🔗 The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Backlinks in SEO (With Sites List & Strategy)
In the ever-evolving world of SEO, social media backlinks are your secret weapon. Whether you’re an SEO pro or just getting started, understanding how social media impacts your website’s authority can give you an edge on Google.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- ✅ What social media backlinks are
- ✅ Do social backlinks help SEO
- ✅ Examples of high-authority social backlinks
- ✅ How to get social media backlinks for free
- ✅ Tools to check them
- ✅ 30+ platforms that offer social media backlink potential
🧠 What Are Social Media Backlinks?
A social media backlink is any link from a social media platform (like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc.) that points back to your website.
These backlinks might be:
- ✅ Profile links (bio or about section)
- ✅ Post links (shared content with website URLs)
- ✅ Comment or forum-style links (Reddit, Quora, YouTube)
- ✅ Story or media mentions (Instagram, TikTok)
💡 Do Social Media Backlinks Count for SEO?
Yes — but with some nuance.
While most social media backlinks are “nofollow,” meaning they don’t directly pass SEO juice like a dofollow backlink, they:
- 📢 Boost brand visibility and traffic
- 🔁 Encourage natural link-building (people who see your content may link to it)
- 📈 Improve indexing of your content faster
- 📊 Impact Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust)
Google may not count nofollow links as ranking signals directly, but they influence search ranking indirectly through engagement and referral traffic.
🔥 Benefits of Social Media Backlinks
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| 🚀 Increased Visibility | Your links get seen by thousands of users |
| 🤝 Higher Engagement | Social links boost shares, likes, and interactions |
| 🌐 More Referral Traffic | Click-throughs from posts bring real users to your site |
| ⏱️ Faster Indexing | Search engines crawl social content quicker |
| 💼 Reputation & Branding | Improves your credibility across the web |
🧩 Examples of Social Media Backlinks
Here are real-world types of backlinks from major platforms:
| Platform | Backlink Example |
|---|---|
| Link in your About section, or a blog post shared in a Group | |
| Twitter/X | A tweet with your blog post URL |
| Article or profile website field | |
| Pin linked to a blog or product page | |
| Link inside a subreddit discussion | |
| Quora | Answer with a reference link to your website |
| YouTube | Website link in video description |
| Bio link, link in stories (if eligible) |
🛠️ Best Tools to Check Social Media Backlinks
Here are some tools that help track and check your social backlinks:
- Ahrefs – Best for full backlink analysis (premium)
- SEMrush – Tracks social profiles and links (premium)
- Ubersuggest – Free limited analysis
- Small SEO Tools – Free backlink checker tool
- BuzzSumo – Great for content + social engagement
- Google Search Console – Shows how Google views external links
Want a quick check? Use: https://smallseotools.com/backlink-checker/
🧱 How to Build Social Media Backlinks (Step-by-Step)
✅ 1. Optimize Your Profiles
Every platform has a spot for your website URL. Fill it in!
- Facebook: About → Website
- LinkedIn: Contact Info
- Twitter/X: Bio
- Instagram: Bio link
- YouTube: Channel → About
✅ 2. Share Content Regularly
Post your articles, product pages, or videos with a strong CTA:
- “Read more: [link]”
- “Visit our site to learn more”
- Use relevant hashtags for reach
✅ 3. Use Platforms Like Reddit & Quora
Add value in comments or posts, then reference your website.
Don’t spam — provide insightful answers or participate in niche communities.
✅ 4. Automate With Tools
Use tools like:
- Buffer
- Later
- Hootsuite to automate posting and drive regular traffic.
✅ 5. Encourage Sharing
Add social sharing buttons to your blog, and ask users to share:
“If you found this helpful, share it on Twitter or LinkedIn!”
🧾 List of Social Media Backlink Sites (Free)
Here are 30+ free social media platforms you can use right now:
| Platform | Type | Website Link |
|---|---|---|
| Social Network | facebook.com | |
| Twitter / X | Microblogging | twitter.com |
| Professional | linkedin.com | |
| Photo Sharing | instagram.com | |
| Visual Discovery | pinterest.com | |
| Forum-style | reddit.com | |
| Quora | Q&A Platform | quora.com |
| YouTube | Video Sharing | youtube.com |
| Tumblr | Microblogging | tumblr.com |
| Medium | Blogging | medium.com |
| Mix | Content Sharing | mix.com |
| Scoop.it | Content Curation | scoop.it |
| Ello | Artist Network | ello.co |
| Minds | Open Source | minds.com |
| Plurk | Microblogging | plurk.com |
| VK | Social Network | vk.com |
| Diaspora | Decentralized | joindiaspora.com |
| Gab | Free Speech SM | gab.com |
| MeWe | Privacy-focused | mewe.com |
| Rumble | Video Platform | rumble.com |
| Gettr | Alt-Social | gettr.com |
| Refind | Article Saving | refind.com |
| Pearltrees | Visual Bookmark | pearltrees.com |
| Content Curation | flipboard.com | |
| Behance | Creative Portf. | behance.net |
| Dribbble | Design Sharing | dribbble.com |
| Vimeo | Video Hosting | vimeo.com |
| Foursquare | Local Discovery | foursquare.com |
| Goodreads | Book Community | goodreads.com |
| SoundCloud | Audio Platform | soundcloud.com |
📊 How Social Media Backlinks Improve SEO (Real Impact)
| Metric | SEO Impact |
|---|---|
| Crawl Rate | Increases when shared links are clicked or visited |
| Referral Traffic | Boosts session time and reduces bounce rate |
| Domain Authority | Indirectly improves when content gets shared + linked |
| Brand Mentions | Signals to Google your brand is real + trusted |
| Natural Backlinks | People who discover your content might link to it |
🤖 SEO Tips for Social Media Backlinks
- Use short, branded URLs (Bitly or custom domains)
- Add UTM parameters to track link performance
- Optimize each platform with keywords and hashtags
- Include clickable calls to action
- Share content during peak engagement times
❓ FAQs About Social Media Backlinks
🔍 Do social media links help with Google rankings?
They indirectly help by boosting engagement, visibility, and trust.
💰 Should I buy social media backlinks?
Avoid this. Focus on organic engagement and real audience sharing.
📉 Why aren’t my social media backlinks showing in Ahrefs or Semrush?
Because most are nofollow, and some tools don’t track them well. Use multiple tools.
🚀 Final Thoughts: Are Social Media Backlinks Worth It?
Absolutely. While they may not act like traditional dofollow backlinks, social media backlinks help build trust, visibility, and engagement — all essential for long-term SEO growth.
Start today:
- Optimize your profiles
- Share your best content
- Get involved in conversations
- And track your growth over time
📌 Bonus: Downloadable List of 30+ Free Social Media Backlink Sites
Want this in a handy spreadsheet? [Ask me now and I’ll send it.]
Let me know if you’d like this post:
- Converted to HTML or Markdown
- Turned into a PDF for sharing
- Or need a version for your blog’s CMS like WordPress or Shopify!