Wondering what are social signals and how they impact your local business? Discover how likes, shares, and comments can boost your SEO and build trust.
The Empty Echo of Social Media
Sarah, the proud owner of “Sarah’s Sweet Scents,” a small candle shop in town, was frustrated. She’d spent months on social media. Every day, she posted pretty pictures of her hand-poured candles. She used all the hashtags she could think of: #handmade, #soycandles, #shoplocal. She’d even spent a little money to “boost” her posts, hoping to reach more people.
She had a few hundred followers and her posts would get some likes, maybe a “love” emoji here and there. But her website traffic was flat, and foot traffic into her store hadn’t budged. It felt like she was shouting into a big, empty room. The likes were nice, but they didn’t pay the bills. She was doing what she thought was right, posting pictures and hoping for sales. It felt like a chore, and it wasn’t working.
This is a story many small business owners know all too well. You’re told you have to be on social media, but no one really explains how to make it work for you. You end up wasting time and getting little in return.
The Secret Language of the Internet
Here’s the secret: social media isn’t just a billboard. It’s a conversation. And search engines like Google are listening to the buzz of that conversation. The chatter, the excitement, and the sharing that happens around your business online are called social signals.
What are social signals?
They are the likes, comments, shares, saves, and mentions your business gets on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). Think of them as little votes of confidence from real people. When someone shares your post about a new candle scent, they’re telling their friends, “Hey, this is cool! You should check it out.”
Now, Google has said that social signals are not a direct ranking factor. That means just getting a bunch of likes won’t magically shoot your website to the #1 spot. However, they have a powerful indirect effect. It’s the difference between just posting a picture (the old way) and building a community that talks about you (the NEW WAY).
“Social media is about the people! Not about your business. Provide for the people and the people will provide for you.” – Matt Goulart, Founder, Ignite Digital Canada.1
This is the core insight. When you focus on creating a fun, helpful, and engaging online space, you create positive social signals that tell search engines your business is legitimate, trusted, and valued by the community.
How Social Signals Help Your Local Business
So, how does a Facebook share or an Instagram comment actually help your business get found on Google? It works in a few simple, yet powerful ways.
Building Trust and Authority
When people are actively talking about your business online, it builds trust. A potential customer might see that your Facebook page has lots of positive comments and reviews. This makes them feel more comfortable visiting your store or buying from your website. Search engines pick up on this trust, too. A business with a lively, positive social media presence looks more credible and authoritative than one with a dead or non-existent profile.
Driving Real Traffic
Every time someone shares a link to your website, it’s an opportunity for more people to click and visit. This increase in website traffic is a huge signal to Google that your site is valuable. In fact, a study found that 75% of marketers reported that their social media efforts led to more traffic for their businesses. (Source) When Google sees more people visiting your site and staying a while, it can improve your rankings over time.
Getting Your Name Out There (Brand Awareness)
Social signals amplify your reach. A single share can put your business in front of hundreds of new eyes. This is especially powerful for local businesses. When a local customer shares your post, their friends, who are also likely local, see it. This builds local brand awareness faster than almost any other method. This increased visibility often leads to more “branded searches” (people searching for your business name directly), which is a strong positive signal for SEO.
Earning Links Naturally
When you share great content like a helpful blog post on “How to Make Your Candles Last Longer,” people don’t just share it on social media. Bloggers, local news sites, or other businesses might see it and link to it from their own websites. These “backlinks” are one of the most important ranking factors for SEO. Strong social signals increase the visibility of your content, making it more likely to earn these valuable links.
How to Get Good Social Signals: Your Simple Action Plan
You don’t need to be a marketing genius to get good social signals. You just need to be helpful and human. Here’s how you can start today.
What Are Good Social Signals? Start by Creating Shareable Content
Instead of just posting “Buy my stuff,” think about what your customers would find interesting or useful.
- Answer Questions: What are the common questions you get in your shop? Turn the answers into simple posts or short videos. For Sarah’s candle shop, a post on “What’s the Difference Between Soy and Paraffin Wax?” would be very helpful.
