Facebook SEO: 6 Easy Ways to Optimize your Fan Page

Facebook fan pages are a great way to connect with your audience in a more conversational way than your website. It’s also useful for promoting content via the newsfeed, sharing images, and broadcasting events. Other than placing a Facebook like box on your website and participating in Facebook questions, there aren’t too many ways to reach out to Facebook users, unless your willing to fork over some cash for Facebook engagement ads. Before resorting to buying ads, you should know that it’s possible to optimize your Facebook page for search engines, just as it is for your website!

Here are six easy ways to work on your Facebook SEO:

1. Choose the right name for your Facebook page

Choose your business or blog’s name as the name of your page, and try to keep the name of your page as short as possible. If you try to stuff your page name with keywords, people will be less likely to like your page, as they will see right through your strategy. Since you’re not allowed to change the name of your page later, choose carefully!

2. Choose a vanity URL

Many small businesses still have ugly Facebook URLs (you know, the one with the string of numbers at the end). Head over to http://facebook.com/username to create a vanity URL for your Facebook page. I’d recommend using your business or blog name as the URL, rather than keyword stuffing. Again, keep the URL as short as possible, so that fans of your company can easily find you if they try guessing your URL. Remember, your committing to this URL for good, so make sure your business name won’t be changing before selecting your URL!

Also, to prevent URL squatting, Facebook only allows you to choose a vanity URL once you reach 25 fans.

3. Use keywords in “About” text box

The “About” text box is the small box below your fan page’s profile image. Use some high-value keywords in this space, including your business name. Also make sure to include your website’s URL; it doesn’t hurt to add a quality inbound link for your site!

4. Use the Info tab to include your high-value keywords

The Facebook page Info tab is the area where you’d want to include your “meta description”-type information. Local businesses will have the opportunity to add in their address, but products will be able to add a company overview, mission statement, and product description. Make sure you enter all of your applicable website URLs in the website fields to get your sites those valuable inbound links.

5. Add keyword rich descriptions for photos and videos

Whenever you add a new video or photo to your fan page, make sure to add relevant keywords to your description. This little bit of effort will pay off when people find those photos through the search engine and then like your page!

6. Add keyword-rich content to Facebook landing pages

Create Facebook landing pages by adding the Static FBML application to your Facebook page. Static FBML allows you to add advanced functionality to your page. It’s basically a blank canvas to which you can use HTML or FBML (Facebook Markup Language) to create a mini-webpage right on your fan page. You can add as much content as you’d like to each of these pages. Also be sure to use keyword-rich anchor text linking back to your website on these landing pages.

How have you optimized your Facebook fan page? Let me know in the comments below!