Now businesses have a new algorithm to worry about. Panda and Penguin algorithms released by Google caused quite a stir among online marketers and now the buzz is about Facebook’s new algorithm. The social media giant has released a new algorithm named “Edgerank” that dictates the visibility of Facebook pages. It is not enough to just create brand pages and post content anymore; content must now be optimized according to the new algorithm.
What is Edgerank?
Edgerank is a complex algorithm that calculates the sum of edges. Any event that takes place within Facebook such as status updates, likes, shares, etc. is known as an edge. Each edge consists of Time Decay, Weight and Affinity factors. In simple terms, Edgerank analyzes the edges and ranks them according to their importance to the Facebook users. Content objects or pieces with high ranks will feature at the top of users’ news feeds.
All businesses would like to have their content and pages at the top of the news feeds of their fans. This will ensure that their pages not only gain more fans but also that their articles, posts, photos, etc. are viewed, liked and shared by their fans. This can do wonders for businesses and their brand image. Of course there is no sure-fire recipe to rank at the top with Edgerank and there are numerous websites that have contradicting tips and methods. Optimization techniques vary with each brand, the number of fans, type of content, etc. but here are some general tips that can considerably improve a brand’s Edgerank.
Upload more photos
Facebook allows its users to post six types of posts – photos, links, textual status updates, videos, questions and platform posts. Most users are aware of only the first four post types. Social media experts have pointed out that photos attract more attention to a Facebook page and gets much more interaction from the fans of a page. Fans engage with photos close to 20 times more than with any other type of post. The Edgerank algorithm basically calculates a brand’s ability to create engaging content and as explained before, photos and images have been proven to be most engaging.
Make sure to add images or photos to all types of content. Text based status updates posted with images increases the reach they have among fans. Place images with website links and make sure to add thumbnails with any videos you have posted. These posts will now be placed at the top of news feeds as images have been attached to them. There are many websites that allow users to create internet memes and funny pictures. Brands should utilize them to promote their posts in a humorous manner.
Include long text-based Posts
Users can create posts on Facebook that are up to 5000 words long. The previews of such long text posts have “see more” links that users can click on to see the entire content. Facebook has indicated that these “see more” links are considered to be a way of consumption. It means that each click on these see more links is counted towards the engagement factor of the news feed. This has prompted many content writers to create long content that the social network automatically inserts “see more” links into. Fans will also appreciate the fact that more time and effort has gone into creating such content and this can in turn lead to more likes and shares.