Understanding the Facebook Algorithm in 2021: Ranking Signals and Tips

April 30, 2021 Jonathan Higgins

Understanding the Facebook Algorithm in 2021: Ranking Signals and Tips

As of 2020, Facebook has 1.82 billion daily active users and 2.7 billion monthly active users. And while Facebook usage is consistently growing, brands are noticing organic reach has started to decline. That’s where the Facebook algorithm comes in.

The average reach of an organic post from a Facebook page is only 5.2%. This is partly due to changes made to the Facebook algorithm that prioritize posts by people over content made by pages.

If you want your posts at the top of the Facebook newsfeed, you’ll need to know about the ranking factors and signals the Facebook algorithm uses to make decisions. Facebook recently outlined these factors as the following…

Engagement

  • Comments and likes
  • Engagement with Page content shared by friends
  • Shares on Messenger
  • Replies to comments on a video

Relationships

  • Who users interact with
  • Poster of the content
  • The profile’s percent complete
  • Interactions between people (interactions between people and pages carry less weight)

Content type

  • Type of post (video, link, image)
  • How informative the content
  • Time spent on the post

Recency

  • Newer posts shown first
  • When was it posted
  • What time is it now
  • Technology (what type of phone, internet connection)

Only have time to focus on a few Facebook algorithm ranking signals? Facebook suggests these, as they are widely considered to be “meaningful”:

  • Person sharing a link on messenger
  • Multiple replies to peoples’ comments on a video
  • Commenting or liking on a person’s photos or status updates
  • Engagement with a publisher post shared by a friend

If you want to learn more about how your content can include these major factors or how to increase your content engagement, reach out to learn more. We look forward to hearing from you!

A form of this post first appeared on AdEspresso

Jonathan Higgins

I spend my days collaborating thoughts, experiences and actions into unique and creative impressions that I deliver to the world. I like cats too. That's me.