how to optimize your facebook content for better referral traffic
TRANSCRIPT
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
How to Optimize Your Facebook Contentfor Better Referral TrafficBy Lucy Hitz – April 13, 2015
152 17 14 95 0
Facebook is driving users towebsites at ever-increasing rates.The network’s impact on web traffichas pushed the volume of socialmedia traffic higher than organic
The Complete Guide to FacebookAnalytics
Download
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
traffic in many cases.
Facebook sends more traffic to brand websites than any other social network, by far. Arecent Shareaholic report showed that Facebook now drives nearly 25% of social mediareferral traffic.
If you’re a social marketer, right now you might be asking yourself:
How can I drive more referral traffic from Facebook?
Below are some tips for optimizing your content and your use of Facebook Insights so youcan experience better referral traffic from the friendliest network.
Make Sure You’ve Given Facebook Crawler AccessThe Facebook Crawler (no, this has nothing to do with Spiderman) fetches content fromyour site and generates a preview for people on Facebook.
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
An example of how the Facebook Crawler auto-populates a preview image for a link when a Facebook users shares
your link.
When a Facebook user shares a URL, it activates the Facebook Crawler. If your content ispublicly available, the Crawler has no problem accessing it, but if your content requires a loginor has restricted access, you need to enable access for the Facebook Crawler to generatepreviews.
This is important because folks are much more likely to click on your content when there is a
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
preview image attached. According to our latest Facebook study, visual content is theprimary driver of engagement on Facebook.
After photos, our study found that videos are the second most-engaging content type,averaging more than 2,500 engagements per post.
Brands have recognized the power of visual content: together, photos and videos account formore than 80% of brand posts.
Optimize for Facebook’s Internal SEOThe Facebook Crawler scrapes the HTML of URL’s that are shared on the network. To staycompetitive, optimize what the Facebook Crawler picks up from your pages by using OpenGraph meta tags.
These are the most basic tags you can use.
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Source: Facebook Developers Site
For more improved distribution and engagement, consider adding these HTML tags.
og: type
What it is: The content type of the page.
The impact: This tag determines how your content shows up in News Feed. If you don’tspecify a type, the default is website. You must choose one, even if the page in question
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
features many content types.
og: locale
What it is: Where the resource is located geographically. The default is en_US. You canuse og:locale:alternate if you have other available language translations available.
The impact: This tag helps you deliver the most geographically and linguistically relevantcontent to users.
article: author
What it is: A way of linking to the author(s) of the article you’re publishing.
The impact: This tag helps you link content more directly to its producer — likely, a memberof your organization.
The target of the article: author tag can either be a Facebook Profile or a Facebook Page. Asan added bonus, Facebook will likely offer a chance to follow the article’s author(s) when it’sdisplayed in the news feed. Your authors must have follow enabled so that people can followthem.
This is a good time to remind you that your authors, especially if they’re thought leaders inyour space, should have Facebook Pages which invite users to follow them, not just Friendthem. This strengthens bonds with the author and, thus, your brand. It also makes theirposts more likely to show up in followers’ feeds.
article: publisher
What it is: A way of linking to the publisher of the article you’re publishing.
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
The impact: This tag helps you link content more directly to your organization. The targetmust be a Facebook Page. As an added bonus, Facebook will likely offer a chance to followyou, the publisher, when the content is displayed in the news feed. This tag is only available to
media publishers.
Make Your Images ShineHere are some quick tips to make sure your images on Facebook are catalysts for sharing,not snoozing.
When Your Graphic Designer’s MIA
We work in social media. We didn’t get design degrees and we don’t have enough time tolearn how to use Photoshop. Luckily, Canva exists (I swear they didn’t pay me to say that).Recite This is also a great resource for easily sharable organizational and/or inspirationalquotes on sleek backdrops.
There are other options out there, but the point is, you don’t necessarily need to be aPhotoshop wiz or have an eye for design to create effective visuals for Facebook.
Choose the Right Colors
By applying certain colors in the buying / reading / sharing process, you can see better resultson Facebook.
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Colors, emotions, and the brands who choose them.
For example, blue signals trust, red encourages action, and yellow activates excitement. Thispsychology of color isn’t a hard science, but it’s something to keep in mind before youchoose neon pink as the background for your social image. You can learn more about colorpsychology on social here.
Go Logo Crazy
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Our personal experience at Simply Measured has taught us that the presence of arecognizable logo helps posts generate more shares.
