results. Back in 2015, Twitter and Google formed a partnership by which Google has access to the Twitter stream.
“The search engine wants to provide real-time information to users because nobody wants news from four hours ago. With access to what’s happening on Twitter, Google remains one of the top sources to find information.”–Neal Schaffer
A Twitter page/feed optimized for on-page social SEO should share blog posts and new links immediately and leverage your bio.
For a quick guide to have on hand, we’ve created this easy-to-follow checklist:
Publishing
According to the experts, it’s best to post on Instagram 3-7 times per week. Every brand has to find the exact cadence and time that works for them, but again—consistency is key.
Leverage scheduling tools like Dash Hudson or Sprout Social for scheduling and suggested times to post.
Engagement
Engagement is an umbrella term, but we will focus on the quantifiable actions taken on your posts by followers such as comments, likes, saves, and shares—and how you can reciprocate or encourage these actions. Tags and mentions are also a form of engagement.
Provide practical utility to your target audience through your posts on Instagram, how can they support a cause they love? How can they make the world around them better and more enjoyable? Here are a few ideas:
- Educate them on an issue or provide a guide for them to get further understanding.
- Create content like:
- How To’s
- Tutorials
- Tips + Tricks
A few other tools for engagement on Instagram:
- Community management is communicating with and responding to followers in comments and direct messages, filtering any unwanted or hateful comments on your page, and monitoring your comments and direct messages.
- Social listening is monitoring social media channels for mentions of your organization, competitors, programs, and issue areas to understand the latest trends and sentiments.
- Influencer partnerships are a part of influencer marketing—a strategy to promote brands, services, and products by partnering with established social media creators, public figures, or celebrities who have significant followings on their platforms.
Instagram is a visual platform. Create eye-catching posts to stand out. The success of your brand’s presence depends on the thumb-stopping nature of your posts and the eye-catching nature of your assets.
Focus on video. According to an E-Marketer study, 20% of consumers like to watch short-form videos on Instagram Reels. Although most users watch short-form videos on TikTok, Instagram also currently tends to favor video, especially Reels, within its platform.
SEO
Utilize hashtags to be found. Add 2-5 hashtags on any new grid post or Reel at the end of the caption OR in the first comment. You can add up to 30 hashtags to a grid post, but remember not to overdo it.
To choose which hashtags to use, enter the desired hashtags in the search bar on IG to see how many posts contain that hashtag
- Look at what hashtags your core audiences/competitors use
- Use a combination of popular and niche hashtags to reach audiences both broad and specific
For a quick guide to have on hand, we’ve created this easy-to-follow checklist:
Engagement
Post content that spurs engagement and then actively engage with your audience.
Comment on posts from other accounts to expand your following. Your comments may appear at the top of the comments section. The post may also appear in your followers’ News Feeds.
Comment on your posts to maximize reach and engagement. Spark more engagement by adding meaningful comments. Posts may be shown again in your followers’ News Feeds.
For a quick guide to have on hand, we’ve created this easy-to-follow checklist:
Try Social SEO Today for Your Nonprofit
Discoverability and SEO continue to be critical to ensure your social content reaches the right audience for your cause. We offer top-tier search engine optimization services and social media services meant for nonprofits just like you! For even more tips on keeping up with the pace of social, download our free guide.