What Will Facebook Graph Search Mean for SEO?

It was only a matter of time, but Facebook has officially entered the search game. This week, Facebook announced Graph Search, it’s new search for users to “Find more of what you’re looking for through your friends and connections.” How Facebook Graph Search will affect Google, Bing or the SEO world remains to be seen, but it’s the topic of this week’s SEO Web Talk Radio Show.

Not a Google-killer

Just how Google+ wasn’t a Facebook-killer, Graph Search won’t kill Google. Both are serving entirely different functions. The SEO world went a little bonkers with the announcement of Graph Search, and reasonably so, but now that things have settled down, it’s a good idea to take an objective look at what it really means for SEO.

First, unlike Google, Graph Search will not be indexing content from outside its own ecosphere. What it will be doing, though, is providing users with search results based on a few things: information created and shared by businesses, the searcher’s connections and the searchers’ and his or her friends’ activity (Likes, check-ins, comments etc.). Much like how Google decides whether or not a Google+ post is worthy of showing up on the front page, relevance will be determined by real, measurable interaction.

If you’re not active, start exercising

For some businesses, getting into the habit of being actively involved in their social networks is a lot like exercising. It takes time to get into the habit and it can be easy to get off track, but trust us, it’s worth it. If Facebook is going to be determining search relevance in part by the amount of interaction on your page, it’s time to get moving. It’s also important to note that pages with consistent, steady growth will carry the most weight in Graph Search.

Marketers’ best friend

Facebook is taking a big leap with Graph Search. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is even calling it the “third pillar” of the Facebook product, alongside Timeline and the Newsfeed. The future will tell if this new pillar will be what users have been wanting, but one thing is certain, marketers are salivating at the amount of data that will come with Graph Search. At its core, Facebook is about making money from its users, which is why Graph Search is so important. Not only will it give even more data to Facebook, but give advertisers a whole new place to insert their ads. We’re willing to bet that shortly after its full launch, users will begin to see ads show up in their Graph Search results.

Take a listen!

For more about Facebook Graph Search and its implications for SEO, listen to our podcast below. If you have comments or questions, don’t hesitate to let us know!

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