Social Search Agency
We’re an SEO agency, so we treat these platforms as what they are: search engines with a different results page. Your buyers search TikTok, YouTube and Reddit before they open Google.
Almost 40% of Gen Z search TikTok before Google, so if your brand isn’t there, the shortlist is made before you even get a look in.
Platform search is becoming conversational
Social platforms are search engines
TikTok and Instagram stopped being places people only scroll. They’re where buyers ask questions, compare products and check whether a brand is worth trusting.
Treated like search, because it is
Social search optimisation treats those platforms like search engines, because that is how people now use them. We research the phrases your buyers type into the in-app search bar, then structure profiles, captions, on-screen text and metadata around them.
Measured next to the rest of search
Then we measure what gets found and what it’s worth, so social reports next to the rest of your search performance.
AI Health Check
Free. Eight questions. About two minutes.
64%
Your AI health score
C
- AI answersDoes ChatGPT name you when buyers ask?
- Google AI OverviewsAre you cited, or is a competitor?
- Competitor shareWho AI recommends instead of you.
- Your fix listThe three things worth fixing first.
Trusted by
How healthy is your business in AI search?
Your buyers ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI before they ever reach your site. If you’re not in those answers, the enquiry goes to a competitor. Our free health check shows you what’s working, what’s holding you back and what to fix first.
- An instant health score: answer eight quick questions and see where you stand straight away.
- Five AI tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot and Google AI Overviews.
- A personal health report: our team sends your findings within one working day.
- No hard sell: free, with no obligation.
Free, confidential and no obligation to proceed.
How we work with you
We come to you.
Every engagement starts in person, at your business. We sit down with your team, sales included, to learn who buys from you, why they buy and what makes you different.
We map what your buyers search.
We map the searches and questions your buyers use, in Google and in AI answers, and see who wins them today. That list becomes the plan.
We get you found where people scroll.
Content built for how people search on TikTok, YouTube and Reddit, joined up with your Google and AI search work.
We show you what’s moving.
Clear monthly reporting, talked through by the people doing the work. What’s working, what isn’t, and what we’re doing next.
The signals that decide whether a platform surfaces you
Social search audit
How discoverable your profiles and content already are. Keyword use in bios and captions, hashtag and tagging strategy and engagement are measured against your competitors.
Profile optimisation
Your profile should work as hard as your content. Keyword-led bios, a clear value proposition, links built for clicks and branding that holds across platforms.
Keyword and hashtag research
Trending keywords in your niche. We find the hashtags and trends performing on social before your competitors do.
Content built to rank
Short-form video for TikTok, Reels and Shorts. We write captions for engagement and search, all produced in a calendar aligned with trends and buying intent.
Video SEO and metadata
Titles, descriptions and tags set up for reach with captions written so the platform understands what the video is actually about. We optimise your site like we would our own.
Authority and trust
Platforms favour credible accounts. We build that with expert-led posts, reviews, user-generated content and engagement that compounds.
Social search case studies
Case studyAYM
Read the case study AYM. 251% above its previous daily sales record.
SEO-led landing pages to capture pre-sale sign-ups, gated VIP access and sitewide fixes that lifted rankings before the sale.
- 251%Above sales record
- 382New VIP subscribers
- 1,000+Users in two minutes
Case studyKoibird
Read the case study Koibird. 294% more keywords and 41% more organic revenue.
A full audit, then technical improvements, landing page work and content refined by how shoppers actually used the site.
- 294%New keywords
- 41%Organic revenue
Case studyMinga London
Read the case study Minga London. 140% more ranking keywords and 27% more revenue.
A full technical audit and fixes, then shoppable guides, structured data and category pages to open new routes to discovery.
- 140%Keywords
- 27%Revenue
Reporting
We show you what’s working, and what isn’t
Our own industry-leading reporting suite tracks the whole strategy across Google and every major AI platform. You see where you’re moving, what’s driving it, and what we’re changing.
