Facebook SEO (search engine optimization) refers to the steps you take to increase the organic (non-paid) visibility of your Facebook business page and its posts on Facebook and in search engines.
Specifically, in Facebook, you can appear in the platform’s search results and news feed.
Follow these tips to improve the SEO of your page and its posts.
1. Allow search engines to rank your pages
Allowing search engines like Google to display your page in search results can help you get noticed outside of Facebook.
This setting is enabled by default. But it's worth double-checking that it is enabled. Otherwise, your pages won't show up in Google.
Go to your page settings and click on “ How people find and contact you .” And make sure the first option is enabled.
2. Name your pages wisely
Your Facebook Page name is what users will see when they find you in search results, so you want to include keywords related to your business.
For example, if someone searches for "florist new york," they might see Armando Ramirez's shop as the first result.
This business also has the term “New York Florist” in its page name. This is to help them rank for that term and to help searchers understand what this business does and where they are located.
So, add keywords to your page names (if possible) to provide more context to searchers.
Don’t keyword stuff (unnaturally force keywords into text). Content like “Armando Ramirez NYC Florist / Gift Baskets / Anniversary Gifts / Wedding Flowers” contains too many keywords. It feels like spam.
Follow the steps below to change your Facebook Page name, and follow Facebook's Page Name Guidelines when choosing a name . These recommendations include avoiding using symbols or slogans in your Page name.
notes
You can only change the name of your page once every 60 days, so make sure the name is correct before saving any changes.
3. Optimize your profile
Your profile can also help you rank in Facebook search results by adding keywords related to your business that users might search for.
For example, After-Words Bookstore may rank for the query “Chicago bookstore” for some searchers, even though their homepage does not have “Chicago” in its name. The word does appear in their profile (although not exclusively).
Click Add Profile to edit your profile under Profile.
Your bio usually has 101 characters, but some pages may allow up to 255. So make the most of it by using the right keywords.
You can use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find keywords to incorporate into your bio.
Open the tool, enter broad keywords related to your business, adjust the country (optional), and click Search .
Go through the list of keywords generated and select the ones that are particularly relevant to you.
For our “Chicago auto repair” example, we might choose “auto repair shops in Chicago.”
Then, use each keyword (or a snippet of each keyword) to create a profile. It might look like this:
"ABC is one of the best auto repair shops in Chicago, IL. We repair car windshields, air conditioning, and more."
4. Optimize your business page details
Having consistent business details (hours, location, website, etc.) can improve your visibility in local search results because Google cross-references information from around the web to verify credibility.
Therefore, make sure the details of your Facebook business page match those in other online directories as well.
Add as many relevant details as possible, including:
- Hour
- Address (if any)
- Service area (if any)
- telephone number
- website
- Other Social Media Links
- language
- Services you provide
- Price Range
- Categories (You can select up to three categories, which can help your page appear in relevant search results )
Click the "Edit Details" button on the page to add details:
5. Publish attractive, high-quality content
Facebook prefers to show content that people like and are relevant to them, which means that relevant and popular posts are likely to rank higher in search results and news feeds.
Social Tracker details your competitors’ content performance, giving you ideas for posts that are likely to perform well.
Add Social Media Toolkit to your account to access the Social Tracker. Then, configure the Social Tracker by connecting your social accounts and adding the accounts of competitors you want to track.
Once the tool is configured, you’ll see an overview of your competitors’ top-performing content.
Click on the tabs at the top to view detailed information for each social platform.
Determine which topics are performing best. And write posts around similar topics.
Here are some additional tips for creating engaging Facebook posts:
- Try different post types like text, images, videos, live videos, and reels to see which ones your audience prefers
- Keep posting information to keep your Facebook page active
- Use a call to action in your post to encourage engagement. For example, ask people to tag a friend. Or leave a comment like on this Facebook post:
Just avoid asking people to “like” your posts. Facebook considers this gaming the system and may not rank your content highly. Plus, it can come across to users as spammy.
Remember to reply to everyone who leaves a comment. This lets others know that you actually care about what they say and may lead to more engagement.
6. Optimize Images
Two ways to optimize your images for Facebook are through:
- Title : Text that complements the image (including keywords) and helps the image appear in search results
- Alt text : Text that describes the image to people using screen readers. Adding alt text can help your image appear in Google for relevant queries.
Before finalizing your post, click " Edit " and " Alt Text" to add alt text for your photo.
7. Add geotags to your posts
Adding a geographic location to your posts can help people find your business when they search for a specific area.
For example, this photographer tagged Whitefish Lake. People might see this post when searching for this location.
From there, users can click on a photographer’s page to learn more about that business.
8. Continuous Release
Recency is an important ranking signal when Facebook decides what content to show in a user’s News Feed, with fresh content more likely to appear higher than older posts.
This means that it’s a good idea to create a consistent posting schedule.
If you are new, we recommend publishing three to five posts per week. You can then adjust based on your situation.
