The impact of social media share buttons on SEO and conversions

Social media share buttons can be found everywhere: on blogs, news articles and even on product pages. But is it smart to put such buttons on your website? In this extensive article we explain the influence of social media buttons on SEO, conversion, user-friendliness and how to use them best. This way you can make a well-considered choice that suits your goals.

What are social media share buttons?

Social media share buttons are small icons that allow visitors to easily share a page or article on platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, WhatsApp or Pinterest. They often contain the logo of the platform and open a new window in which you can quickly share something.

Why do people add these buttons?

• More visibility on social media
• More traffic to your website
• Increasing brand awareness
• Social proof (others share your content)

The influence of share buttons on SEO

1. Direct SEO impact? No.

Share buttons themselves do not directly improve positions in Google. Google does not use the number of shares on social media as a direct ranking factor.

2. Indirect SEO benefits? Yes.

Social shares can provide more traffic, more brand awareness and perhaps even extra backlinks. And that does help your SEO.

• More visitors = more chances for people to link to your site.
• Content that is shared often builds trust.
• Increases your chances of being mentioned on other websites or blogs.

3. Loading time and scripts

Some share buttons load external scripts (from Facebook, X, etc.). This can slow down your website, which is bad for SEO. So use light buttons or static links.

Social share buttons and conversion

There are arguments for and against using share buttons when it comes to conversion.

Advantages

• Easy sharing increases reach
• Gives visitors an extra opportunity to interact
• Shows social proof if you also show the number of shares

Disadvantages

• Too many buttons distract from the main action (such as buying or contacting)
• Buttons can load slowly or give error messages
• Visitors leave your site via social media, which can increase your bounce rate

When are social share buttons a good idea?

• For blogs and knowledge articles: people like to share useful content
• For visual content such as infographics or videos
• If you actively promote your brand on social media

When can better to leave them out?

• On sales or landing pages: focus on conversion, not on sharing
• If your target audience is not active on social media
• If you don't have good content to share

Example of simple and light social share buttons

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://jouwsite.nl/artikel"
class="link" target="_blank">Share on Facebook</a>

<a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://jouwsite.nl/artikel&text=Interessant+artikel"
class="link" target="_blank">Share on X</a>

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://jouwsite.nl/artikelen"
class="link" target="_blank">Share on LinkedIn</a>

Alternatives to share buttons

• Add calls to action at the end of your article, like: "Did you find this useful? Share it with your network!"
• Use copyable link buttons
• Let readers follow you on social media instead of just sharing

Additional tips for better results

• Test placement: above, below, or floating next to content
• Limit platforms to 2–4 that fit your audience
• Use static links instead of heavy JavaScript plugins
• Keep buttons simple and mobile-friendly

What do experts say?

According to Moz and Backlinko, social sharing plays an indirect role in SEO. It mainly helps to bring your content to the attention of the right people, which can lead to backlinks and authority in the long term.

Conclusion: add or not?

The answer is: only if it makes sense for your content and target group. Share buttons are not a magic SEO trick, but they can contribute to more reach and authority - if used correctly.

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