GlobalBX

With more than 200 social networking websites, Facebook still reigns supreme. Facebook boasts 900+ million monthly active users and 488 million monthly mobile Facebook users. Facebook is even available in more than 70 languages. Needless to say, there is a ton of brand awareness that can be had on this social networking site. All companies can ultimately benefit from utilizing a free Facebook page. There are several ways that you can utilize Facebook to benefit your company, and implementing a search engine optimization strategy on your page may be the most beneficial. By using SEO, you can drive more traffic to your Facebook page, which in turn assists you in creating brand awareness and increasing customer engagement on a more personal level. The following are a few steps that you can take to optimize your Facebook page.

Obtain a Vanity URL
A vanity URL is simply a personalized URL. For example, your Facebook vanity URL would be facebook.com/WhateverYourChoose. Until rather recently, only pages with a high number of fans were allowed to get a vanity URL. Facebook has since made it easier for all companies to receive a vanity URL. Vanity URLs, just like your website’s URLs, are a great way to promote your business and are the perfect way to optimize your Facebook page for search engines. You can also attempt to incorporate keywords into your URL. Be sure to use a simple username, preferably just your company name, and remember that you want to create a cohesive branding experience on every social networking site. Lastly, Facebook only allows one username per page so pick the perfect vanity URL the first time around.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Content will always be the most important way to optimize anything online. Posting relevant, keyword-rich, interesting content will keep your customers and search engines alike happy. Post status updates and links that your customers will find interesting, but be sure not to overuse these features. With that said, people love pictures, especially those people who use Facebook. According to Facebook, on average more than 300 million photos were uploaded within 3 months alone. Upload interesting pictures to show consumers the human side to your company. Kill two cyber birds with one stone by including keyword-dense descriptions with these pictures.

Make The About Tab Count
The “About” box on Facebook is accessible to search engines and should be used to your advantage. It is also the highest spot on the page where you can place large amounts of text and will be one of the first things a user glances at. As you would on your main site, create a concise description of what your company specializes in and what sets you apart. Utilize keywords as much as possible in an organic way.

Optimize the Info Tab
Similar to the About box, the info tab is yet another opportunity to use your keywords as a way to flirt and wink at search engines. Include all relevant information about your business such as your physical address, mission, phone numbers, email address and lastly the link to your main website.

When In Doubt, Get Links
You can build links on your Facebook page rather easily. First link to your main site from your Facebook page. Engage fans to get them to comment on your content and to “like” your page. These comments and “likes” create links.  Be sure to link to your Facebook page from your Web site as well. Also, place links to your Facebook page on your blogs or any other content that you create related to this company.

Many companies think it’s enough to just have a bland profile as a placeholder. They don’t realize that this is not only an opportunity to engage the public, but they will be judged on their Facebook profile regardless of whether they’ve spent a lot of time on it. If your company is using resources to create this client facing page, it should follow the simple steps above to create something that will be an asset to gain customers and help dominate search engine results pages.