Facebook SEO

Monday, August 1st, 2011 at 7:34 am

FaceBook and SEO

On the search web, dominated by Google, Search Engine Optimization(SEO) is achieved with:

When you think of SEO, you think of:

But there’s a whole social web, with its own search engine, that Google does not control.

Facebook Dominates The Social Web

It’s 750 million + user community surpasses Google in web usage. People spend almost twice as much time on Facebook as Google. It has become more than just the largest social network in the world. It has become it’s own internet marketing force. Most companies have created fan pages Facebook for recruiting, promotions, and customer feedback. Coupled with targeted advertising campaigns, FaceBook offers a complete suite of services for businesses looking for a social media presence.

So, you need to focus some of your SEO initiatives on this search box:

FaceBook Embraces SEO

The traditional social network approach to content distribution is through messages, news feeds, and invitations to your fans. FaceBook has made some changes to make it easier for businesses to reach its entire 750 million+ user community. Guess what? Search Engine Optimization works here too. Here are some tips:

Use your company name as the name for your home page. Don’t add descriptions or keywords.
If you have at least 25 fans, get a vanity URL. You want to create a brand on Facebook, so less is more… facebook.com/yourcompanyname.
Use the About box(~200 characters), for your keywords. This serves the same purpose as the Description box on your traditional web pages. Populate it with the keywords and phrases you want ranked for in Facebook.
Populate the Info tab. Company overview, mission, and products need to be keyword-rich. These help you with product searches. Address information helps you present for local searches. Add Website Links for your home page and individual content pages.
Autocomplete Box Ranking Keys

Your name (from your profile)
Events that you are invited to
Friends (or friend of a friend) that have the keyword in their name
Apps you have used
Groups and Pages you have joined or liked
Questions with the keyword in it

Post links to your website in your Facebook stream. Don’t be spammy here. The goal is to be helpful and informative.
Post links to your Facebook page on your web site. Inbound links for a traditional web site help boost your PageRank. The same holds true for FaceBook. Inbound links help you rank with its search box.