An example of using an external big brand to draw content shares.
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
If you have the opportunity, include a logo (not necessarily yours) to feature in your imageand watch shares skyrocket.
Text Tips
Make sure the sense that your image conveys, your Facebook copy, and the content on thewebpage are synergistic.
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
An example of image, caption, and link text all working together delightfully.
Keeping it consistent is crucial, especially since people choose whether to click through or
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
not based on the text on an image. You want to make sure they know what they’re gettinginto by clicking to avoid high bounce rates.
Another text tip to remember: the less text, the better. Don’t bombard your alluring imagewith paragraphs of text. Include just enough text to convey the information you’re hopingcatches people’s eyes.
Size ‘Em Right
Use images that are at least 1200 x 630 pixels for the best display on high resolution devices.At the minimum, use images that are 600 x 315 pixels to display link page posts with largerimages.
How Does Your Brand Hack Facebook for OptimizedSharing?We want to know! Tell us all your secrets! Just kidding…but, seriously, do you have tips andtricks you’ve learned along the way that you’d be willing to share? Holler in the comments.
Need a more basic lay of the strategy land on Facebook, from industry-standard definitionsto successful case studies? Be sure to download our recently revamped Facebook ebook byclicking below.
Get everything you need to analyze the metrics that matter
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Lucy HitzI’m the Content Marketing Producer here at Simply Measured, which means I getto research the latest and greatest in social media, and tell you all about it. I loveyoga, prosciutto, peaty scotch, poetry, and Taylor Swift. If I were a social mediachannel, I’d want to be Instagram, but I think I’m Twitter.
Get everything you need to analyze the metrics that matter
The Complete Guideto Facebook Analytics
Download
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
2 Comments Simply Measured 1
Share⤤ Sort by Best
Join the discussion…
• Reply •
Affiliate Management • 4 days ago
nice tips...how should those meta-tags looks for Facebook? 1△ ▽
• Reply •
Brian Mack • 11 hours ago
an example of how to use/write those tags would be nice. △ ▽
Subscribe✉ Add Disqus to your sited Privacy
Recommend 2
Share ›
Share ›
Follow us on social!
Get the Newsletter
Work Email:
Recent Awards
Sign Up
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Listen to the Podcast
Simply Measured - 115: @iSocialFanz on Personal Branding
Simply Measured - 114 - Bridget Quigg's Content Marketing Tips
Simply Measured - 113 - Jeff Gibb on Facebook's Newsfeed and Messenger
Simply Measured - 112: Lucy Hitz's Tips For Running Webinars
Simply Measured - 111: Damon Cortesi and Aviel Ginzburg on Twitter's Growth and Social Marketing
Simply Measured - 110: Michele Weisman on Using Social Media for Networking
Simply Measured - 109: Lee Odden on Content Marketing
Simply Measured - 108: Matt Navarra on Social Media Influencers and Content Distribution
Cookie policy
Recent Posts
Why Social Marketers Need to Get Clear On“Engagement”2015 Digital Marketing Conference Guide[INFOGRAPHIC]10 Writing Tips to Help You “Sound Smart”What Is Social Analytics and Why Is It
iTunes RSS
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Important?5 Webinar Tips for Beginners
Blog Categories
Brand Profiles & Case StudiesCompany NewsEducation & AnalysisNews & EventsPodcastSocial Media StudiesSocial Media TrendsUncategorizedWhite Papers, Guides & Ebooks
Search the Blog
Search
Simply Measured
pdfcrowd.comopen in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API
Twitter Analytics
Facebook Analytics
Google+ Analytics
Instagram Analytics
YouTube Analytics
Vine Analytics
LinkedIn Analytics
Tumblr Analytics
Social Ads Analytics
Cross-Channel Analytics
Retail Social Analytics
Finance/Insurance Social Analytics
CPG Social Analytics
Sports Social Analytics
Restaurant Social Analytics
Media/Publishing Social Analytics
Travel/Hospitality Social Analytics
Social Media Analytics ResourcesFree Tools
Research, Guides & Definitions
Our Blog
Our CompanyAbout Us
Careers
In the Press
Contact Us
Follow Us
Trusted and Integrated
Simply Measured is the most complete social analytics solution, empowering marketers with unmatched access to their social data to more clearly definetheir social strategy and to optimize their tactics for maximum impact.
Copyright © 2010–2015 Simply Measured, Inc. 2211 Elliott Ave, Suite 310, Seattle, WA 98121. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy