In our last post, we discussed just how important engagement is for the success of Facebook pages – and how to build a more reliable following for them. Providing a steady stream of content that appeals to your target audience is undoubtedly at the core of any Facebook marketing effort, but some tactics simply require some basic changes or optimizations to provide additional success.

Facebook pages are now more customizable than ever, offering dozens of unique fields where information can be added. In addition to this, many different plug-ins, add-ons and elements of your brand can be directly integrated into the page for maximum effect.

Today, we’ll discuss how brands can optimize their Facebook business pages for maximum effectiveness on social media and beyond.

Fill Out Brand and Location Details Thoroughly

In order for your Facebook page to successfully optimize itself for both Facebook and search engines at large, as much information as possible should be added to it. There are many important fields that should be fleshed out regardless of your brand’s size or complexity, including address, phone number, website, business category, email address and your brand’s “about” description.

By pinging to Google and Facebook internally this information, your brand’s page will be more likely to appear in external and internal search results. It also helps users find out more about you, how to contact you outside of Facebook and where they can find you in-person (if applicable).

Take Advantage of Custom URLs

Further helping to optimize your Facebook page, custom URLs have been available for several years. This customized URLs make it easy for people to remember how to quickly find your Facebook page, as well as make it easy to add them to business cards or other forms of content with limited space.

Additionally, choosing a custom URL that reflects your brand and/or its targeted keywords can help further improve the chances of your page – and more broadly, your brand – appearing in relevant local or niche search results. As such, it’s not a surprise that most brands use this. Given it only takes a few seconds to setup, there’s no excuse not to use it!

Utilize Profile and Cover Photos

How your brand appears on social media matters. There’s the tone, vibe and aura that your brand gives off, but there is also the straightforward visual impression you make on audiences. Brands that have poorly-designed Facebook page graphics tend to do poorly: this is because professional imagery is conflated with professional brands.

Spending even just $10 or $20 to have a custom cover photo produced by a freelance graphic designer is better than doing it on your own. Use vivid colors, incorporate your brand and – where possible – try to tell a story. You want crisp, clean and attention-grabbing cover and profile photos, so don’t forget to spruce up these particular elements when creating or revising a Facebook page.

Optimize Reviews, Comments and Other Features

Facebook allows brands to configure whether users can leave reviews, how/if they can leave comments, and whether or not they can message you. Depending on your brand’s exact focus and needs, one or more of these elements may be vital or unnecessary. Be sure to tweak these elements in your general settings for maximum benefit and efficiency!

Ultimately, Facebook pages aren’t just pinging content to fans and followers: they’re pinging to Google, Bing and a variety of other websites that analyze or transpose this data. Optimizing your Facebook page both for internal and external benefit is a sure-fire way to improve growth and boost engagement: use the above advice, and your page will enjoy additional growth in no time!