by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

So, how do you optimize your Facebook Fan Page or Group for SEO?  Lets look at some strategies to use.
  1. Setting up your Facebook Fan Page - do not select the "Local" category unless you "ONLY" serve a specific geographic region.  Otherwise, the chances of being found outside that local region will be severely limited when a search is performed by a user.  If you really do have a limited geographic area that you serve, then by all means select the local category as that will help you get found by those you want to find you.
  2. Including Keywords - Try to include keywords in your Facebook Fan Page name.  Do Not put ".com" in your name as it will make your Page harder to appear in the internal Facebook search.  Make sure to add keywords to your Facebook Fan Page description and be sure the Page has a link to your Website and make sure to include the http:// in front of the web address so it becomes a clickable link.
  3. Never send first time visitors to your Page's wall.  Instead, create a customized landing page that describes what your Page is about and invites them to become a Fan.  Send your existing fans to your Facebook Fan Page's wall or better yet, to a customized landing page that offers them an opportunity (discount, sale, first to see....).
  4. Customized Facebook URL - after your Page has 100 fans, set up a customized URL for your Fan Page by going to http://facebook.com/username.  Ours is http://www.facebook.com/XstremeMedia.
  5. Promote your Facebook Page - do this by commenting on other's walls, statuses, updates and notes.  Make sure to add to the conversation to avoid being labeled a spammer.  Also, make sure to promote your Fan Page or Group via other social media outlets - Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, etc. - to drive people there.  Using contests, promotions and giveaways is an excellent way to generate awareness and increase fans.
  6. Use Facebook Ads to advertise your company and/or products to Facebooks users.  This goes a long way in helping push you up in the internal Facebook search.
Start now on increasing your exposure.  Make sure to remember to treat Facebook just like any other marketing campaign you are running, by tracking and measuring the ROI.