Backlinks and social signals - How decision makers convert reach into rankings

Social media has become an integral part of users' everyday lives — and therefore also of marketing. The question therefore comes up again and again: “Do likes, shares and comments actually count directly for the Google ranking? “The short answer is no. Backlinks remain the most important external factor for good rankings in 2025.

But that doesn't mean that social media is irrelevant to SEO. On the contrary: Social signals have an effect more indirectly — through reach, brand recognition, user behavior and thus also through the opportunity for valuable backlinks. Anyone who sees social media only as a “reach channel” and not as a lever in conjunction with SEO is wasting potential.

What are social signals today?

Social signals mean all measurable interactions on social networks — i.e. likes, shares, comments, saves, retweets or even views. They show how strongly users interact with content and serve as an indicator of relevance and response.

In 2025, these platforms in particular will play a role:

• youtube: second-largest search engine worldwide, high visibility and length of stay.
• Instagram & TikTok: strong effect through short videos that can go viral.
• linkedin: particularly relevant in the B2B sector, where authority and expertise are required.
• X (formerly Twitter): Still important for quick news and thought leadership.

The difference between direct signals and indirect effects is decisive:

• Direct signals include a link from a tweet or an embedded YouTube video. However, these hardly matter to Google, as social links are usually “nofollow”.
• Indirect effects are much stronger: When a post goes viral, the reach increases, discussions arise, brand awareness increases — and in the best case, this also results in natural backlinks from blogs, news sites or specialist portals.

Social signals are therefore not a separate ranking factor — but they show how relevant content is for real users. And that is exactly what Google rewards in the long term.

Why social signals are not a direct ranking factor

Despite the enormous reach of social networks, social signals are not directly incorporated into Google's algorithm. There are several reasons for this:

• Risk of manipulation
  Likes, shares, or comments are relatively easy to buy or automate. If Google were to use these interactions as a ranking factor, the results would be vulnerable to spam and manipulation — similar to the early years of link spam.
• access restrictions
  The big networks are owned by Google's direct competitors (Meta, TikTok, X). They have little interest in giving Google full access to user data. Without this background information (“Who liked? Is the person an expert? Does it have influence? “) Social signals would barely be interpretable for Google.
• Short-term data
  Social interactions are often fleeting. A viral post can collect tens of thousands of likes within a few days, but is then irrelevant again. Google, on the other hand, needs stable, long-term, reliable signals for evaluating websites.
• Technical restrictions
  Almost all links from social networks are marked “nofollow”, “ugc” or “sponsored”. This means that they do not share classic link juice and therefore do not look like backlinks in the algorithm.

The result: Social signals may generate high visibility — but Google doesn't use them as an independent ranking factor. Backlinks that come from high-quality, thematically relevant sources remain the benchmark.

Indirect effect of social signals on SEO

Even though social signals themselves are not a direct ranking factor, they can indirect significant influence have on the visibility of a website. The interaction between social media and classic SEO signals is decisive:

• More reach = more chances of getting backlinks
  A strong social media post can spread content virally. This increases the likelihood that journalists, bloggers or specialist portals will pick up the content and link to it. It is precisely these high-quality backlinks that are a central ranking lever.
• Faster indexing through social traffic
  When a new page receives a lot of attention via social media, the increased traffic signals to Google that it could be relevant content. This can increase crawling frequency and speed up indexing.
• Brand signals & trust
  A strong presence on social networks strengthens brand recognition. People who know your brand are more likely to click on your snippet in search results. A higher click rate (CTR) can in turn have positive ranking effects.
• User engagement as a secondary signal
  While likes & shares themselves do not count, the resulting user behavior indirectly influences rankings. When social media brings users to your site who stay there longer, share or return to your site, these are positive user signals for Google.

Google updates & E-E-A-T: Where social signals play a part

Since the major core updates of recent years, Google has been evaluating content more heavily E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) Social signals are not directly incorporated into the algorithms here — but they can indirectly support E-E-A-T:

• Make expertise visible: Technical contributions that are frequently discussed on LinkedIn or X (Twitter) strengthen the perception of a person or brand as an opinion leader.
• Build authority: High numbers of followers are not a ranking factor, but a strong community increases reach. More reach = more chances of mentions and backlinks.
• Promote trust: Brands that actively and transparently appear on social media appear more trustworthy. For users, this is a signal that they are dealing with a reputable provider.

In short, social media doesn't provide “ranking points,” but it supports the criteria that Google is increasingly emphasizing through E-E-A-T.

Social vs. backlinks: What remains?

The discussion “social signals vs. backlinks” is actually misdirected — because they fulfill different roles:

• Backlinks are a direct ranking factor. They transfer authority (“link juice”) and continue to decisively decide on visibility in the SERPs.
• Social signals are an amplifier. They ensure reach, accelerate the distribution of content and increase the chance of content being linked.

For decision makers, this means:

• Backlinks remain essential for SEO success.
• Social media is a multiplier that supports backlink opportunities, brand strength and user signals.
• Successful SEO uses both — backlinks for direct impact, social signals for indirect push.

Recommendations for action for decision makers

Social signals don't replace backlinks — but they can amplify their impact. For a successful SEO strategy, it is therefore important to combine both areas wisely. The following guidelines help to use resources in a targeted manner and to embed social media effectively into the ranking ecosystem:

• Prioritize backlinks as a core factor
  Continue to invest in high-quality backlinks from relevant and trustworthy sites. They remain the direct currency for Google rankings.
• Using social media as a reach booster
  Use social media in a targeted manner to make content visible more quickly. Likes and shares don't result in rankings, but they increase the likelihood of content being linked.
• Support E-E-A-T with social proof
  Presence on LinkedIn, X or industry portals increases credibility and shows Google indirectly: real experts are at work here.
• Measuring performance — but correctly
  Analyze social media not according to vanity metrics such as follower numbers, but for engagement, traffic, and backlinks generated via this channel.
• Interlock channels
  SEO and social media should not be seen separately, but as a unit. Visibility on social networks attracts attention — and backlinks convert this into measurable rankings.

Conclusion: Social signals remain amplifiers, backlinks the foundation

In 2025, too, backlinks are the central external ranking factor — and that won't change anytime soon. Social signals have their place, but not as direct “ranking points,” but as multipliers. They ensure reach, speed up indexing and increase the chance of high-quality backlinks.

For companies, this means that SEO and social media must not be viewed in isolation. Backlinks provide tough ranking power, social signals ensure dynamism, brand strength and user trust. Anyone who strategically interlinks both channels increases their visibility more sustainably, reduces dependencies and secures a competitive advantage in the ranking.

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