Social media has become an integral part of our lives and most of us are present on at least one platform, whether it be Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. With over 3 billion users worldwide as of 2023, the social media giant Facebook stands apart as a powerful platform for connecting with others and increasing your brand’s online visibility and engagement.
If you’re a business owner, then a Facebook page and SEO (SEO = search engine optimization) are two things you can’t afford to neglect in this day and age. However, most businesses tend to disregard the former in their marketing efforts because they’re unable to see a positive outcome.
If you’ve optimized your Facebook page with the best SEO practices to increase its discoverability but still aren’t seeing any results, then your efforts might simply be misguided because the truth is that even though Facebook does impact SEO and they’re related, it’s not in the way you might believe. Nevertheless, both of these still matter for improving your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking. Keep reading to find out how!
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Do Social Signals Matter for SEO?
Search engine algorithms interact differently with your Facebook profile compared to your website. Even though your Facebook page will get crawled and indexed by Google’s algorithm, it leaves out a bunch of information it deems useless, mainly social signals, which ultimately reduces the SEO weight of the indexed information.
Social signals are the ways people interact with your page. Likes, shares, mentions, comments, and follows are all considered social signals and are essential metrics for improving your visibility on the platform. But do they matter for Facebook and SEO?
According to Google, social signals are not a ranking factor because the algorithm cannot differentiate between different interactions. It can’t tell whether the like or comment came from an authoritative source or a significantly less relevant source such as your family or friends. These are vanity metrics that have no impact on your SEO. Similarly, having thousands of followers won’t boost your SERP ranking either, at least not directly.
Does this mean you’ve been wasting your time? The answer is a big “No!” Over a billion users contact businesses on the platform so your Facebook and SEO efforts are still important for boosting your online presence and sales.
Does Facebook Impact Your SEO?
Google changed its algorithm in late 2021 to give higher priority to organic search results from social media sites like Facebook. Earlier you had to mention the name of the site to get results from it, but look up any celebrity or business’s name online now, and you’ll see their socials mentioned among the top results, including in a dedicated profiles section.
It goes further than just the links to profiles nowadays. Currently there are full sections within the SERP listings that will even showcase panels of a business or celebrity’s most recent tweets.
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This change is important because it makes your page easier to find and encourages more visits which you can then leverage for your SEO efforts. There’s no way for you to decide what information will be shown to users because the algorithm pulls the meta description from the information present on your page, but you can ensure that your page description is up-to-date.
Example:
How Are SEO and Facebook Related?
We’ve already established that Facebook does impact SEO indirectly. But how does this relationship materialize?
Think about your own online behavior. If you were to visit a website multiple times, there’s a high chance you would visit the brand’s social media pages if it’s in a conspicuous location. If you’re getting a decent amount of foot traffic on your website through SEO, then you can attract more visitors to your Facebook page by linking it in your website’s header. More visits would mean more followers, shares, and higher engagement, which will then translate into more customers and stronger relationships with these newly acquired customers.
The converse relation between SEO and Facebook is also true. If a Facebook user stumbles across your page because they saw one of your posts on their Newsfeed, then they might decide to check out your page and give you a follow if they like your content. By delivering quality content over the next few weeks, you can win their trust and capture their interest, leading to them visiting your website to learn more about your products or services. Their actions on the website will eventually give you a little bump in your SEO.
When they engage with your Facebook page, it will also make you discoverable to their friends and family. If you’re successful in gaining their favor, then they might also share your content directly with them, leading to more website visits, customers, and engagement.
Why Combine Facebook and SEO?
There’s no doubt that Facebook does impact SEO in a way that’s mutually beneficial. Higher traffic on either your Facebook page or website can be redirected to increase your visibility on both ends, foster stronger relationships with your prospects and customers, and score SEO brownie points from Google. Some of these people who visit your website or page may also go the extra mile by backlinking to you if you can impress them with your content or services. This is why SEO and Facebook matter.
Facebook in itself works very much like a search engine. In fact, 54.2% of users research brands and products on Facebook. For example, if you’re looking for a nail salon near you, you can easily look it up on Facebook and use the filters to refine your search. This is why using the right keywords for your business on your Facebook page can significantly improve your local SEO and organic visibility on Search.
How to Optimize Your Facebook Page for SEO?
Now that you’re aware of the relationship between Facebook and SEO and that one does impact the other, it’s time to act on the knowledge you’ve gained. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Select a suitable page name – Your page name needs to be easily discoverable. For example, if your business sells shoes, your page name can’t simply be the name of your brand. Something like “Marx Fashion – Designer Shoes” is more appropriate. If you’re a local business, then we also suggest adding your area name (City, State for example) as well.
- Use a custom URL – Facebook assigns a default URL to each page but you can edit the URL to make it easier for people to remember and find it.
- Add keywords throughout the page – Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner or KWFinder to find keywords relevant to your business and then naturally integrate them into places, such as your page name, URL, captions of photos, tags of videos and photos, and comments under your posts.
- Add links to your page and website – Mention your Facebook page along with other socials on your website, encouraging people to follow. Also add a link to your website on your Facebook page. This is essential for your SEO and Facebook efforts.
- Update your contact information – 53% of consumers only buy from businesses they can contact, so ensure your address, phone number, and email are always accurate and up-to-date to avoid losing relevancy and customers.
- Write a descriptive about section – Your ‘About’ section should describe your business in brief, have links to your website and other social media profiles, and contain keywords. You can also mention awards and recognitions to build trust with users.
- Post keyword-optimized content – Publish content that will be genuinely helpful to your users and make them want to engage with your business further. Don’t be spammy or salesy. End with an actionable call to action (CTA).
Maximize Your Marketing Efforts With Coalition Technologies
Although they’re not directly related to each other, Facebook and SEO should still be paired together to maximize your marketing efforts because it will create a compounding effect that will mean more customers and revenue for your business. Optimize your page with traditional SEO tactics but also put emphasis on engaging your users and building genuine connections that will make them want to stick with you.
If you need help improving your website and Facebook’s SEO or if you have questions on whether Facebook does impact SEO, feel free to get in touch with us at Coalition Technologies for a free strategy review performed by expert marketers.
