These days, everyone is frustrated by Facebook’s frequent and tumultuous wave of changes – particularly business owners. As the Facebook algorithm changes and evolves, our content is not appearing as often as we want it to. Facebook is a great tool for individuals and businesses alike. In order to use it to its potential, you need to understand how it functions.
Today I’m going to break down the mysterious Facebook “algorithm” in the simplest way possible. Facebook uses a group of calculations to decide what content is included on a user’s News Feed. Its purpose is to provide the most relevant and interesting content tailored to each user.
The likelihood of your content appearing in someone’s News Feed is based on several factors.
Interaction History. How many likes, comments, and shares has a user given your company? The more a user engages with your organization’s content, the more it appears in their feed.
Content Mediums. Are your fans more likely to interact with status updates, photos, or videos? As an example – a user who regularly watches and comments on videos is more likely to enjoy your video. Therefore, Facebook is now more likely to make your video appear in their News Feed.
General Popularity. When your post receives a lot of attention (likes, comments, shares) they will show up in News Feeds, even if your fans haven’t engaged with you regularly.
Response to Content. If users click “Hide this post” or “I don’t want to see this” on your content, everyone in their network is less likely to see your ads and posts in their News Feed. Tip: Don’t be spammy.
Relativity and Competition. Sometimes, no matter how high your popularity may be, if your Facebook fans have News Feeds with a larger amount of popular or trending content, then it will be prioritized over yours. If simply depends on how many posts your fans are seeing in their News Feeds and your proximity to their interests.
Above: Example of a trending Facebook post which now appears in user’s News Feeds.
Now that you know a little bit more about the secret behind Facebook’s News Feed, you can take your content to the next step. Check out our blog on how to get more Facebook likes for tips on creating killer content that’s sure to reach more fans.
