A Guide to Facebook’s Edgerank
Edgerank is Facebook’s algorithm used to determine what posts and where they appeal on each user’s newsfeed. There are three variables that make this algorithm up as outlined below.
Affinity
This first variable is used to measure the relationship between the user and creator. The closer the relationship with the creator, the higher the score is. Because of this, your newsfeed will automatically prioritize stories from those you have built stronger relationships with.
This is one-way based interaction so interacting heavily with another user will not influence your stories chances of appearing high on their newsfeed.
Weight
Different types of posts carry different levels of weight. The higher the weight, the higher the score is. In order, Photos, Videos, Links, and Plain Text Updates carry weight. You can reach more fans by using updated and new features offered. Facebook assigns weight to these features to encourage usage.
Weight is also influenced by engagement. A plain text update that has multiple likes and comments carries a higher combined weight than a photo post with no engagement.
Time Decay
The age of the post can influence the value of it. Because of this, your newsfeed will always remain fresh with recent views. How quickly a post time decays is up to the Facebook user. If you log in infrequently, stories that are a few days old still have value and may appear for you in the newsfeed.
Why Edgerank Matters
Edgerank serves multiple purposes. If you consider the fact that 96% of fans do not go back to a brands Facebook page after initial engagement, your posts is 40-150x more likely to reach your fans in the newsfeed than your page. 27% of the time users spend time on Facebook is spent looking at their newsfeed.
In the United States alone, people spend more time on the Facebook newsfeed than the six major news sites combined. However time does not equal exposure. Only 16% of your fans will see your post on average. Because of this, here are 6 tips you can follow to improve your page’s Edgerank.
6 Tips to Improve your Edgerank
1. Keep it Short – Posts between 100-250 characters get 60% more likes, comments, and share than posts over 250 characters.
2. Be Visual – Posting photo albums, photos, and videos get between 100% to 180% more engagement. If you post a link as a photo with the article title and URL in the caption, you can increase reach.
3. Ask Simple Questions – This will bring in 90% more engagements than the average post when you offer a “fill in the blank.”
4. Post Daily – Remember that 96% of your fans are not coming back to your page. Posting frequently will consistently reach them.
5. Be Relevant – Posts related not directly about your brand perform the best.
6. Be Timely – Test different times to find the best for your audience and stick to them.
Bonus: The 18-24 demographic are the most active and engage with pages between 9:00pm to 10:00pm.
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