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Facebook to Usher Click-Bait out of News Feeds

Posted 02nd September, 2014 by Aliysa

“This Man Was Out For A Normal Walk: You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!!!”

It’s an annoying line isn't it? Yet this “click-baiting” tactic of using over-hyped and sensational headlines to encourage click-throughs STILL somehow manages to dominate the content we view on Facebook. However this is about to change: the social network announced last Monday that they’ll be pushing posts like the one above down user’s News Feeds to make way for more interesting and relevant content.

To ensure your content’s reach doesn't suffer at the mercy of this News Feed improvement, Facebook have offered some insight into how they will distinguish useful content from click-bait:

Time Spent Away From Facebook:

When someone follows a post link on Facebook, the time spent on that page before returning to the network is now measured. The ‘time away’ is an indication as to how useful they found that content; if people click on an article and spend time reading it, this suggests they clicked through to something valuable. However, if a high proportion of visitors return straight back to their News Feed then your content may be considered as irrelevant click-bait.

Engagement:

Facebook will also look at the ratio of people clicking a link compared to the number of likes, shares and comments that particular post received. If a visitor finds your content valuable then it’s more likely that they’ll go on to like and comment on the post. Click-bait posts tend to get truly awful interaction levels so if your content is even half good, then this won’t affect your ranking one bit.


I don’t imagine many of you use the cheap thrill of click-baiting, but this News Feed improvement simply highlights the importance of sharing useful, relevant and sharable content.

Will this change to the News Feed alter how you use social media to promote your business? Do you think that this change will help provide users with better quality content on Facebook? I’d be fascinated to hear your views in the comments below.

Categories: Tips

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