In a recent interview with Kenichi Suzuki of Faber Company, Google’s Gary Illyes addressed one of SEO’s most persistent questions: Are social media shares or views ranking signals? The answer was clear: No—and they never will be. Suzuki, a veteran SEO with 25+ years in digital marketing, sat down with Gary Illyes, Analyst at Google, known for his direct answers and myth-busting insights. (Illyes has long been part of the SEO community, even contributing under the nickname Methode on WebmasterWorld before joining Google.)
Illyes’ reply left no room for speculation:
The reasoning: Google only relies on signals it can control. Social network metrics are external and vulnerable to manipulation. As Illyes put it:
“We need to be able to control our own signals. And if we are looking at external signals… that’s not in our control. If someone on that social network decides to inflate the number, we don’t know if that inflation was legit or not, and we have no way of knowing that.”
– Gary Illyes
Google has long avoided external signals that SEOs can easily game. Structured data is a good example—it makes sites eligible for rich results but is not a ranking factor. Misusing it (e.g., stuffing hidden content) can even result in penalties. The same applies to other “signals” once hyped by SEOs:
Google’s consistent stance: signals must be reliable and under Google’s control.
For SEOs, this means letting go of unconfirmed myths—like social shares, brand mentions, or fake authority markers—and focusing instead on what actually matters:
Bottom line: social shares may help with visibility and traffic, but they’re not, and never will be, a direct ranking factor.
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