1. 21 points via BrandonHassler on Mar 14 2013  Flag    11 comments
    8 DISCUSSING
  • Brandon Hassler   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    We all know that SEO is only a part of a good digital marketing campaign. Our focus on a good marketing campaign should be more than just building links and on-page SEO so we can get traffic through Google (although those are still important things). So with that in mind, should we be getting ready for Facebook Graph Search? Or is this going to be just another new internet feature we use for a day and move on with our lives? *cough*The New MySpace*cough* 

    The reason I ask is when you have a network with over 1 billion users and it launches its own version of search, I think you'd be an idiot to ignore it. Many roll their eyes and say "Facebook will never compete with Google, not worth my time." But anybody who has used the new graph search will find Facebook isn't trying to compete with Google, but rather innovate the way we search. Facebook has data to pull from from the magical blue walled garden that Google doesn't have, so it's going to be interesting to see how people interact with this new search.

    So I ask, is this something so important that we should seriously start considering optimizing our brands on Facebook? Is FBO (Facebook Optimization) on its way?

  • Mark Traphagen   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    FBO = Gaming For Likes = Creating More Crappy Facebook. Facebook has NOT created a "new way to search." Graph Search is just a simplified database query, limited to the influence of your friends (and in some cases, their friends). 

  • James Norquay   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    I am currently testing it for opportunity, but the user base is very limited. that been said I still have many methadologys that drive good traffic from Facebook. It is just about testing what works and what does not work.

    I think the opportunity is HUGE for this product, but the thing is as the market is currently very small for the user base of it, its too early to make a call. 

    My advice is to be Testing and be involved 100%.

  • Michael Cropper   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    All non-sense at the minute - this is just branding what is ultimately just a search function. Facebook's search function has been terrible up until now, so it's about time it was improved. 

    Is it a game changer? Honestly, I don't believe so for the simple reason that it is all based on poor data. I like bacon. I don't 'like' bacon on Facebook - and I have no desire to do either. This is the same with many products/interests/things for other people. 

    Can it still be used? I'm sure people are going to find ways of utilising it well in certain niches - but it is certainly not all it is being cracked up to be at the minute, far too much hype about it. When I do finally get access though, I will have a full play and see what can be done - but I don't expect to find anything magical that I couldn't find elsewhere. 

  • Barry Adams   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    I actually think Graph Search will be a game changer. Its impact will be subtle first, but huge over time. Graph Search will start to siphon searches away from Google, as users catch on to the fact that socially rich search queries can be done much more reliably - and with a greater level of trust in the presented results - on Graph Search than on Google.

    It's not going to be an instant revolution, but a quiet yet undeniable evolution of search behaviour.... I for one am preparing for it.

  • Alex Clifford   Mar 15 2013   Flag

    I don't know Barry. I thikn it might end up siphoning searches for things your friends can answer e.g. where should I eat tonight? What did my friends think of that film? etc.

    Don't you think there'll always be a place for richer searches which your facebook friends can't answer? Things like technical questions. Where do need to know when I buy a pool? Which Android phone has the longest battery life? 

    Those kinds of things I don't think Facebook and our friends will ever have the ability to answer. What do you think?

  • Barry Adams   Mar 18 2013   Flag

    Of course, Google will always be top choice for informational-type search queries that have a minimal social element. I don't think Graph Search will ever replace Google web search entirely. But I do think Graph Search will take a high percentage of specific types of queries away from Google, and will instil a new type of social-first search behaviour in users as well.

  • Mark Traphagen   Mar 16 2013   Flag

    Hello? Search Plus Your World? Google has already had the ability to deliver "socially rich queries" on far broader array of search queries for over a year.

  • Barry Adams   Mar 18 2013   Flag

    No it hasn't. Google cannot tap in to Facebook's social graph anywhere near as cohesively as Facebook can. Imagine a scenario where you're travelling to, say, London, and need to find a decent restaurant. Google will give you results based on masses of anonymous, unknown, and potentially untrustworthy reviewers, whereas Graph Search can provide you with socially curated results from your friends. I know in which I would place my trust.

    Google tries to catch up to Facebook by shoving G+ down our throats, hoping it can leverage it to get socially rich results. Facebook, on the other hand, already has all that information. Graph Search will be huge, of that I have no doubt. 

  • Kyle Sanders   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    Graph Search is significant once everyone starts using it, which means now is a great time to start toying with it. 

  • Diana Urban   Mar 14 2013   Flag

    Graph Search still hasn't rolled out to my Facebook profile, which is frustrating since I've wanted to start playing with it for weeks! I think it's too early to tell whether or not it's worth taking Graph Search seriously, but I think that at this point, optimizing for it is easy enough, so it's worth the small amount of effort to do so.

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