A social media algorithm is a set of rules that platforms use to decide which content users see—and in what order—based on relevance and behavior.

Definition

It’s a content-ranking system that prioritizes posts on a user’s feed by predicting what they’re most likely to engage with.

Key Factors Algorithms Use

• User behavior (likes, shares, watch time)

• Content type (video, image, text)

• Relevance (topic, hashtags, trends)

• Recency (newer posts get preference)

• Relationships (accounts you interact with often)

Why It Matters

• Controls organic visibility of posts

• Affects reach, engagement, and traffic

• Determines which content goes viral

Use Cases for Marketers

• Optimize content format and timing

• Encourage early engagement to boost visibility

• Tailor content to audience preferences