If you think Facebook is critical to the success of your business, you’re like the 42% of marketers out there who feel the same way. Facebook allows you to connect with your audience, provide a new level of customer service, skyrocket brand awareness, and even boost website traffic and conversions. But the only way you can reap all the benefits of the social media platform is to understand the Facebook algorithm.
Facebook’s algorithm determines what content users see and can greatly affect your posts’ interaction and engagement numbers. On this page, we’ll talk about the Facebook algorithm in 2023, and why Facebook is more concerned with meaningful interactions on the platform.
Check out the video below (and keep reading) to get the scoop!
If you’d like to speak with a marketing specialist about your Facebook presence, feel free to contact us online for a free quote, or give us a call at 888-601-5359 to learn more about our Facebook marketing services!
Facebook algorithm explained
Algorithms are ever-changing to ensure that platforms serve the most relevant content to users, and Facebook is no exception. But algorithm updates can be a real curveball for businesses.
For example, the Facebook algorithm update that occurred in 2018 prioritized content from a users’ friends and family. That meant that businesses were missing out on being visible to even their most qualified and targeted audience — forcing them to take a long hard look at their campaign. In 2019, the algorithm changed yet again.
This time, content is ranked based on how likely users are to have a positive interaction with that post. To break it down, there are four main factors that Facebook considers when ranking and displaying content.
1. Inventory
Inventory is exactly what it sounds like — it’s the culmination of all content on Facebook, including posts from your friends, family, groups, and pages that you like. This is the content that Facebook chooses from when deciding what to provide to you in your feed.
2. Signals
From that inventory, Facebook has the tough decision of deciding exactly what content should show up on your timeline. Again, it has a lot to do with how likely you are to interact positively, but there are a few other signals that Facebook looks out for, including:
- Who posted the content
- When it was posted
- What kind of content was posted
- The average amount of time spent on that piece of content
- How informative the post is
- How complete the sharer’s profile is
These are general signals that Facebook considers, but here are the most heavily weighted ranking signals:
- The number of shares the post has on Messenger
- How much engagement, including comments and likes, the post has
- The number of replies to comments on videos
3. Predictions
Facebook can predict what you might like to see based on interactions that you’ve had with other posts and pages on the platform. They predict what they think you’ll interact with, and don’t show you the rest. This is their way of curating the content that you see in hopes that their predictions are correct.
4. Score
Each piece of content in Facebook’s inventory gets a score. This score essentially determines how relevant a piece of content is to a specific user, and how likely they are to interact with it. The higher score a post gets, the more likely it is to appear to users in their feed.
Why are Facebook’s meaningful interactions so important?
If you want the overall score of your content to be high, and therefore, have a high chance of users seeing your content, you’ll need to cultivate meaningful interactions. You can do this by encouraging active signals, which include the following:
- Likes
- Shares
- Comments
- Replies
When you cultivate these four things, you promote meaningful interactions, which is important to the Facebook algorithm. 
How to satisfy the Facebook algorithm by promoting meaningful interactions
Let’s talk about some ways that you can use the Facebook algorithm to your advantage by promoting meaningful interactions with your content:
1. Get people talking
If you want to cultivate meaningful interactions, the best way to do so is to get people talking. Get people talking about your products, their experiences, and their thoughts. As long as the conversations are happening as comments on your content, you’re creating meaningful interactions.
A key to creating meaningful interactions is making users feel like their opinion is needed and wanted. Make users feel important, to ensure that they continue to share their feedback and talk about their personal experiences.
2. Whatever you do, don’t ask for likes, shares, or comments
Also known as click-baiting, when you ask users to engage with your content, it has no value.
Matter of fact, your posts can actually get penalized if you’re literally begging for interaction. Your content should be so good that it naturally yields conversation. Not to mention, since those kinds of interactions aren’t meaningful, Facebook won’t have any reason to present users with your content in the first place.
You should never say “like if…” or “please share…” when posting content.
3. Don’t forget that you’re posting for users
If you’re sharing content for anyone but your users, you’re using Facebook wrong. In order to create meaningful interactions on your page, and increase engagement with your content, you have to create content that resonates with your target audience. After all, Facebook’s algorithm ranks content based on engagement, but it also determines what content would be most beneficial to users.
If you don’t create content that entices natural interactions, you’re not using Facebook correctly.
3. Don’t forget to analyze
You should utilize analytics on any platform that offers it. No matter what marketing strategies you’re using, you should analyze their effectiveness to ensure that you’re getting the most out of every campaign. Facebook is no different!
When you’re gearing up for more meaningful interactions, check Facebook Insights for things like post engagement and reach. From there, if the number isn’t as high as you’d like it to be, you can optimize your content or change up your campaign further.
Appeal to Facebook’s algorithm with Facebook marketing from WebFX
If you feel overwhelmed by all the ranking factors that make up the Facebook algorithm, we’re here for you. WebFX is a full-service digital marketing agency that provides our services to customers in a wide variety of industries, from hotels to restaurants. We have a whole team of social media experts who can help you make the most of your social media presence.
Whether you want to stand out on Instagram, create a solid Twitter presence, or just appeal to Facebook’s algorithm, we can help you reach your social media goals. As a Facebook marketing agency, we offer everything from Facebook advertising to Facebook app development. We can’t wait to help you succeed with Facebook advertising and marketing. Feel free to contact us online today for a free quote, or give us a call at 888-601-5359!
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