AI searchAI referral traffic
1,284visits from AI platforms in October▲213% year on year
ChatGPT61%
Perplexity18%
Gemini12%
Copilot6%
Claude3%
Nov410Dec455Jan520Feb498Mar610Apr690May742Jun815Jul930Aug1,010Sep1,150Oct1,284 visits
1,284 visitsNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOct
Circulate × Your brand · October report22 / 34
ConversionsOctober conversions1–31 Oct, compared with October 2025
Conversion rate12.4%+1.6 pts
October 2025912conversions
1,435▲57% year on year
Where they came from
Form submissions612
Phone clicks391
Strategy calls booked248
Demo requests184
October 2025 · 912Growth this year · +523
Across every assistant trackedVisibility
Brand mentionsAI search
214
▲18%from 181 in September
Answers naming youAI search
31%
▲9 ptsfrom 22% in September
Times your site was citedAI search
118
▲24%from 95 in September
Prompts trackedAI search
240
▲40 addedfrom 200 in September
Competitors trackedAI search
6
▲2 addedfrom 4 in September
Answers analysedAI search
640
▲7%from 600 in September
Average position in answersAI search
3.4
●Holdingfrom 3.3 in September
AI Overview citationsGoogle
12
▼3from 15 in September
Circulate × Your brand · October report24 / 34
Assistants and competitorsWho named you
Assistants
Gemini96
36% of 266 answersChatGPT71
27% of 263 answersPerplexity47
18% of 261 answersShare of answers across competitors
Competitor A268
37% of mentionsYour brand (you)214
29% of mentionsCompetitor B112
15% of mentionsCompetitor C58
8% of mentionsCompetitor D44
6% of mentionsCompetitor E38
5% of mentionsCirculate × Your brand · October report29 / 34
Visibility by assistantPrompts you appeared in
PromptVisible onSentimentCheckedChange
Best [your service] provider in the UKGPTGEMPPXPositive6New
[Your brand] vs [competitor]GPTGEMPPXPositive6+1 answer
Top alternatives to [competitor]GPTGEMPPXNeutral6+2 answers
Is [your brand] worth it?GPTGEMPPXPositive6No change
Which [your service] provider is best for [use case]?GPTGEMPPXNot named6−1 answer
What does [your service] cost in the UK?GPTGEMPPXNeutral6No prior scan
[Your service] agency near meGPTGEMPPXPositive6+1 answer
Who are the leading [your service] companies?GPTGEMPPXNeutral6New
Is [competitor] better than [your brand]?GPTGEMPPXNeutral6No change
Circulate × Your brand · October report25 / 34
AudienceWhere your audience is
41%of visits came from the United Kingdom, out of 32 countries sending traffic.
Sessions by countryUnited Kingdom41%
United States18%
Ireland7%
Germany6%
Netherlands5%
Australia4%
Circulate × Your brand · October report12 / 34
Site healthTechnical SEO
Mobile PageSpeedPageSpeed
82/100Needs work+11 month on monthDesktop PageSpeedPageSpeed
97/100Good+4 month on monthCrawl healthSite audit
94/100Good+6 month on monthLargest contentful paintMobile
2.9sNeeds work−0.8s month on monthInteraction to next paintMobile
140msGoodCumulative layout shiftMobile
0.02GoodPages with errorsSite audit
3GoodDown from 41Circulate × Your brand · October report18 / 34
Demo data. Your report uses your prompts, your competitors and your numbers.
Who else we’ve done it for
We've been working with Circulate for almost 2 years now. It's been an incredible journey with them. Circulate's team are personable and always helpful, going above and beyond to support you. Circulate have been instrumental in our company growth over the past 2 years. They always ensure that we are hitting or exceeding our targets.
Our expertise
Google Search
When your audience moves from AI answers to deeper research, we make sure your brand dominates the traditional results page.
Technical SEO
Our Technical SEO expertise helps you maximise the reach of your website in organic search through improved crawling and indexation of high-quality content.
Data Insights
We define exactly who your search presence is built for, so every decision that follows is designed to attract people capable of engaging, converting and driving real business value.
AI Search
We build content around real questions and clear, authoritative answers, structured so AI models recognise, trust and recommend your brand.
Digital PR
Stories the press actually wants, and the links and brand mentions that follow, supporting SEO growth and long term brand value at the same time.
