If you own a business – let’s say, for example, a restaurant called Billy’s BBQ Pit – you definitely want potential patrons to happen upon it when seeking out highly-regarded, local BBQ restaurants. And more than ever, consumers are using Facebook to search for and rate local businesses.
If you haven’t optimized your business page for Facebook searches, you’ve likely fallen behind your competitors within the social network. Here are some tips to ensure your brand remains competitive in the Facebook marketing realm:
1.) If you haven’t already, create a vanity URL for your business page. Once your business page has at least 25 Fans, Facebook gives you the option to create a branded URL. URLs are heavily weighted by most search engines including Facebook’s, so it is important your business’ Facebook URL aligns with your business.
If possible, make sure your business’ Facebook page title and vanity URL match. Facebook’s search engine rewards consistency. However, there is a chance another business page has already claimed a unique URL with your business’ name. If this occurs, tweak your selected URL by adding your city or state. You can also try shortening words or including a keyword associated with what your business sells.
2.) Be sure to fill out your business page’s profile as completely as possible. Facebook pulls search keywords from business’ About sections—so there is no reason withhold any product or service information.
3.) Listing your business’ location is as easy as it is important. This will improve your Facebook business page’s chances of being found when a potential customer types in a specific location within their search (in and outside of Facebook). For example if “Cathy’s Christian Book Store” were to list their address as 777 Maple St. Portland, OR, they would have a much better chance of being included in the search results for “Christian book stores in Portland.”
4.) For your business page to be listed higher in Facebook search results, you must share engaging content consistently. The more likes, comments, and shares your posts generate, the more Facebook will prioritize your page.
Also, be sure to include keywords in your updates and photo descriptions! This is because any content you share through your Facebook Page is indexed by search engines like Google.
5.) Finally, one of the most important ways to achieve a better search ranking on Facebook is by getting more Fans. Reward your customers for becoming a Fan, and run giveaways and contests that encourage Fans to share your page with their friends. Similar to link building with Google SEO, having more followers will boost Facebook search visibility.
While these important steps may seem like common sense, many are neglected or overlooked by businesses. If your head is spinning after reading through this article, we encourage you to seek out professional assistance. At BPM we enjoy applying our creativity to help brands build online communities and effective social media communication strategies. Give us a call at 920-632-7648!
Sources:
http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/07/13/seo-facebook-pages-10-key-strategies/
http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2013/08/09/8-steps-to-higher-facebook-graph-search-rankings.aspx
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebook-page-search-graph-results/
