Facebook’s EdgeRank algorithm is the key to getting your brand’s posts seen by followers. Understanding it’s simple, yet often misunderstood principles, can dramatically increase the amount of visibility for your organization on Facebook.

The folks over at Postrocket put together a series of infographics on how to understand Facebook’s EdgeRank and how to make the most of it. Here’s the quick overview:

What is EdgeRank?

EdgeRank is the algorithm that Facebook uses to determine what posts appear on each individual user’s newsfeed page in order to give users relevant and wanted content. The three variables that make up this algorithm are:

1. Affinity – Measures the relationship between the viewing user and the creator of the story. The closer the relationship, the higher the score.
2. Weight – Different types of posts carry different weights. The higher the weight, the higher the score. In order they rank:
   1. Photos / Videos
   2. Links
   3. Plain Text Updates
3. Time Decay – How old is the post? As a post ages, it continually loses value. This way your newsfeed will always remain fresh with recent news. How quickly the post loses value, or “decays” is also dependent on the Facebook user. For example, if you only log in once a week, stories that are a few days old still have a chance of appearing in your newsfeed.

Why does EdgeRank Matter?

Facebook’s EdgeRank matters because 96% of fans DON’T go back to a brand’s Facebook page after initial engagement (if they even go to the page in the first place). Also your post is 40–150 times more likely to reach your fans in the newsfeed than your page.

The newsfeed has been the most popular feature since it was introduced in 2006 and it’s only becoming more popular. In 2011, 27% of all time on Facebook was spent in the Newsfeed; compared with 2012 where that number was up to 40% of all time spent on Facebook.

All that said, only 16% of your fans will see your post on average. So, what can you do to improve your page’s EdgeRank?

Here are 6 tips (with statistics straight from Facebook) on how to improve your EdgeRank and gain visibility in Facebook’s Newsfeed:

1. Keep it Short – Posts between 100 and 250 characters get 60% more likes, comments, and shares than posts over 250 characters.
2. Be Visual – Posting photo albums, photos, and videos get 180%, 120%, and 100% more engagement respectively. (Tip: Post a link as a photo with the article title and URL in the caption to increase reach)
3. Ask For What You Want – Asking simple opinion-driven questions or “fill-in-the-blanks” will bring in 90% more engagement than the average post.
4. Post Daily – 96% of your fans aren’t coming back to your page, so posting frequently is the only way to consistently reach them.
5. Be Relevant, But Not Pushy – Posts related to, but not directly about your brand, perform best. Example: If you are a muffin shop, your posts should be about more recipes and baking tips – not politics, religion, or cats.
6. Be Timely – Test out different times to find the best times for your audience and then stick with them. (Tip: Overall, people engage most with pages from 9m to 10pm, with the 18–24 year old demographic most active at that time).

Sources: PostRocket, comScore, Facebook stats via PostRocket