Many businesses are realizing the potential value of a Facebook page as another cost-effective marketing tool. In fact, using a Facebook page for business is like having a second homepage for your company website. Recent updates to Facebook have made it even easier for businesses to harness its power for promotion and search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. But there are certain SEO strategies you need to employ within your Facebook page to improve your ranking with Facebook and the universal search engines.
Before you even begin to create a Facebook business page, it’s essential to get the right name for your page. It’s not acceptable to simply use generic terms for your page title, or use multiple keywords in the title as an SEO strategy. Facebook are stamping out such tactics and you could get banned. Besides, it will ultimately harm your long-term growth within Facebook, as users won’t appreciate a name that sounds like spam. As a general rule, simply use the real name of your business, and stick with it. Changing it later could damage your ranking with Google.
With Facebook’s recent addition of usernames or “vanity URLs,” you have more opportunity to include keywords for SEO purposes. As with page titles, Facebook frowns upon generic terms, so it’s probably best to combine your business name with additional keywords. As long as you have at least 25 fans, you can take advantage of this useful SEO tool.
When creating your Facebook page, make certain you fill in as much information as possible. For example, every Facebook page has in “Info” tab that contains fields for important page information. This is one of the easiest ways to improve your SEO power. Here, you can include keyword-rich descriptions of your business, products and services, and add direct links to company websites or links to any other relevant platform. The “About” box is especially important as this information appears close to the top of your page and is therefore more valuable for SEO purposes.
Another effective SEO tool that should be used is the static Facebook Markup Language (FBML) application. Developed by Facebook engineers, this application enables administrators of a business page to add extra content to a page using CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and FBML. Using this application, you can add additional content to your page such as text, links, and videos. Although you may need to research how to use the application, it’s an extremely useful SEO tool to strengthen your online presence.
Having more inbound links to your Facebook business page will also improve your ranking with search engines. Therefore, remember to include links to your page on your website and other relevant platforms online. Facebook has even made available a “Find Us On Facebook” badge which you can take advantage of.
Status updates offer another way to improve your SEO strategy. Including relevant URLs within the text of an update will help to improve your Google ranking. Posting links to other pages on Facebook and the internet gives your page more credibility and enhances your status in the eyes of search engines. When posting photos, make sure you use appropriate keywords in the description. Also consider adding a discussion forum to your page. All of the content on your page can have an effect on how you are viewed by search engines.
As always, fresh and relevant content must be a part of your SEO strategy. Regularly post informative and entertaining content on your wall, post questions and surveys, offer exclusive deals to fans, and harness the power of YouTube videos. Attaching videos to your business page is a smart way to improve your ranking with Google. A Facebook page that is rich with exciting content should result in more fans. And more fans represent more reciprocal links, which should improve your status with the search engines. With Facebook, the power of user interaction should not be underestimated.
All of these factors can improve your SEO strategy, as long as you’re committed to regularly updating your Facebook page and reviewing which tactics work best for your business. Having an effective SEO strategy can improve your chances of reaching a wider Facebook audience. Furthermore, it can make your business more visible online.
