Creating a strong social media presence is essential for businesses in 2020.. In fact, research shows that 75% of Facebook users scroll through their news feed daily. Talk about a golden opportunity to reach potential customers!
But once you’ve created a Facebook page, how can you ensure you’re maximizing your chances of success? One of the best strategies for boosting organic reach and website traffic is to leverage Facebook SEO principles. This means optimizing your Facebook page’s content to achieve the best search ranking results possible (without having to spend loads on paid ads)
Ready to get started? Discover everything you need to know about Facebook SEO below!
What is Facebook SEO?
You’ve probably heard of the term ‘SEO’ before, but if you haven’t let’s cover the basics. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a strategy to increase the quality and quantity of traffic to your website. It involves understanding how search engines like Google rank and categorize content on the Internet and using these principles to help design and create content for your website.
Typically, this involves identifying key search terms and keywords relevant to your business, optimizing your website’s domain name and content plus getting other reputable websites to link back to your website. The goal of SEO is to make the most of organic search engine results (a.k.a. ranking on the first page of Google results without having to pay for ad placements).
So, what does this have to do with Facebook, exactly? Well, your Facebook page is essentially a website, so the same SEO principles should apply to maximize your reach and web traffic. Using the key principles of SEO on your Facebook page, you’ll increase organic visibility and search ranking (both on Facebook and across search engines).
So, what key principles should you apply to your Facebook page? Keep reading to discover the 10 must-do steps for boosting traffic with Facebook SEO.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 1: Conduct SEO keyword research
Before you get started with Facebook SEO, it’s important to understand which keywords and terms are most relevant for your business. This will help increase your chances of improving your search ranking both on Facebook and across the web.
SEO keyword research is all about discovering and analyzing the search terms people are using to find businesses (like yours!) online. By understanding the search engine behavior of potential customers, you’ll be in the best position to optimize your Facebook page to reflect these terms.
Conducting SEO keyword research doesn’t need to be tricky! Simply start searching terms into Google to discover what related phrases users are searching. Take this example from a nail salon looking to discover related keywords to one of their key services, nail art.
So, what does SEO keyword research involve? Start by brainstorming 5 to 10 broad topics related to your business. Next, start searching these terms in search engines like Google to understand what key phrases users are searching for (and how many search results they generate). Pay attention to similar phrases or keywords users are commonly searching and use these to create a bank of SEO keywords to leverage across your Facebook page and website.
Once you have a clear list of popular search terms, select a handful that are most relevant to your business. With this list on-hand, you’ll be able to add these keyword terms to your Facebook Page to help optimize your chances of reaching new audiences on the platform. More on that below!
Facebook SEO Must-Do 2: Create a custom Facebook page name
Although it might seem obvious, naming your Facebook page is one of the most important steps you can take to improve your Facebook SEO. This username provides a golden opportunity for brands to boost their search rankings within the Facebook platform as well as on web searches. So, what should you be doing to boost traffic and reach? It all comes down to understanding the key phrases and keywords you can add to your Facebook page name.
Consider what your key services or products are and find creative ways to optimize your Facebook page name to include these terms. Plus, make sure to think about the SEO keywords you’ve identified during your keyword research and use these throughout your Facebook page copy. By adding these terms to your Facebook page name, you’ll be more likely to increase your chances of ranking in the top search results and will also give potential customers a clear idea of what your business does in an instant.
Make sure to choose a Facebook page name that will serve your business well in the long-term. For best results, it’s important to not change this name so make sure to select a phrase that aligns with the core of your brand.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 3: Optimize your vanity URL on Facebook
You wouldn’t launch a website without creating a custom domain name, so why publish a Facebook page without customizing your vanity URL? This simple step can have a huge impact on your Facebook SEO and help boost traffic.
Your vanity URL is the custom username you select for your Facebook page. To customize this URL, simply head into your Page Settings and create your desired username.
Not sure what a custom vanity URL looks like? Take this example from make up brand NARS who have created a custom URL to reflect their brand that reads “www.facebook.com/narscosmetics”.
To make the most of this feature, ensure this username is clear, tailored to your brand and easy to spell. For simplicity, use the name of your business and make sure you’re following Facebook’s username guidelines to ensure you’re adhering to best practice on the platform.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 4: Add SEO keywords to your Facebook Page’s About section
Want to help search engines accurately describe your business? Make sure to optimize your Facebook page’s About section. This copy will be used by search engines like Google to create what’s called a ‘meta description’ (a.k.a. the text that appears under your Facebook page’s heading in the search results).
By creating an About section that highlights your key services and leverages defined keywords, you’ll be in the best position to boost your Facebook Page’s search ranking.
Start by creating a punchy 1 sentence summary of who you are and what you do to give users an overview of your business. Next, provide a list of your core services and products that you provide. Make sure to keep this About section copy short and snappy (under 135 characters) for the best results.
Want to see a great example of an About section summary? Check out this punchy 1-liner from the digital publisher The Good Trade, which explains their core service offering in just a few words.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 5: Share content that leverages SEO keywords
Every post you share on Facebook should be optimized to your brand’s SEO keywords. By strategically adding SEO keywords to the captions of the photos, videos and articles you share, you’ll be able to boost your search rankings across Facebook and on the web.
