SEO for Social Media
- Mandy Gardner
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
SEO for Social Media: Podcast Episode Summary
In this episode of Cinch Academy, the team dives into SEO for social media and what it really means for modern social media management. As platforms shift from hashtags to AI-driven semantic search, businesses must rethink how they use keywords, captions and profiles to improve discoverability. The discussion breaks down practical strategies for increasing visibility, understanding indexing and staying consistent in a constantly evolving algorithm landscape.
Main Takeaways:
SEO for social media = visibility across search and social
Hashtags are fading; semantic search is rising
Keywords belong in bios, captions and profiles
Clean keyword formatting improves discoverability
AI captions help, but human review matters
Google partially indexes public social profiles
Social media management requires consistency more than trend-tracking
Personality builds trust and drives conversions
The Abridged Transcription (Listen for full content!)
Mandy: Welcome back to Cinch Academy. Today, we’re talking about SEO for social media. Today we have Mandy, Shyan and Michaela. Let’s jump into it. Shyan, can you explain what SEO is?
Shyan: The definition of SEO keeps evolving, but at its core, it’s about visibility. It’s about showing up on search engines — Google, Bing and DuckDuckGo — and, increasingly, on AI platforms. Wherever people are searching, SEO helps ensure you appear.
Mandy: So it optimizes your ability to be seen.
Shyan: Exactly.
Mandy: Michaela, from a social media perspective, how has SEO changed?
Michaela: A year or two ago, keywords on social media were primarily hashtags. That was how posts were discovered. On platforms like Instagram, you’d search a hashtag like #sprayfoam and find related content.
Now, platforms use semantic search. Instagram reads your captions, alt text and even image content using AI. So instead of relying only on hashtags, it recognizes themes and related keywords.
Shyan: So it works similarly to Google’s algorithm.
Michaela: Exactly. It’s identifying topics and keywords and categorizing your content accordingly.
Finding Keywords on Social Media
Mandy: We use tools to see what people are searching for on Google. What about social platforms?
Michaela: We use Hootsuite’s listening tool. It helps identify relevant keywords, especially for new clients. It’s not perfect, but it gives direction. Beyond that, we search directly within platforms to see what content appears for certain terms. For example, if we type “marketing agency” or “graphic design,” we look at what’s ranking and what related terms appear.
Shyan: That’s similar to how we use Google Trends.
Michaela: Yes. Every platform has its own analytics suite, which can make things complicated. Hootsuite gives an overview in one place.
Where to Use Keywords
Mandy: Once you’ve identified keywords, where should they go?
Michaela: They should appear in your username, bio, captions and location when appropriate. Captions are especially important.
A newer trend is to separate keywords at the bottom of captions with vertical bars instead of hashtags. It keeps things cleaner visually while still signalling keywords.
Mandy: We use vertical bars in metadata too — for page titles, for example.
Michaela: Exactly. It separates ideas cleanly while remaining searchable.
Keywords also affect discovery through Explore pages, suggested posts, keyword searches and Reel recommendations.
AI-Generated Captions and Subtitles
Shyan: What about AI-generated captions for short-form videos?
Michaela: They can be useful, but also inaccurate. AI still has a long way to go in producing natural, engaging content. Some AI-generated videos are obviously artificial, which can hurt credibility.
However, captions do offer another opportunity for keywords. Even if auto-generated captions aren’t perfect, you can upload your own subtitles.
It’s still unclear how much Instagram indexes closed captions. Google may scrape some of that information, but Instagram’s indexing is limited.
Instagram and Google Indexing
Mandy: Earlier this year, we learned Instagram posts can sometimes appear in Google search results.
Speaker 3: Yes, but Google doesn’t fully index Instagram. It mainly pulls from public business accounts and verified profiles. It’s not crawling every post. It’s more about brand verification and profile visibility.
It’ll be interesting to see how that develops.
SEO Checklist for Instagram
Speaker 2: Here’s a quick SEO checklist for Instagram:
Use a listening tool like Hootsuite to identify keywords.
Include keywords in captions, usernames, bios, hashtags and locations.
Add audio to videos, keep them under three minutes and avoid watermarks.
Publish consistently.
Michaela: Consistency is still king. The algorithm changes constantly, and chasing every trend would mean redoing the strategy every few days. Strong, consistent content wins over time.
Trends and Social Media Evolution
Mandy: What’s exciting right now in social media?
Michaela: Something new happens daily. Trends shift constantly, but that doesn’t mean every client needs a new strategy every week. The algorithm isn’t what it once was, and staying on top of changes is an ongoing challenge.
Personal Social Media Habits
Shyan: What platforms do you personally use most?
Michaela: TikTok. I often hear about trends there first. But just because something appears repeatedly doesn’t mean it’s real — always double-check.
Mandy: Twitter and Facebook used to feel more fun and personal. Now they feel saturated.
Shyan: Even if platforms feel different to each person, business profiles are still essential. People check Instagram or Facebook before hiring a service. They want to understand your personality and brand.
For example, when looking for a wedding photographer, you look at their Reels to understand their vibe. Personality matters.
The Importance of Brand Personality
Mandy: Exactly. People want to see who they’re hiring.
Michaela: Even informal or fun posts help communicate brand identity. It might feel silly at the time, but it tells a story. Social SEO continues to evolve. Tools improve, indexing changes and algorithms shift.
But the fundamentals remain:
Use relevant keywords strategically
Optimize profiles and captions
Stay consistent
Show personality
Adapt thoughtfully, not reactively
Thanks for the conversation, everyone!
Need help growing your business? With us on your team, marketing is a Cinch!