Conversion
We analyse behaviour, remove friction and tighten your funnels so more visitors convert. Higher sales, higher ROI and a website that works as hard as your marketing.
Why we treat social platforms as search engines
Discovery starts on TikTok
A large share of product discovery now starts inside TikTok, Instagram and YouTube rather than Google, and those platforms run their own ranking systems with their own signals. Treating them as broadcast channels and wondering why nobody finds you is the common mistake. The work is closer to SEO than to social media management: what people type, what the platform surfaces for it, and whether your content answers it in the first few seconds.
Not a content calendar
That means the deliverables look different from a content calendar. We research what your buyers actually search inside each platform, map which of those terms you can realistically win, and write for the way each platform reads a caption, a title and on-screen text. The measurement is search-led too: impressions from search rather than the feed, and what those visits do afterwards.
We work with your creators
We work alongside whoever makes your content rather than replacing them. In most cases the footage already exists and the problem is that it was never written to be found. Briefing the person who films it is usually faster and cheaper than us producing everything from scratch.
No promises of virality
What we will not do is promise virality. Reach on these platforms is volatile in a way search results are not, and a social search agency forecasting a view count is guessing. What we can commit to is coverage of the terms your buyers use, and a steady improvement in how often you appear for them.
No paid social
We do not run paid social, so nothing in this scope depends on media spend.
Frequently asked questions
What is social search optimisation?
Making profiles and content more discoverable in search results within platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Platform search is becoming a genuine rival to Google for early-stage discovery. Brands that show up there are the ones utilising SEO effectively.
How is this different from traditional SEO?
Social search focuses on hashtags, captions and engagement signals rather than backlinks and long-form content.
What is TikTok SEO?
TikTok SEO is the practice of making your profile and content discoverable in TikTok’s own search results, with keywords, captions and hashtags optimised the way you’d optimise a webpage for Google.
Does social search really drive conversions?
Optimising for social search improves top-of-funnel visibility, which drives awareness and leads, especially when paired with a strong overall SEO strategy.
Which platforms matter most for social search?
TikTok, Instagram and YouTube dominate right now, though LinkedIn and Pinterest matter for specific audiences.
How soon will I see results?
Engagement improvements can show within weeks, with steady discoverability gains over three to six months.
What results can I expect from social search?
On the social side, you can expect your profile and content to rank higher and become easier to find in social searches. As your visibility grows, you’ll likely see more followers and engagement. On the business side, we focus on what matters most: driving traffic from social platforms to your website, increasing branded search volume and generating enquiries.
How is social SEO different from social media marketing?
A social media marketing agency manages your accounts, creates content, posts updates and handles your community. Social search optimisation is more focused and works alongside those services. We ensure the content you or your social team already post is set up to be found.
How much does social search optimisation cost?
We don’t offer social search as a separate package. We operate on a fixed retainer basis, pairing our social search services with our other 6 pillars for SEO domination. Once we understand your business, we’ll know what your brand needs and what we need to do to deliver it.
How much does social search cost?
We scope every retainer to your site, so there’s no price list. We do not run paid social, so nothing in the scope depends on media spend. Where you already have someone producing content, the cost is lower, because we brief and optimise rather than produce, and that is usually the faster route anyway.
Start with a free strategy session
We’ll look at what you rank for, where competitors are winning instead, and what is worth fixing first. No charge, and the findings are yours either way. We look at your whole search marketing mix, not just one channel.
Further reading on social search
What is social search? When TikTok and Reddit are the search engine
Fave songDeadmanKarnivool · Sound Awake, 2009
What is social search? When TikTok and Reddit are the search engine
Fave songDeadmanKarnivool · Sound Awake, 2009
What is Instagram SEO? A Fundamentals Guide
Fave songAlex ChiltonThe Replacements · Pleased to Meet Me, 1987
What is Instagram SEO? A Fundamentals Guide
Fave songAlex ChiltonThe Replacements · Pleased to Meet Me, 1987
What is TikTok SEO? A Fundamentals GuideFave songAlex ChiltonThe Replacements · Pleased to Meet Me, 1987
What is TikTok SEO? A Fundamentals Guide
Fave songAlex ChiltonThe Replacements · Pleased to Meet Me, 1987