To improve reach and organic visibility on Facebook, inject your captions with SEO keywords relevant to your business. When users are searching for these terms, both your Facebook page and these posts are more likely to appear in the search results. Make sure these keywords are still relevant to each post to avoid ‘spamming’ audiences with irrelevant terms in the captions of your posts.
Plus, it’s important the articles and content you’re sharing follow SEO best practice as well. This is where SEO blogs come in handy! By publishing engaging, content-rich blog posts that harness SEO keywords in the title and meta description of each post, you’ll boost your chances of organic search and discovery on Facebook. The best bit? You’ll also be driving traffic directly to your website at the same time.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 6: Improve local SEO with accurate contact information
Have you heard of local searches? For small businesses looking to reach hyperlocal markets of customers, this is a powerful SEO strategy to leverage. On Facebook, users often search for businesses in their local area. For example, a user might search ‘New York restaurants’ in the search bar on Facebook, and the results will be categorized based on restaurant Facebook Pages located in that area.
Take a look at the local search results for ‘New York restaurants’, which shows the importance of keeping your contact information up-to-date to improve your search ranking results.
To ensure your Facebook page appears at the top of these search results, you’ll need to ensure your contact information is filled out correctly and completely. Head to the ‘About’ section of your Facebook page and ensure you’ve added the address, phone number, website and other contact information relevant to your business.
Not only will this make it easier for customers to get in touch with you but it also improves your chances of high rankings in these local searches.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 7: Build backlinks to boost your Facebook page’s SEO ranking
When it comes to Facebook SEO, backlinks are like good reviews. The more high quality backlinks you have to your Facebook page, the more likely Google is to rank your page well in the search results. Why? Because backlines are used as a measure of credibility by search engines.
So, how can you increase backlinks to your Facebook page? Start by adding plenty of backlinks from your own website to your Facebook page, such as throughout blog articles. Plus, make sure to share your Facebook page link with other brands and businesses you’re collaborating with. For example, if you write regular guest blogs for a reputable blogger, encourage them to add a link to your Facebook page at the bottom of these blog posts to boost your Facebook SEO ranking!
Facebook SEO Must-Do 8: Include relevant custom tabs on your Facebook page
Did you know you can customize your Facebook page tabs to suit your business? That’s right and this is a powerful tool for boosting your Facebook SEO ranking.
To edit your custom tabs, head into your page Settings and navigate to ‘Templates and Tabs’. In most cases, you’ll be using the ‘Standard’ page template. If you’d like to change the template entirely, hit ‘Edit’ and select the best template to suit your business (with everything from Restaurant & Cafe templates to Nonprofit templates to choose from).
But for the best results? Drag and drop the exact tabs you’d like to use on your Facebook page. Make sure to showcase the tabs most relevant to your business, whether that be videos, events, services or even job listings. This will make it easier for users to navigate your Facebook page and provides more opportunities for you to leverage SEO keywords across your page as well.
Check out this great example of custom tabs in action from the online diversity and inclusion education platform Check Your Privilege, which features tabs like events and community (both of which are most relevant to this business).
Facebook SEO Must-Do 9: Add SEO keywords across all parts of your Facebook Page
By now it’s clear that keywords are an essential part of successful Facebook SEO. But aside from your About page, where should you sprinkle these powerful SEO keywords?
The key here is to be strategic and carefully consider ways to seamlessly integrate these keywords into your existing Facebook Page content. Adding too many unnecessary keywords to irrelevant parts of your Facebook Page will detract from your audience’s experience with your brand.
The best places to consider adding strategic SEO keywords include your Facebook pages’:
‣ Description section
‣ Headline
‣ Photo captions
‣ Notes (more on this next!)
‣ Status updates
When used correctly these SEO keywords can boost your chances of organic discovery on Facebook and increase reach across the platform and beyond.
Facebook SEO Must-Do 10: Share SEO optimized blog content to Facebook Notes
Blog posts are essential to boosting SEO on your website. But did you know that Facebook has a similar feature that can help maximize your success? Say hello to Facebook Notes.
Take a look at this Facebook Notes example from the female-led events organisation, Business Chicks. The team have used Facebook Notes to share a set of community guidelines about their Facebook Group.
This feature enables you to share blog-style posts with your audience on Facebook, perfect for sharing everything from industry updates to important business news. One of the best ways to use this feature to boost Facebook SEO is to resharing your existing blog content to Facebook Notes. Not only is this a simple and actionable strategy but also gives your existing content a second life with a new audience!
Make sure to include some of you top SEO keywords in these Facebook Notes to maximize your chances of being discovered by new audiences on Facebook. Plus, add a CTA to the bottom of the Note directing users to visit your website to increase website traffic at the same.
So, there you have it! When it comes to Facebook SEO it’s important to do thorough keyword research to establish the core terms you should be strategically adding to your Facebook page. With a few simple changes to your Facebook page’s content and naming, you’ll be in the best position to improve reach and boost traffic to your website directly from Facebook.
