Boosting Local Visibility: A Q&A with SOCi and Google

Ashley Browning

Summary

In a recent webinar hosted by SOCi in partnership with Google and Twist Brands, industry experts discussed the growing importance of linking social profiles to Google Business Profiles (GBPs). To explore this evolving opportunity, SOCi’s Michael Snow, Google’s Ashley Do, and Twist Brands' Skyla Souza came together to share data, insights, and best practices. Here’s a recap — Q&A style.

Michael Snow (SOCi):
Social is becoming a major part of the search journey. Google now visualizes posts and content more dynamically across search and maps. Adding social links directly to your GBP can contribute to your local SEO in ways similar to reviews — validating experience, expertise, authority, and trust.

Google itself emphasizes three factors for local ranking: Relevance, Distance, and Prominence. Social signals can play into “prominence” by showing active engagement across web platforms.

Michael Snow (SOCi):
We partnered with Painting with a Twist to run a 3-month study. A test group of studio locations added social media links to their GBPs and received tips for boosting their social engagement. We tracked search impressions, web clicks, and phone calls.

Key findings:

Search impressions grew nearly 9% faster YoY compared to the control group.
Web clicks and phone calls were up over 10% YoY.

We also noticed increased engagement and reach on Facebook and Instagram where the test group was more active.

Q: What did Painting with a Twist experience during this test?

Skyla Souza (Twist Brands):
For us, local search is a huge driver of traffic. We’re always looking for simple, high-impact optimizations. Linking social profiles to GBPs and posting consistently was an easy lift — and it worked!
Our results:

+8 percentage points in overall website traffic
+14 percentage points increase in users sourced from Google
Bonus: Participating studios saw increases in bookings, not just traffic.

We now treat our GBP like a key social channel — not just a business listing — posting event promotions, offers, and updates weekly.

Ashley Do (Google):
There are two simple but crucial steps:

Add your social media URLs to your Google Business Profile (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.).
Post regular updates directly on Google using the Local Posts feature.

When you do both, your social links and updates can show up across Google’s surfaces — including carousels under “Updates,” the “By Owner” section, and even customer videos.

Q: What types of content work best for boosting visibility and engagement on Google?

Ashley Do (Google):
Focus on posts that highlight:

Events (e.g., Mother’s Day specials)
Deals and promotions
Special offers

Best practices:

Include keywords that people might search for (like “Mother’s Day Events Near Me”).
Always attach a high-quality visual (photo or video).
Encourage customers to share their experiences through Google reviews, photos, and short-form videos like TikToks or Instagram Reels.

Avoid posting without a description or a date when applicable — Google uses this info to determine relevance.

Q: What final advice do you have for businesses looking to replicate this success?

Michael Snow (SOCi):

Add all your social profiles — not just one or two.
If you don’t have localized social accounts, it’s OK to link your brand profile.
Maintain active posting habits.
Treat GBP like a social platform, not just a directory.
Localize your content whenever possible to strengthen community connections.

Skyla Souza (Twist Brands):
We’ll continue treating Google as part of our social ecosystem and focus on localized, high-energy, engaging content — because that’s what captures attention and drives bookings.

Conclusion

This study shows that small enhancements like linking and actively managing your social presence on Google can make a big difference. In today’s competitive local search landscape, integrating your social media strategy with your Google presence isn’t just recommended — it’s essential.

Stay tuned for more insights from SOCi as we continue exploring how businesses can optimize their local visibility!