Questions: Google vs. Facebook - [website] Published: 20th of Apr 2011 by: (c) Staff Training Reporter
Have you ever posed a question, like what’s the best place to eat in Cape Town, to your Facebook friends instead of typing the query into Google?
I’m sure many of us have; it’s a sure-fire way of getting the most relevant answers and who better to trust than your friends?
And while you think Google may be unaffected by this emerging trend, the truth is that the world’s largest search engine relies on its users to be able to provide the best search results, and the more users that stray will mean the less relevant the results become.
Now for Google to see rapid growth in internet users is highly unlikely (those who can afford to use the internet already do), and the same can be said for Facebook, so it seems that Google is going to have win back the appeal of its users and get them Googling their questions again instead of simply asking their friends.
Another problem faced by the search giant is Search Engine Optimisers (SEOs) – people who, through the optimisation of meta-tags, keywords and site code, push your website to the top of Google’s rankings – who are making the site less relevant all on their own.
So, to combat these issues Google has followed in Facebook’s footsteps and have created what they call the “+1 button”, much like Facebook’s “like” button.
With the +1 button users would be able to select the results most relevant to them, helping Google keep their results pertinent and, I’m sure the company hopes, starting a new trend that’ll see users flocking back to the site.
Whether this will catch on, or fail miserably like Google’s attempt at a social networking site like Google Buzz, is unclear right now, but it goes to show you how a seemingly innocent site like Facebook can topple a powerhouse like Google without even trying.