- Show Behind the Scenes: People love seeing how things are made. A quick video of you pouring a candle or packaging an order makes your business feel personal and real.
- Run a Fun Poll or Contest: Ask your followers to vote on a new scent or run a giveaway where they have to tag a friend to enter. This is a simple way to boost engagement.
- Celebrate Your Community: Feature another local business you love or share a photo from a local event. This shows you’re a part of the community, not just trying to sell to it.
Make It Easy for People to Share
Add social sharing buttons to your website and blog posts. This simple step removes friction and makes it easy for a happy customer to share your content with a single click.
Engage, Don’t Just Broadcast
When someone leaves a comment, respond! Thank them for their kind words or answer their question. This two-way conversation is the heart of building a community. It shows you’re listening and that you care. According to research, 76% of consumers who have a positive social media experience with a brand are likely to recommend it to others.2
Bridge to a Better Way
Thinking about social signals shifts your whole approach to online marketing. You stop chasing empty metrics like “likes” and start focusing on what really matters: building a genuine connection with your customers.
The old way is a lonely, frustrating game of shouting into the void. The new way is about building a vibrant community around your brand. This community not only supports your business with their purchases but also becomes your best marketing team, sending out positive social signals that build trust, drive traffic, and help you get found by more local customers.
It’s a more rewarding and, ultimately, more profitable way to grow your small business.
Your Next Step
Feeling overwhelmed by all this? You don’t have to do it alone. At Diffyweb, we help local businesses navigate the world of digital marketing, from understanding the nuances of local SEO to building a social media presence that gets real results.
If you’re ready to stop shouting and start connecting, check out our other articles on social media marketing to learn more practical tips for your small business.
We’ve helped hundreds of small local businesses ditch the overwhelm, attract more customers, and drive real sales. Let us help yours >
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are social signals?
Social signals are the likes, shares, comments, and other interactions that happen on social media platforms. They act as public “votes” that show how popular or relevant a piece of content or a business is.
Are social signals a direct ranking factor for Google?
No, Google has stated that social signals are not a direct ranking factor. However, there is a strong correlation between a healthy social media presence and better search engine rankings because of the indirect benefits they provide, like increased website traffic, brand awareness, and backlinks.
What are some examples of social signals?
Examples include Facebook likes and shares, Instagram comments and saves, X (Twitter) retweets, and pins on Pinterest. Any action that shows a user is engaging with your content is a social signal.
Why are social signals important for a local business?
They are important because they build trust and credibility within your local community. When local people engage with your content, it gets seen by their local friends, which is a powerful form of word-of-mouth marketing that also boosts your online visibility.
How can I improve my social signals?
Focus on creating helpful, entertaining, or interesting content, not just sales posts. Engage with your followers by responding to comments, run polls or contests, and make it easy for people to share your content from your website.
Do I need a lot of followers to have good social signals?
Not necessarily. It’s better to have a smaller, highly engaged group of followers than a large, silent one. A post that gets a lot of shares and comments from 100 engaged followers is a much stronger social signal than a post that gets only a few likes from 10,000 unengaged followers.
What is the difference between a social signal and a backlink?
A social signal is an interaction on a social media platform (like a share). A backlink is when another website links directly to a page on your website. Backlinks are a direct and very important SEO ranking factor. Strong social signals can often lead to more backlinks.
Which social media platform is best for social signals?
The best platform is the one your customers use the most. For a visual business like a bakery or boutique, Instagram might be best. For a business-to-business service, LinkedIn might be more effective. The key is to be active where your audience is.
How long does it take to see results from improving social signals?
Building a community and seeing the indirect SEO benefits takes time and consistency. You might see an increase in engagement within a few weeks of being more active, but the impact on your search engine ranking will be a more gradual process over several months.
Can I just buy likes and followers to improve my social signals?
You should not do this. Fake engagement is easy for both users and search engines to spot. It damages your credibility and provides no real business value. Building a genuine community is the only effective long-term strategy.