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Social Media Search Engine on the Horizon
Let’s say I am visiting Miami (-a dream in this cold weather), and I am desperate for a good Cuban sandwich. I could use Google to search where to go, which would most likely lead me to websites with the best SEO for a Cuban, which is fine. But I would sooner trust friends’ opinions who have spent some time in Miami than the strategically written SEO on a website. Luckily, Facebook has recently announced a new feature called Graph Search that will easily allow me to search my friends’ opinions, helping me find anything from a mouthwatering Cuban in Miami to a trusted dentist in Denver.
People tend to trust the opinions of their friends. Graph Search is a more social search experience for users, using their Facebook friends (and friends of friends) as a filter. Graph Search enables you to put in keywords to search meaningful and relevant content through the user’s friends’ “likes”, places they have been, etc. If none of your friends have relevant information, Bing steps in as a second search engine to reveal results from extended networks including friends of friends and the internet. Graph Search is still in early beta for a limited group, so it will still be a little while until it is available for all users.
What does this mean for businesses?
Appearing in a Graph Search will soon be just as important as appearing in a Google search. Facebook is solidifying its algorithm for its search engine, and it is becoming incredibly close to how we are searching for information on the internet.
How can businesses build relevance on Graph Search? (Bringing SEO to Facebook)
- Have keyword-rich status updates. Bing, the second arm of graph search, will pick up on these relevant keywords to help users when searching.
- To gain relevance in Graph Search, get more and more users to “like” your page.
- Post compelling content for your audience that initiates higher levels of engagement. The Graph Search will pick up on this interaction as well as other users. More content engagement means appearing on news feeds more often. Fresh content is important to SEO through social media and your website.
- To get users interacting, try posting questions or polls relevant to your industry. This will give them an opportunity to have their voice heard and feel part of a community with similar interests.
To learn more about Facebook’s Graph Search and sign up for the wait list, check out: http://www.facebook.com/about/graphsearch
As for a mouthwatering Cuban sandwich, the search continues…
