16 Jan Facebook Rabbit Punches Google with “Graph Search”
Yesterday Facebook announced “Graph Search“, which will bring you search results from your friends as well as the ability to connect with likeminded people. While Facebook has a lot of data on you and your friends, and it has great potential, the product is still in beta and will need a lot of work to overtake Google based on what we’ve seen.
That said, it goes back to a point we’ve been saying forever: There’s a battle happening on the web between Google and Facebook, and this move by Facebook just planted a flag squarely in Google’s Search space.
And while research shows word of mouth recommendations top any other form of media in trustworthiness, ultimately it comes down to trust and relevance:
Are the results I’m getting from the people I know better than what I can find elsewhere?
Thus far Facebook has yet to solve for this dilemma. Displaying a brand page that a friend likes is not any more likely to a) remind me that I like the brand, and b) entice me to try it – even with an offer.
Brands can get a quick rundown of tips where Facebook brand Pages can be optimized for search here.