Google, as we all know, is the ‘King of Search’. However, recent improvements in Facebook have pointed out the fact that social media platforms are equally capable of replacing conventional web search.
Today, Facebook’s search capabilities are highly competitive and almost on par with Google. Does that mean Facebook will replace Google in the near future? And if it does, how will that change the game of local SEO?
In order to answer that, let’s first go through some pros and cons of using Facebook as a search platform.
Pros of Facebook as Local Search
- Massive user-base – With a user base of more than 1 billion that’s still growing, Facebook obviously makes it much easier to reach out to your audience.
- Facebook knows you – Everybody knows that the advertisements you see on your Facebook page are basically optimized according to your interests.
- Newsfeed is an endless canvas – Facebook’s newsfeed consists of a large amount of info which users can continuously scroll through easily.
- Recommendation from known people – Facebook basically highlights local businesses which have been visited, liked or reviewed by your friends.
Cons of Facebook as Local Search
- Location information isn’t utilized – Mobile searches mostly have local intent, however, regardless of that fact Facebook doesn’t optimize its search results on the basis of distance from you.
- Search component aloof from the web – A big disadvantage of using Facebook’s for search is that the results are limited to businesses enlisted on Facebook only. Google’s search results, on the other hand, encompass a wider range of businesses.
So What Can We Conclude?
Regardless of the benefits of Facebook’s search capabilities, it can be rightly concluded that Facebook isn’t ready yet to replace search giants like Google. Facebook still has a long way to go but is definitely a viable contender in the local search paradigm.
Business owners rarely have time to track and optimize their efforts when it comes to social media presence and that is exactly where we, at Iron Paper, come in. Our digital marketing experts will pour in their best to strengthen the Facebook profile of your business so that you get the maximum ROI.