Additionally, posting consistently lets people know that your business is active. This may make users more likely to engage with it, further increasing your visibility.
Semrush’s social posters help you plan and schedule your social media content.
Start by configuring the tool and connecting it to your Facebook page.
Once configured, return to the social poster and click " New Post ".
Write your post and select where you’d like it to be published. (Selecting multiple accounts may improve your social media SEO across a range of platforms .)[](https://www.semrush.com/blog/social-media-seo/)
Finally, select the date and time you want your post to go live and click “ Schedule .”
Then, use social analytics to monitor your content’s performance. Because knowing which content performs best helps you replicate that success in future posts.
9. Add hashtags to your posts
Adding hashtags (clickable phrases beginning with a "#" symbol) to your posts can help you get more exposure. For example, when people search for a specific hashtag:
We recommend using one to three hashtags per post.
Facebook provides the following additional tagging tips:
- Keep hashtags simple and relevant to the post
- Avoid using punctuation
- Avoid using spaces
- Incorporate the hashtag into a sentence, such as “How much do you like our #macrame?”
10. Generate backlinks
External website links pointing to your Facebook page (called backlinks ) can help it rank higher in Google search results.
Google considers backlinks as an indicator of authority and may view a Facebook page with many reputable backlinks as trustworthy.
Additionally, these links can lead more people to your Facebook page, so try encouraging other websites to link to your Facebook page.
Here are some ideas:
- Link to your page from your website
- Get media mentions (e.g. on a local newspaper’s website) and ask them to link to your Facebook page
- Write a guest blog post that includes a link to your Facebook page (if the publisher allows it)
- Partner with influencers and have them write blog posts reviewing your business and linking to your Facebook page
Then, monitor your backlinks using Semrush’s backlink analysis tool .
Enter the URL of your Facebook page and click " Analyze ".
Click on the " Backlinks " tab to view all the backlinks to your Facebook page. Sort them by "Active", "New" and "Lost".
You may want to keep an eye out for “lost” backlinks, as these are links that you once had but no longer have.
Contact the website that removed the link to your page and ask them to restore it.
11. Encourage referrals
Recommendations are reviews shared on Facebook that indicate whether a user recommends a business.
Like this:
If your business has many positive recommendations, it is likely to rank higher and be recommended to more people.
Your recommendation percentage will also appear in the search results as an overall star rating:
Here are two ideas for adding suggestions:
- Post a sign in your store with your Facebook page URL and ask people to leave feedback
- Send a post-purchase email with a link to leave you a Facebook recommendation. Like this email:
Then, respond to all types of feedback (both positive and negative) because this shows people that you care about what they have to say.
notes
When asking for testimonials, please comply with Facebook's spam policy and the Federal Trade Commission's regulations . You cannot offer incentives, such as money or discounts, to encourage customers to leave positive reviews. Otherwise, you may face penalties.
Other Facebook Best Practices
These other tips aren’t necessarily SEO related, but can help you make the most of your Facebook presence.
12. Make your brand recognizable
Make sure your Facebook Page profile and cover photos help you maintain a consistent brand image with your presence on platforms outside of Facebook.
Additionally, a recognizable profile photo, such as your logo, can help people find your page in Facebook's search results.
In the search results below, we can easily identify the page above by its logo, even though it's listed alongside two pages with similar names. This reduces confusion for people searching for your company.
13. Customize Page URLs
Facebook pages are assigned a generic URL by default. For example, "www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086756884028".
But having an easy-to-remember URL is important because it allows people to quickly type it into their browser and find your Facebook page.
You can customize your URL by changing your username . Facebook will then use your username as your URL.
For example, our Facebook page's username is "Semrush" and our URL is "www.facebook.com/Semrush".
Please note that Facebook page usernames can only contain letters, numbers, and periods. Hyphens are standard characters in most URLs, but Facebook pages do not allow them.
14. Add relevant action buttons
An action button is a button on your Facebook page that asks your audience to perform certain actions in support of business goals.
Facebook provides you with a range of pre-set actions, such as booking a meeting or starting an order (enabling you to increase sales from your Facebook page).
Your action button has prime real estate at the top of your Facebook page, so choose the button that's most relevant to your goals.
15. Make it easy for you to receive messages
Adding a “Message” button to your Facebook page allows people to easily contact your business.
Follow the instructions below to turn on messaging for your Facebook page .
16. Understand the platform rules
Follow Facebook's policies and keep your Facebook page active and in good standing.
Here are some (but not all) rules to keep in mind:
- Do not use your Facebook page to promote online gambling without permission. For example, if you want to run a tournament that requires users to pay to enter.
- If you plan to collect data such as email addresses, please inform the relevant personnel
- Do not promote illegal activities or services
Improving Facebook SEO
Simple activities, such as adding keywords to your Facebook page name and posting consistently, can help you appear more prominently on Facebook and Google.
Are you ready to reach more potential customers through your Facebook page?
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