Hot off the Presses.

The foundation of any social media marketing strategy is visibility. And nothing boosts visibility like using social media keywords your audience is actively searching for online.

As of early 2025, more than 60% of the global population was active on social media, with 24% (many of those Gen Z) using social media as their primary search engine.

That’s A LOT of missed opportunities for brands who are skipping out on social media SEO, especially if you’re marketing to Gen Z or other digital natives.

The reality is, today’s social media is a lot bigger than having cute curated feeds with layered hooks and funny hashtags. Don’t get me wrong, we love a good curated feed. But if it’s not driven with an epic strategy, what’s the point?

Here’s everything you need to know about social media keywords and optimizing your social media to win big and start outranking your competition.

What Is Social Media Keyword Research?

Performing social media keyword research means identifying the words and phrases your audience uses in searches. This isn’t done by guessing. It’s done by digging into data points and strategizing your content.

• What terms are commonly used in your social media community?
• What are your competitors ranking for? What are your competitors not ranking for?
• What topics are trending?
• What search intent is behind each topic? (more on this later)

When you research keywords for social media, you’re looking for more than just “popular words.” You’re seeking relevance. A high-volume keyword won’t help if it doesn’t match your audience’s interests and goals.

You also want to consider competition. Newer brands with lower following or domain rating will have a hard time outranking more established brands that have been actively working on their SEO for quite some time.

Why Are Social Media Keywords Important?

Social media keywords are the bridge between your content and your target audience. When you use the right keywords, you increase your chances of showing up in search results across social media platforms.

Plus, now that search engines like Google are indexing social media content, you have the chance to appear in external search results too. That means more visibility, more engagement and more opportunities to convert the right audience.

Beyond reach, keywords also help you connect more authentically. Using language your audience actually uses makes your content feel more relevant, approachable and human. It tells your audience, “Hey, we get you.”

And when done well, it’s one of the simplest ways to collect insightful key performance indicators and calculate social media ROI.

Different Types of Social Media Keywords

How you go about finding keywords for social media marketing largely depends on your overall market, target audience and marketing goals. There are many different types of social media keywords, and just because they have a high search volume doesn’t necessarily mean you should be targeting them.

Here are the most common types of social media keywords:

Informational: Informational keywords are for learning and obtaining new information. These are considered bottom-of-the-funnel keywords. They’re great for establishing authority, but not intended for conversions. For example, “What is a social media marketer?”

Navigational: Navigational keywords are used to find something specific about a brand. For example, “Do Epic Shit Media website.”

Commercial: Commercial keywords indicate a searcher is looking for products or services but may not be ready to buy just yet. For example, “Best NY social media marketers.”

Transactional: Transactional keywords express an intent to purchase or take action. People using transactional keywords are considered a “warm” audience and likely to convert quickly. For example, “Hire social media marketer.”

Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific phrases that often have lower competition. For example, “What are social media keywords?” would be considered a long-tail keyword.

Branded Keywords: Branded keywords are exactly what they sound like — keyphrases that include your brand name. For example, “Do Epic Shit Media.”

How to Find Social Media Keywords for Marketing

The best way to find keywords for social media marketing is to invest in a keyword research tool. For businesses with a bigger marketing budget and advanced marketing strategies, a comprehensive tool like Semrush or Ahrefs is best. This will provide insights into trending social media keywords and competitors, while also monitoring your overall SEO score and website traffic.

There are also plenty of free and affordable keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, Keywords Everywhere, Google Search Console and Ubersuggest.

Using Keywords to Optimize Your Social Media Profiles

Once you’ve found the social media keywords, it’s time to put them to work. You can start by focusing on the following things:

• Profile Name & Bio: Include primary keywords in your name and bio to help your profile show up in relevant searches.
• Captions: Use keywords naturally in your post captions to improve content discoverability.

• Alt Text: Add keywords to your image alt text for better accessibility and SEO.

• Closed Captions: Use captions on videos and include keywords where they fit organically.
• Hashtags: Choose hashtags that double as keywords to expand your reach and tap into search trends.

One thing to keep in mind is that SEO optimization techniques may differ for different social media platforms.

Pro Tip: Set up a social media content calendar to track which keywords you’re targeting. This helps maximize your reach, keep your strategy organized and prevent you from using the same keywords in multiple posts.

Turn Your Social Media Into a Keyword Powerhouse

Mastering social media keywords is one of the most underrated ways to organically grow your audience, increase discoverability and drive real results online. At Do Epic Shit Media, we help brands show up and stand out with strategic social media marketing.

Ready to get found by the right audience? Apply to work with us and let’s do epic sh*t together!