Getting the Edge on Facebook
Facebook has two separate sections for news, most recent posts and ‘top’ news, but here is an interesting fact: 95% of Facebook users only use the top news feed setting. So it is essential for you to be able to get in to the top news feed to create the maximum amount of exposure for your Facebook page. The question needs to be asked, how does Facebook determine whether or not your post is top news or not? Well, the answer is simple – by using an algorithm. The algorithm itself can be quite complex so let’s break it down into small digestible pieces.
The image above shows all of the factors that Facebook considers. At first glance the letters and so called explanations don’t help at all, so we will see what can be explained further and shine some light on the situation.
U
The letter U may not be the first in the alphabet but it is one of the first things that pop up in this equation. U represents affinity between the user who posted and the user that will read it. Affinity means how strong the relationship is between the two users. If the viewer of the post regularly commented on the posters posts, then the affinity score will be very high, but on the flipside a low relationship will mean your posts will not be seen. So a way to master this letter of the algebraic alphabet is to make sure you have involved all of your fans as much as possible. Other than that this section of the algorithm can be difficult to control. Now we’ve done affinity, it’s time to go beyond!
W
W represents edge weight. There is no sure fire set of rules but there are factors that are safe to generalise. For example the “heaviest” types of posts are media related, for example: pictures, videos and links. So if you want to send a message out that has high importance, and then make sure you attach some form of media. Another part that affects the weight is the amount of engagement on the actual post, so the more ‘likes’ and comments it receives, the heavier it will be. A way to help improve this is by firstly liking the post yourself and secondly attempting to engage your audience and pressing them for their opinions or answers.
D
D is a relatively simple factor, especially in comparison to the others. It basically means how old the post is. A simple rule of thumb to follow is the fresher the post, the better it will fare in the top news feed. Posts will rarely be shown that are older than two days, however it is not impossible if the other factors are strong enough. The best way to handle this is by posting regular updates at fairly regular intervals.
Conclusion
Facebooks’ Edge rank can be a difficult thing to master, but if you take each of its components separately and tackle them as such, you can begin to make progress and find something that works for you. Social networks like Facebook are constantly changing, and as a result of this so will your strategies. One thing that is safe to say is that in terms of Facebook, this Edge rank will always be built on these foundations.
Lewis Austin wrote this article, he works with Facebook very closely as he is the Social Media Marketer for SEO Positive, to find out more information about SEO Positive, follow their blog or Twitter
No Problem, I hope it helped =)
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@profit thanks a lot for the comment i am glad you found it useful
This is useful. Facebook changes from day to day, and we just have to keep up with it. Being top news is essential since nobody ever reads all the other news. Some people aren’t even aware that there are other news feeds.
exactly, ana! this is something many Facebook marketers have trouble grasping, the day to day user of Facebook does not use, let alone know, about some of its’ more advanced features. We all need to learn and understand how to make ourselves more available.
I am glad you enjoyed the article ana =)