Social media SEO best practices for YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels

The essential SEO guide for short-form creators.

Last updated: June 19, 2025

Author: Harmony Jiroudek, Product education & community manager

If your content lives on the internet, you’re playing by the rules of discoverability. And one of the biggest rules? SEO. Whether we like it or not, search engine optimization doesn’t just apply to websites anymore, it’s baked into how social media platforms decide who sees your content and when.

But here’s the good news: learning social media SEO doesn’t mean turning your posts into keyword soup. It’s about working with each platform’s algorithm, not against it. And when you understand how YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok surface content, it becomes a whole lot easier to grow your audience organically.

Let’s walk through how to play smarter across the big three—without selling your soul to the algorithm.

YouTube: metadata is your best friend

YouTube is the internet’s second-largest search engine, and that means every piece of content you upload should be discoverable on purpose. Start by doing light keyword research: nothing fancy, just check Google Keyword Planner or use YouTube’s search bar autocomplete to see what terms people are already using.

For YouTube Shorts, keep things fast and focused. These clips live in a high-speed world, so your title and description need to be keyword-rich and clear. Including the hashtag #Shorts is a must, and make sure your call to action — i.e., asking for a comment or follow — appears quickly. You can also toss in a quick thumbnail for your channel view, even if most users discover it through autoplay.

For long-form videos, spend more time on your metadata. Use keywords in your title and description (tags don’t matter as much anymore), and make sure your video has a strong hook up top to hold attention. Add chapters, captions, and a clickable thumbnail to increase your retention rate: that’s one of the biggest factors in how YouTube ranks your content.

Instagram: use text where it counts

Instagram’s discovery engine scans more than just your hashtags. Captions, on-screen text, and even alt text all factor into how your content is surfaced.

The sweet spot? Mix clear, descriptive captions with a healthy range of hashtags. Include a few trending ones, a few niche-specific ones, and a couple of broad ones that your content logically fits under. Think less “spammy wall of tags,” more “smartly curated tags with a purpose.”

To boost visibility, use features like Collabs or Remix — they’re easy ways to reach new audiences while piggybacking on Instagram’s internal promotion of collaborative content. And remember: engagement matters. Saves, shares, and comments are all signals that tell the algorithm your content is worth spreading.

TikTok: think like a search engine

TikTok might seem like it’s all vibes and trending sounds, but it has one of the most powerful search functions on social. People search TikTok the same way they search YouTube or Google, which means your content needs to say the right things out loud and in text.

Use relevant keywords naturally in your captions and spoken audio. TikTok transcribes and indexes both. If you’re making a tip or tutorial video, say the topic clearly and keep the caption short but specific. Hashtags matter here, too, but prioritize relevance over reach.

And as always, engagement rules everything. Likes, shares, rewatches, and average view duration all impact how often your content gets surfaced, so keep your clips tight, valuable, and easy to consume.

Cross-platform SEO: keep it consistent, not copy-paste

Posting across platforms is smart. But reposting exactly the same clip without tweaks? That’s a missed opportunity. Each platform rewards slightly different behaviors, so give your content a quick pass to make sure it’s optimized for wherever it’s going.

Here’s a simple framework:

• Adjust the caption and CTA to fit the platform’s voice and format
• Resize visuals or reposition text for vertical vs square formats
• Swap hashtags to better align with trending or searchable tags on that platform
• Keep your branding consistent across channels to build recognition
• Use platform insights (like YouTube Analytics or TikTok Insights) to refine what works

A little platform-native love goes a long way.

Show up smarter, not louder

You don’t have to hack the system to grow on social media. But you do need to understand how your content gets found. By making small, smart adjustments — like tightening your titles, using the right keywords, and prioritizing engagement — you make it easier for the right people to find your work.

And once they do? That’s where the real growth starts.

About the author: Harmony leads product education and community for Adobe Podcast. As a musician and educator, she brings a human-centered approach to helping creators learn, connect, and grow with powerful audio tools. Her passion lies in making creative technology feel accessible, empowering, and inspiring.