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Social media algorithms determine which content gets seen and by whom, impacting everything from visibility to engagement, so it’s important to understand how these algorithms work.
Algorithms are constantly changing and updating to give us even better experiences and new features —so, in other words, it can be a lot to keep up with! But your social media marketing efforts shouldn’t be a shot in the dark to try and attract the attention of your desired audience. With the right strategy and understanding of how your content is seen and consumed, you can continue growing your business and reach new customers.
Let’s look at some behind-the-scenes mechanics of popular social media channels and see how these changes affect how businesses structure their social media strategy.
Why Do Social Media Algorithms Keep Changing?
According to Facebook, there are more than 1,500 stories competing to display at the top of a user’s newsfeed. That’s a lot of competition at any given time! The algorithm is responsible for sorting through and finding the content a user would be most interested in seeing.
As expectations, wants, and interests change, so must the algorithm to keep up with how we consume and interact with content. That’s why it’s important to know your audience and understand how the algorithm works so you can continue to reach your customers.
The two biggest reasons why social media algorithms change include:
- Providing a better user experience. When you see what you want — meaningful, captivating, and current content — you’re more likely to spend time on the platform. This keeps the social media environment vibrant and enjoyable so users interact more and share content that interests them.
- Improving content relevance. As our interests evolve, algorithms need to adapt to ensure the content shown matches what we want to see. This helps maintain user engagement and prevents the feed from becoming stale or irrelevant.
Here are some of the factors that may determine when a post displays on a social feed:
- Engagement Metrics
- Post Timing
- User Interaction History
- Content Type
- Relevancy Scores
Social Media Algorithm Changes You Should Know About
The algorithm aims to improve how we interact with the social media platform. Let’s take a look at a few social media algorithms in 2024:
Multiple algorithms within the app determine what content is seen. Each section of the app, such as Feed, Explore, and Reels, uses its own unique ranking system based on how users interact with the content. Here’s what you should know:
- They are prioritizing the visibility of Reels
- Shorter reels perform better
- Timing and frequency of posting play a big role
- The algorithm prioritizes original content
- Signals and content interactions are used to rank everything
Facebook’s algorithm has evolved into a fast, AI-driven system that distributes content through a four-step process each time you open the app. This process determines which content is most relevant to the user. Some things you should know about the current algorithm include:
- AI analyzes user behavior and preferences and uses ranking signals to display content
- Prioritizing posts that spark meaningful interactions and engagement
- Relevancy scores are used to rank content
- Predicted time spent on a post and likelihood of engagement are factors in ranking
- The algorithm is designed to show varying content
YouTube
The algorithm on YouTube is less focused on who you already follow and more on recommendations based on what a user has already watched. The platform doesn’t evaluate the content within your video at all and instead uses viewer activity to build context and ranking, including:
- Likes, comments, and shares
- Watch percentage and watch time
- Previous user activity
How to Make the Algorithm Work for You
For your business to thrive among constant algorithm changes, we recommend creating high-quality content, leveraging video for more engagement, optimizing your social media ads, and staying updated on the latest trends.
Staying on top of algorithm changes can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Contact the experts at UpSwell to boost your social media strategy and earn more customers.
