SEO for New Facebook Graph Search Engine

When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) everyone’s primary focus is on Google and then on Bing and Yahoo search. Recently facebook announced its own search engine, the Graph search engine. Should we start focusing on optimizing our web pages for facebook search engine? I think yes ! The simple reason for this is that facebook has one billion users(including the fake accounts) and this one billion figure is what, that says facebook graph search engine should not be ignored.

How facebook Graph Search Work

Graph search is not like a traditional web search. Its different than Google, bing or Yahoo search. It has some elements of web search because it shows few results from bing web search. Facebook graph search shows the search results based on the social data collected over the years. It knows what your friends like, which pub they like to visit, what is their favorite food, what restaurants they like, who among their network is single and lots of such similar information. The search tool is based on the premise that the data within Facebook is enough to display in the search result. It answers your search queries based on the data contained in your social network. If graph search can’t find enough information from the social data then it displays the result from its search partner Microsoft’s Bing. For example if you are searching for grocery store in Delhi. You would type that question into a box on your Facebook page and the results would show stores your friends liked or where they had checked in. It may also show you sponsored pages and apps as adds.

Graph search opens a whole new area of search engine optimization. Graph search SEO  is entire different from Google, bing or yahoo search engine optimization as it does not include the traditional web page optimization. Facebook search bar first returns the top search suggestions, which includes people, pages, places, apps and groups  The result returned are based on the information that has been shared by your facebook friends, the pages you have liked and also the things shared by you.

SEO for Facebook Graph Search

In order to make your page appear in the search result you need to optimize your business page. Below are few things that you must do to optimize your facebook page.

Use Vanity URL

If your page doesn’t have vanity url yet then get it soon because pages without vanity url ranks down in the result page. To get the vanity url go to facebook.com/username from there you will be able to pick vanity url for your page.

Add proper information about your page

Use the search friendly keyword rich title for your page. Also select the appropriate category and the information about your page, that can help users to locate your page. You can update this info by going to the ‘about’ section of your page.

Update the address

If you have a location or a local place Page, update your address to make sure you can appear as a result when someone is searching for a specific location.

Increase page likes

Make the right fans to like your page. Do not just buy likes from the facebook fans sellers , it wont work out. Interact with the fans make some offers to them to like your page. If you have budget you can pay facebook to get targeted fans to your page.

Make your page look attractive

Add a good cover to your page. Use apps to integrate more features to your page and also add suggest to friend app that will let your fans to suggest the page to their friends.

Optimize your app

Apps are give high preference in the graph search results . If you have any facebook app then try optimizing it. Make sure your app details are up-to-date and that your app is properly categorized.

Facebook graph search is currently in the evaluation phase. Only few people have access to it. After it become available to public we will come to know more about the SEO techniques for graph search. Till then you can apply the above basics things.