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Social media: the new search engine?
How people use social media to search, and what that means for SEO and how content gets discovered.
Google Search Console and social media: everything you need to know.
Social media and SEO have been getting closer for a while, and Google have made a pretty big update to how the two complement each other.
By Becca Wheble6-minute read8th October 2026
In July 2026, Google introduced Platform Properties in Google Search Console (opens in a new tab), allowing businesses and creators to track how content from Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube performs across Google Search, Discover and, where relevant, Google News.
For social media marketers, this gives another piece of the customer journey, especially when looking at social from a multi-touchpoint point of view.
So, let’s dive into what this change is and what this means.
In short
- Google Search Console can now show how your Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube content performs on Google.
- You can see clicks, impressions, the searches people used to find your posts and your top-performing content.
- You don’t need a website. Each social account can be its own Platform Property.
- LinkedIn and Facebook can’t be added yet, but LinkedIn articles and newsletters have their own SEO settings.
What can you now see in Google Search Console?
Once you connect a supported social account, Search Console can show you:
- Clicks from Google to your social content
- Impressions when your content appears in Google
- Search queries people used to find your posts
- Top-performing posts and content trends
And, importantly, you don’t need to connect the social account to a website property. Each social profile can exist as its own Platform Property (opens in a new tab). Essentially, this means that if your business doesn’t have a website, you can still link your social platform to Google Search Console and see the data.
Now, this might sound like a fairly simple reporting update, but the search query data is where things get particularly useful, especially for content planning and reporting.
Social SEO isn’t just about Google
This update is particularly interesting when you look at how search behaviour itself is changing.
A Rise at Seven study (opens in a new tab) analysed 1.5 billion searches across 10 consumer categories and found Google represented 34.5% of searches in its dataset, compared with 24% for YouTube, 20.9% for Instagram and 16.7% for TikTok.
This report proves that search is becoming more multi-platform, and marketing strategies need to reflect that. Someone might discover a business through a TikTok, Google the topic afterwards, see an Instagram post in Google results and eventually visit your website.
And if you think about how we consume content in our day-to-day, it’s pretty similar to what we all do. If we follow a brand on social media, we may Google their latest releases, or type their website directly into our search bar. That doesn’t mean social didn’t influence that journey; it means we’re ultimately seeing multiple touchpoints around conversion, awareness and engagement.
So, what about LinkedIn?
LinkedIn isn’t currently included in Google’s new Platform Properties, which means you can’t connect a LinkedIn Page to Search Console in the same way as Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube. But that doesn’t mean LinkedIn should be ignored from a search perspective.
LinkedIn articles and newsletters have dedicated SEO settings (opens in a new tab), allowing publishers to create an SEO title and SEO description specifically for how the content may appear in search engines such as Google.
For B2B businesses in particular, that makes LinkedIn articles worth considering for useful, search-led thought leadership alongside content published on your own website.
The important bit is making sure the two have different jobs. Your LinkedIn content shouldn’t simply duplicate your website content; it should expand your brand’s visibility around the wider questions and conversations your customers are searching for.
Where do we go from here?
First, add your Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube accounts to Search Console (opens in a new tab) and give the data time to build. Then start looking at the queries (opens in a new tab), rather than treating this as another dashboard of impressions.
We recommend looking at what people searched before finding your social content once a month. Compare it with the topics you’re already talking about, your website search strategy and the questions your sales team hears from customers.
Social and search shouldn’t sit in separate boxes
Social media has always played a role beyond where someone ultimately converts. We know that is a key driver for building awareness, introducing topics, answering questions, and it gives people another place to discover and validate a brand.
Google Search Console is now giving us a little more visibility into that relationship.
So when you’re planning your next social media strategy, don’t just ask “What will perform in the feed?” Ask “What could our audience be searching for?”
Want social and search working together?
Get in touchFAQs: Google Search Console and social media.
Can you connect social media to Google Search Console?
Yes. Google currently supports Platform Properties (opens in a new tab) for Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube, allowing you to measure how content from those accounts performs in Google Search and other Google surfaces.
Which social media platforms can you add to Google Search Console?
At the moment, Google supports Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube through Platform Properties. LinkedIn and Facebook aren’t currently included – but keep an eye out!
Do you need a website to connect social media to Google Search Console?
No. Social accounts can be added as their own Platform Properties, so you don’t need to connect them to an existing website property. That makes the feature useful even for brands or creators where social is a major part of their online presence.
What social media data can you see in Google Search Console?
You can see data including clicks, impressions, search queries and your top-performing social content.
For marketers, the search queries are particularly useful because they show what people were searching for when they discovered your content.
Can you see which Google searches are leading people to your social media posts?
Yes. Search Console can show the queries that generated impressions and clicks for supported social content.
This gives marketing teams another source of content ideas. If people are already finding you for a particular topic, you can create more useful content around that search intent.
Can you connect LinkedIn to Google Search Console?
Not currently. However, LinkedIn articles and newsletters have SEO settings (opens in a new tab) that let you customise titles and descriptions for search engines, so LinkedIn can still form part of a wider social search strategy.
Does social media content appear in Google Search results?
Yes. Social posts, videos and profiles can appear within Google Search, depending on the query and content.
This is why it’s worth thinking about social content beyond what performs in the feed. A useful post can potentially continue generating visibility through search after its initial social reach has dropped.
How can Google Search Console improve a social media strategy?
The biggest opportunity is using search data to inform future content.
Look at the questions and topics generating visibility, identify where you’re already gaining traction and use those insights to plan new posts, videos and campaigns.
How often should marketers check social media data in Search Console?
For most marketing teams, reviewing it as part of your monthly reporting is a good place to start.
Look for changes in impressions, clicks, search queries and your top-performing posts, then feed any useful findings back into your next content plan.
Becca is the founder of Silly Goose Digital. She’s worked in social media marketing since 2018, across B2C and B2B brands, and now specialises in arts festivals and cultural events. More about Becca
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What does this mean for your social media strategy?
If Google is already showing one of your Instagram posts for a particular search, it means that you can start asking: what was somebody actually searching for when they found us?
That can feed directly back into your content plan. If a certain topic is generating search impressions, you might want to create another post that answers the question in more detail. If you’re getting impressions but very few clicks when you’re looking at the Google SERPs data in Search Console, you can look at whether your caption, title or content could better match the search intent.
You can also spot older social content that is still being discovered, even months after it was originally posted. In other words, your monthly social report can start telling you more than what performed on social. It can tell you where social is contributing to wider organic discovery too.
This ultimately makes some of your social content evergreen.