Written by Adam Hollingshead

The days of thinking ‘search’ means ‘Google’ are over. Gen Z has already moved on, using TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest as their go-to discovery tools. And yet, most brands still optimise for one search engine while ignoring the others entirely.

Social Media Optimisation (SMO) isn’t optional anymore. It’s the missing half of most search strategies. Social platforms are evolving into search engines in their own right, shaping how people find products, brands and ideas. If your content isn’t optimised to surface in those searches, you’re invisible to the audiences shaping culture and buying decisions.

The Evolution of Social Search

Social media platforms weren’t designed to be search engines. TikTok started as a short-form video app, Instagram as a photo feed, and Pinterest as a visual bookmarking tool. However, as user behaviour shifted, each one began quietly building its own search infrastructure because keeping discovery in-platform means keeping users in-platform.

The change was gradual. First came hashtags and basic keyword matching. Then came predictive search bars, suggested topics, and algorithm-driven “For You” feeds. Today, many platforms prioritise searchability as much as engagement, using ranking systems that look more like Google’s than their original chronological feeds.

Discovery Now Happens Everywhere

Today’s consumer doesn’t just search once and decide. They hop between platforms, watching TikToks, checking Instagram stories, browsing Pinterest boards, checking your website, and reading Reddit threads before deciding on a business’s credibility. 

According to Soci, anyone below the age of 54 uses at least three platforms for search discovery. This multi-touch discovery process means brands need visibility across several platforms at once, because no single search engine owns the customer journey anymore.

Social platforms are rolling out social media seo​ features that change how users search and decide, and in some cases, remove the need to leave the app altogether. The following examples show how Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest are each moving toward owning more of the discovery journey.

Instagram Indexing Profiles and Posts

Instagram’s evolution from a simple photo-sharing app to a full-scale discovery platform took another step forward with the introduction of indexing for profiles and posts as of July. While Instagram seo​ has long worked for hashtags, locations and usernames, indexing opens the door for far deeper discoverability in Google search. It means posts and profiles from eligible accounts can appear in Google’s results based on broader keyword relevance, not just the hashtags or terms used within Instagram itself.

For marketers, this shifts Instagram closer to traditional SEO territory. Optimising profile bios, post captions and even alt text could influence where you appear in search results, not just Explore or hashtag feeds. 

If your goal is to appear in Google search, focus on traditional SEO keyword research for captions, bios and alt text. For in-app discoverability, lean on Instagram’s search suggestions and engagement-driven optimisation. Anyone with a public professional account can have their Instagram content indexed by Google. Users over 18 can switch to a business or creator profile to enable this, but personal and private accounts, as well as content posted before 2020, remain excluded.

TikTok Testing In-Comment Reviews

TikTok’s latest experiment pushes the platform deeper into the social media SEO​ and discovery space. They’re currently testing a new feature that surfaces reviews for select places directly within the comments tab of a video. When available, a ‘Reviews’ tab appears alongside the standard comment feed, letting users see location feedback without leaving the app.

For local businesses, travel brands, and hospitality operators, this is more than a user-experience tweak – TikTok is taking aim at the moments that would traditionally belong to Google or other review sites. If rolled out widely, it could make TikTok a more complete destination for place-based discovery, keeping users on the platform from the moment of interest through to evaluating credibility.

Pinterest has been quietly reshaping itself into an actual search engine, with a 2025 update that boosts how content matches user queries. Search results now factor in richer metadata, like Pin titles, descriptions, alt text and related pins. Consequently, how you structure and categorise content directly impacts how often it surfaces.

The update also improves personalisation in search, making it easier for users to find relevant content without needing exact keyword matches. For marketers, it’s a reminder that Pinterest optimisation goes beyond eye-catching visuals; the written elements matter as much as the imagery. Well-optimised Pins can continue to appear in searches and drive traffic for months or even years after the original post date, making Pinterest a long-tail powerhouse in the SMO mix.

Social Keyword Research: Platform-Specific Opportunities

Keyword research isn’t just for Google. Many social platforms now offer built-in tools that reveal what their audiences are actively searching for. Knowing how to use these insights can shape your content planning, influence creative direction, and ensure you’re optimising for the exact terms people type into each platform’s search bar.

TikTok: Creator Search Insights

TikTok’s Creator Search Insights is one of the most useful keyword tools on social media, and it’s built directly into the app. The tool displays trending search terms, related keywords, and the rate at which specific queries are growing. Results are split into categories such as Suggested, Trending and Lifestyle, offering a ready-made segmentation of content ideas. If you have over 1,000 followers, you’ll also see a Searches by Followers section, revealing the most popular queries from your audience.

