One of the ways that you can get your brand “out there” is to make use of Facebook. Users are interested in connecting with brands online, and Facebook is a big place to connect. However, it doesn’t do you much good to be on Facebook if your fans and potential customers don’t see your new posts.

Facebook developed a way to rank stories that might be important in news feeds, called EdgeRank. If you have a higher EdgeRank with a user, then your posts will be moved closer to the top of the news feed, and what you post is more likely to be seen.

What is EdgeRank?

At its most basic, EdgeRank is an algorithm designed by Facebook to determine which items are seen by different users, as well as determine how high those items appear in the news feed. There are three main parts to Facebook’s EdgeRank:

• Affinity: This is about the relationship between your brand and the Facebook user. The more interactions you have with a user, the more likely it is that your posts will place higher. The more a user comments, likes, and clicks on your posts, the higher the affinity. Sharing is also a big part of affinity.
• Weight: EdgeRank also weighs each of the actions that a user can take. The more that is required for interaction, the greater the weight. For instance, a comment is weighted more heavily in the algorithm than a like.
• Time decay: Over time, your post becomes less valuable. The older a post is, the less likely it is to show up high in the news feed. It’s about keeping things somewhat fresh for Facebook users.

Increase Your EdgeRank

If you want to increase your EdgeRank, you need to take steps to ensure that your posts are more engaging. You want, at the very least, to encourage your fans and others in your network to like your posts. Here are 3 actions you can take to increase your EdgeRank and boost your visibility on Facebook:

1. Use photos: People like to be engaged visually. Use photos to draw attention. There are sites that can help you create humorous images (Some Ecards comes to mind), and that can help you participate in popular memes. You don’t have to limit yourself to humorous images, though. You can also post useful photos, and general interset photos. Create photo albums (tutorials are great for this) and upload those. Photos encourage comments and likes, and sharing.
2. Add more text to your posts: One of the growing trends is the “see more” ability with Facebook. Go ahead and add a lot more text. As long as you are saying something interesting, users will click on the “see more” and engage. Don’t forget to respond to comments and keep the conversation going.
3. Share your posts on other social media: Encourage those in your other social media networks to visit your Facebook post. Share your post on LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, and other networks. That will encourage others to visit your post and engage.

The point of EdgeRank is to figure out how important what you post is to the user. If you can encourage engagement, your EdgeRank will improve, more people will see your posts at the top of their news feeds, and you will (hopefully) see an increase in traffic and conversions.