“Get more Facebook shares and watch your rankings soar!” If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard this myth, I’d be writing this from my yacht rather than my home office.
The idea that social shares directly impact Google rankings is one of those persistent SEO myths that just won’t die. It’s like putting racing stripes on your car and expecting it to go faster – the stripes might look good and get attention, but they won’t actually improve your engine performance.
But hasn’t Google said social media matters for SEO?
Google certainly acknowledges that good content gets shared, and they mention social media in their SEO guidelines. But there’s a massive difference between recognising that quality content naturally gets shared and using share counts as a ranking factor.
Google’s been pretty clear about this for over a decade. Matt Cutts said it back in 2014, John Mueller has said more than once that “social signals do not directly help in organic rankings,” and Gary Illyes even joked that social media links count “as much as a single drop in an ocean” for PageRank. You can find links to all their quotes in this Search Engine Journal article.
Why do highly shared posts often rank well then?
There IS often a correlation between highly shared content and good rankings. But correlation isn’t causation, and this is where people get confused.
Content that ranks well usually deserves to rank well. It’s helpful, well-written, and answers real questions. Naturally, this same content often gets shared on social media because people find it valuable. The sharing didn’t cause the good rankings – the quality did both.
Should I just stop promoting on social media?
Good lord no! Social media isn’t pointless for your online presence – it’s just not a direct ranking factor.
Social platforms can drive traffic to your website, help people discover your content, and occasionally lead to natural backlinks when journalists or bloggers find your stuff through social channels. Some experts believe social signals might help search engines understand more about your site’s relevance, though this remains unproven.
More importantly, social media serves your business in ways that have nothing to do with search rankings. It’s brilliant for customer service, building brand awareness, and engaging with your audience.
Build your social presence because it’s good for your business, not because you think it’ll manipulate Google. Focus on creating content worth sharing rather than chasing shares for SEO purposes.
If social media isn’t your thing, don’t tie yourself in knots thinking you’re destroying your search rankings. Put that energy into creating awesome content instead – that’s what will help your SEO.
There are so many SEO Myths out there that I wrote a book about them – SEO Myths Debunked.
