Posts made on a Facebook Page are not going to be seen by all users who follow it. Normally, they are only shown to a small percentage of followers, which is why it’s important to understand how the algorithm Facebook uses to order posts in users’ timelines works.
Facebook’s algorithm is constantly changing to sort the content it shows to each user.
The social network estimates that every time a user logs into their profile, they could encounter an average of 1,500 new pieces of content published by their friends and by companies, institutions, media outlets, and others they follow.
It would be impossible for them to consume all of it, so Facebook takes on the role of “sorting” it so that those posts that might interest the user most are shown first. It’s not that some content doesn’t appear—actually, all of it is displayed—but those that are ranked lower may never be seen by users if they don’t scroll down far enough.
In addition to “helping” users easily find content that is relevant to them and not miss out on something that might interest them, even if it was posted days ago, Facebook also improves its usage statistics with this selection. By showing “what the user wants,” the number of interactions and the time spent on the platform increases… which means the company can also increase its advertising revenue.
In any case, it must be acknowledged that if all the updates the social network handles for each user were not classified and content was shown in chronological order, many interesting posts would be buried under a flood of new updates. In the long run, this would mean a decrease in the number of stories users read.
What variables does the Facebook algorithm take into account?
What does Facebook consider when carrying out this “curation” of content? Its algorithm considers numerous variables and, moreover, does not follow the same criteria for all users; the selection is personalized and improves with the user’s activity on the platform. For example, when a user indicates that they “like” a piece of content, they are acknowledging that this type of content is relevant to them and, in principle, may be interested in seeing more similar posts or more posts from the person or brand that shared it. On the other hand, if they hide information, they are showing that they are not interested in that type of update.
Every time a user logs into Facebook, the algorithm reorders the posts it will show them, giving each one a score. Thus, the highest-rated ones will be shown first. Initially, these are the variables the algorithm considers based on the indications provided by users:
– The frequency with which the user interacts with the page: the number of times they visit it, “like” or react to its content, comment on it, share it, etc.
– The number of interactions a specific post receives, both from people the user is connected with and from the general Facebook audience.
– The amount of interaction the user has had with that type of post in the past.
The core values in the Facebook algorithm
In addition to these “general” considerations regarding user behavior, Facebook constantly introduces changes to its algorithm to improve the way it orders the content it shows. It is necessary to pay close attention to these updates and adapt your strategy. However, it must be acknowledged that many of these new variables clearly harm corporate pages. In fact, in recent years they have seen their post reach drop sharply, and their managers have to resort to paid options to make their content more visible on the platform.
The reason for this situation lies in a change Facebook introduced in the summer of 2016. Since then, in addition to considering users’ likes and actions, other fixed variables have come into play. For example, more value is given to posts made by friends and family than to those shared by business pages, taking into account a series of core values. What are those fundamental values Facebook refers to?
– Friends and family first. Posts from contacts will receive a higher score from the algorithm.
– A platform for all ideas. Posts with more interactions will be valued more.
– Real communication. Content that generates more conversation will rank higher.
– You control your experience. What users indicate they want to see or not will also be taken into account by the algorithm.
– Constant iteration. That is, the algorithm will be constantly improved.
Changes in the Facebook algorithm
For several years now, Facebook has been constantly changing its algorithm and adding new considerations and variables to the way it orders each user’s update feed. For example, in February 2017, on the first anniversary of the official arrival of reactions (the “love,” “sad,” “wow,” etc. buttons), Facebook confirmed that the algorithm would now consider posts that received a reaction as more relevant than those that only received a simple “like.”
However, the social network does not take into account whether the reaction selected by the user is positive (for example, “love”) or negative (“sad”); for now, it values all emotions equally when considering them for ranking.
Many of the modifications Facebook has recently introduced to its algorithm have to do with the proliferation of fake news and its fight against clickbait, penalizing the pursuit of easy clicks with sensationalist or misleading headlines. In this regard, the social network values the quality of a page, and if it considers it low, it will show its posts significantly less.
How Facebook measures the quality of a Page
How does Facebook measure the quality of a page? First, it considers a technical aspect: the loading time of the website, giving more importance to the mobile version[4], something Google also does when ranking search results on the Internet.
The social network analyzes the device the user is using, as well as their Internet connection, and organizes the timeline so that links to content that would load quickly appear first. For example, if the user is in an area with poor connectivity or low coverage, they will likely see fewer videos at the top.
On the other hand, the algorithm values that the headlines of shared posts reflect what the user will find in the content. Thus, it expressly penalizes pages that create disappointment and asks both companies and media outlets to use titles that meet expectations and do not encourage so-called clickbait with texts like “You won’t believe what happened next.”
Moreover, Facebook places great importance on the quality of what is shared. Since May 2017, the company has penalized the publication of low-quality links that lead to web pages offering very little content or too many advertising formats, which it considers spam.
The Facebook algorithm for images and videos
These measures not only affect posts with links but also audiovisual elements (photos on Facebook and videos). In this regard, since early 2017, Facebook has taken into account the percentage of video completion and considers that the longer a video is watched, the more relevant it is for users.
It also penalizes pages that post photos with a fake “play” icon, pretending they are videos, as well as those that conduct fake live broadcasts. This is something many companies used to launch animated polls and ask users to respond to a topic by choosing a reaction: “love,” “sad,” etc.
Similarly, the company also made another change to the algorithm in December 2017 and began penalizing business pages that explicitly ask users for “likes.” It also penalizes those that post the same viral videos over and over just because many users share them. According to Facebook, this is a practice some pages use to gain reach but increases the number of times users mark the content as “irrelevant” or “spam.”
