Facebook is a 2 for 1, if you are found on Facebook then you will boost your rankings on Google.
Oh. Facebook.
I love to hate it. Don’t you? I mean. The time I have spent scrolling and scrolling and reading about nothing really, is time that I will never get back.
Yet, as a business owner we can’t ignore it. There are 2.5 billion active users on Facebook.
According to Search Engine Journal 2/3 of adult Americans are on Facebook and 74% of them say they visit the social media platform daily.
Geesh. That is a lot of would-be customers, and that should get you excited about leveraging Facebook to grow your influence.
In this post, we are going to talk about 2 super-important Facebook things:
- How to optimize your facebook business page so that you can get found within facebook
- How to leverage your facebook page to grow your authority on the www
If your 2020 goal is to grow your influence and impact, you need to be where the people are. And that my friends is Facebook. To get your business found on Facebook, you must start with a Facebook Business page.
To get your business found within Facebook, you Must Have a Facebook Business Page
A Business Page is different from a personal Facebook Page, you need both.
A Facebook Business Page represents a business or a brand and highlights the services.
A Personal Facebook Page is a single user and is mainly used to post pics of the kids first day of school and meme’s.
The facebook business page is NOT a substitute for a hosted website, it is simply a mini-site that compliments your brand and extends your findability on Google.
So, how exactly do you get your facebook page to stand out? Like with Google SEO, there are some important technical things you must do.
Technicalities of Facebook SEO
- Get a good Facebook Business Page name. Obviously. I suggest that you don’t get fancy, simply go with your business name.
- Claim Your Vanity URL. When you create your business Facebook Page, you’ll be assigned an automatically generated dynamic URL.By claiming your “vanity’ URL and customizing it to match your company’s name, you’ll receive a significant SEO boost.This branded URL should be descriptive and concise, as its purpose is to be memorable and give your audience a hunch as to what your business is all about.
- Have a helpful and informative About tab. Be sure to include some keywords that you really want to be found for.
- Add Address, Hours and Phone ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A LOCAL BUSINESS. If you add these key pieces of info will be indexed by local search by Google.
- Share valuable content. Often.
- Post direct links to your website. The big goal is to get Facebook users off of Facebook and onto your website.
Ok. Now that you have gotten the technical side of your page set up, how exactly do you leverage it for SEO?
If you have a strong presence on Facebook, Google will find you.
A strong social presence builds organic traffic by:
- Build links through social shares (links build authority and trust)
- Increase traffic to your site
- Attract a relevant audience
- Establish authority by growing your brand across the internet.
Notice, that when I searched for “Clapping Dog Media” my facebook profile is #2 on the Search Results Page (SERP).
Link building is key to growing organic traffic
Facebook is a fantastic for linking back to your website. Include links in your about profile and whenever you post a new blog, podcast, video or any web update, post what you did and the link on Facebook.
Increase traffic to your site from Facebook
This is the whole point.
…by having a findable Facebook Business Page.
…by posting valuable content 2 to 3 times a week.
…by engaging with your audience.
…by growing your community on Facebook.
…by linking to your site from Facebook, your traffic will grow.
Facebook is a powerful way to find + connect to your relevant audience
Since your potential customers are among the 2.5 billion people on facebook, find and connect with them there and then send them to your website.
Connect, connect, connect remember customers buy from people. So show up as yourself.
Join Facebook Groups and be helpful, don’t over promote simply show up and if someone in the group asks a question that you know the answer to, answer it.
This simple habit will expose your business to zillions of people.
ALSO, remember this is a long term strategy, if you respond to a post within a group today don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t turn into a client tomorrow. Groups are searchable, there will be a day soon where someone else searches the group, is delighted with your response and reaches out.
Google looks at your business as a whole
Yep. That is right. That is why I say over and over that SEO is one layer of your marketing strategy, it isn’t the only thing you do to promote your business.
Google looks at the overall growth of your brand, if your presence is growing on facebook then Google will think that you are a good business and will send more traffic your way.
So. Use Facebook and grow your business.