Another standout feature is the Content Gap section, which highlights topics with high search volume but relatively little existing content. While chasing every gap is tempting, the best approach is intentionality: focus on gaps that align with your brand, audience, and long-term content goals. The aim isn’t to fill space, but to create relevant, high-quality content that meets real demand.

Pinterest: Trends Tool

Pinterest’s Trends tool is one of the most detailed keyword resources on social media. It lets you explore search popularity over time, split into trend types: Growing trends, Top monthly trends, Top yearly trends, and Seasonal trends.

You can filter trends by region and category, and explore related terms to expand your content ideas. Unlike TikTok’s fast-moving trends, Pinterest trends often have a longer lifecycle, making them ideal for content that can generate consistent engagement over months or even years.

For SMO, the value lies in combining creative visuals with keyword-driven pin titles, descriptions and board names. The more intentional you are with these written elements, the more likely your pins will rank for high-volume searches and continue driving traffic long after posting.

Search Suggestions on Other Platforms

Not every platform has a dedicated keyword insights tool for organic content, but autocomplete search suggestions can still reveal valuable opportunities. When you start typing into a platform’s search bar, the dropdown of suggested terms reflects what users are actively looking for – often surfacing ideas you might not have considered.

YouTube Studio has introduced two features aimed at helping creators plan content around what people are searching for: Trends and Inspiration. The Inspiration tab uses AI to suggest video ideas based on your existing content. For smaller creators, it may feel underdeveloped, but for larger channels, the suggestions could become more tailored and useful. The Trends tab lets you explore topics and see how much interest there is by splitting it into High volume, Medium volume and Low volume categories, offering a sense of what might gain traction in the near future.

On Instagram, these suggestions can guide your in-app optimisation on Instagram by showing the exact phrasing and topics people search for most, sometimes with post counts to indicate volume. Matching these terms in captions, hashtags and alt text can improve your chances of appearing in Explore and search results within Instagram.

LinkedIn uses a similar autocomplete system, highlighting relevant people, companies and topics as you type. While it doesn’t provide organic search volumes, these prompts can help you align your content with the language and themes most active in your industry.

Facebook doesn’t have a public keyword insights tool for organic search either. Instead, it excels more as a paid advertising platform where targeting is driven by detailed audience interests. For organic strategy, search suggestions and group search prompts are still a quick way to spot active conversations and trending topics.

Algorithm Signals to Optimise For SMO

Keywords get you part of the way, algorithm signals decide how far your content travels. Each platform’s algorithm works differently, but they all weigh a mix of relevance, engagement, and quality indicators when determining what to surface.

Key signals to focus on:

• Engagement rate – Likes, comments, shares, and saves send strong positive signals.
• Dwell time – How long people spend watching or reading your content. 
• Format match – Platforms reward formats they’re pushing (e.g., Reels, Shorts, carousel posts).
• Profile health – Complete bios, consistent posting and up-to-date profile details boost trust.
• Captions & metadata – Clear, relevant captions with keywords, alt text and proper tagging help algorithms understand your content.
• Saves & replays – On visual and video-heavy platforms, these are stronger value indicators than likes alone.

Why SMO and SEO Should Work Together

Oftentimes, SMO and SEO get treated as separate disciplines  – one for social teams, one for SEO teams. In reality, the two share a common goal: making content discoverable. 

Search data can inform social content planning, ensuring posts target topics and queries with proven demand. In turn, social engagement can send brand signals to search engines, increase backlinks and drive traffic that improves overall visibility.

A strong SMO strategy ensures your content surfaces in-platform when users search there. A strong SEO strategy ensures it appears when they turn to Google. Together, they create a connected discovery journey where your brand is visible at every step.

Search isn’t confined to a single platform anymore. Users move fluidly between social apps and Google, often without realising it, and the algorithms shaping those journeys are getting smarter every day. SMO is no longer just about keeping up with trends – it’s about making your content discoverable wherever your audience chooses to search.

The brands that win will be the ones that stop treating SMO and SEO as separate efforts and start building a unified approach to visibility.  In the next phase of the search, the question won’t be “Where are people looking?” It’ll be “Are you there when they do?”

Want to learn more about how you can implement an SMO strategy? At Tug, we have a team of dedicated SEO professionals to help you master social media SEO​ across your channels. Get in touch with the team today.