Facebook did it again.
Remember when we all got Newsfeeds for the first time? And then last year, when Timeline made us all embarrassed because our friends could find pictures of us from 2006?
Well, Facebook has decided to switch up the way we use the largest social network in the world once again, and this time, it’s by implementing a new search function: Facebook Graph Search.
What Does Graph Search Do?
Right now, you can use Facebook’s search bar to search for lots of things, including companies, people and interests. But you can only search for one of those things at a time, and can’t get very specific in your requests. Facebook’s Graph Search will change that.
Instead of just one search term, with Graph Search you’ll be able to select multiple variables at once. For instance you can search for “Chinese restaurants” that “my friends like.” Or you can search for other “books” that “users who liked Cormac McCarthy’s The Road also liked.” Or you can search for “donut shops” located in “Duluth, Minnesota.”
This new functionality will allow you to be crazy specific with what you search for, and makes Facebook “likes” into something much more useful. You’ll probably even be able to search through a list of all things your Facebook friends have ever liked.
What Do I Need to Do To Be Ready?
Basically, Graph Search means that you need to make sure Facebook can find your business’s page when people are searching for terms relevant to your business.
For instance, make sure that your company Facebook page has an accurate and keyword-rich ‘About’ description, page category and page subcategories.
Include terms that potential customers might be searching for. If you’re a software company in Montgomery, Alabama, make sure you include both of those things, as well as listing any specific products a customer might be looking for.
Another side effect: the more your Facebook page’s posts are shared, liked or commented on, the more popular you will be in the search results. These things really matter.
Will Graph Search Be An Important Change?
It COULD be an important change. But then again, it’s up to all of us.
If businesses embrace the new Graph Search by creating detailed Facebook business pages, complete with accurate keywords and high customer engagement, then Graph Search will be more valuable because it will be able to be more precise and relevant.
Of course, if the users themselves don’t enthusiastically embrace the changes, it won’t matter how much businesses try to do to help Graph Search take off. People have to be using Graph Search in ways that they didn’t already use Facebook’s existing search, otherwise your business’s Facebook page won’t get any added value from Graph Search.
But we bet that, like the Timeline and the Newsfeed before it, Graph Search will take off. There might be some complainers and late adopters, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Make sure your business’s Facebook page is well-optimized for Graph Search NOW, so that if it gets big LATER, you’ll already be ready to go, and take advantage of your early lead.
