Fan pages on Facebook have grown increasingly popular in the past few years as companies have begun incorporating them into their overall marketing strategy. There are several reasons for this increased popularity:
Ӣ The importance of social media in general has become more accepted by business and is increasingly important role in many companyӪs marketing and sales campaigns.
Ӣ The number of likes and page activity can boost search engine rankings and results (most notably on Google, Bing and Yahoo).
Ӣ An optimized fan page will also receive a higher ranking in Facebook.
Ӣ Increased page activity can boost sales.
Ӣ The expanded capabilities of fan pages now extends to iFrames, inclusion of websites and ecommerce.
Facebook search is an increasingly important tool that can generate new eyeballs and potential business. Unlike Google and Bing search, which primarily use links and rankings, Facebook relies primarily on friends, groups and community in its search algorithm.
A Facebook search can be performed on two levels. The first level and most common search is performed when you enter your search information at the top of the page. (This is usually referred to as Search Typeahead with the results being the Autocomplete box.) It can return apps, pages, people ”“ the most relevant content based on your communities ”“ while you”™re typing in your search term(s). The second level and more in-depth search is performed by clicking on the “See more results” at the bottom of the drop down menu. By selecting any one of the filters on the left side of the page, you can filter the search results by people, pages, groups, events, among others.
There are several important aspects to a Facebook search:
”¢ The search terms are exact. Searching “sport” and “sports,” for example, will produce very different results.
Ӣ Search results will vary by person. Since FacebookӪs search is dependent on relationships, groups, interests, etc. (i.e. communities), the results of a search may vary significantly from one person to another.
Ӣ The Autocomplete box is (arguably) considered the most important place to rank as this is what people see first. In many cases, they do not go past this initial search to the more in-depth search of the second level.
What ranks in importance in the Autocomplete box?
Ӣ Your name if it matches the first two to three letters. (By the first three letters, your name should be on top.)
Ӣ A friend with matching letters. This also includes a friend of a friend.
Ӣ Events you have been invited to (even if you did not RVSP).
Ӣ Groups, pages you like, pages a friend likes, and pages related to your interests.
What ranks in importance in the filtered results (level 2) for pages and groups?
For pages:
- keyword in page name
- keyword density
- description
- location (if applicable)
- the number of likes. (Note: this factor seems to vary enormously in importance. In some studies, it is very important. In others, it is not and appears to be overshadowed by the other factors listed above. It can”™t hurt to have many likes, which can help your search engine rankings.)
For groups:
- keyword in the name
- keyword in the page information
- being a member and having friends who are members
- the total number of members.
(Please email me for a more complete list.)
Two additional considerations:
”¢ Use spaces between words for easy reading and because of Facebook”™s exact word match search algorithm. For example, a page name with “Fuller Brush” is better than “FullerBrush.”
”¢I f you have a fan page with more than 25 fans, Facebook lets you create a custom URL (which is where you can use “FullerBrush”). Be careful! You only get one chance to create it; no modifications allowed. It can be helpful in search engine rankings since these URLs are included within “likes” and “links”.
As Facebook”™s popularity and importance continues to grow, it is increasingly important to utilize strategies that will enable you to stand out from your competition and be seen. Similar to search engine optimization (SEO) for search engines, search optimization on Facebook is becoming increasingly important in attracting new eyeballs and generating new business.
Bruce Newman is the vice president at The Productivity Institute L.L.C. in Carmel. He is also the editor of the Productivity Institute Newsletter, a free content-is-king newsletter and thought leader. Follow him on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and the Productivity Institute blog. Bruce can be reached at bnewman@prodinst.com.
