Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Facebook is absolutely huge today. But just because it’s extremely popular, does that mean Facebook beats Google in terms of marketing effectiveness?

To answer this compelling question, you have to look at how people really use the Internet, while overlooking Facebook hype.  Although Google and Facebook are similar in many ways, they also have some big differences, especially when it comes to achieving results for businesses and Internet searchers.

Search V. Display

Seattle SEO Consultant helps our clients succeed online daily by increasing their online visibility. We know search marketing is usually much more effective than display marketing for the simple reason that it puts businesses in front of potential customers at the very moment they’re looking to buy.

Although display marketing strategies like banners and pay per click ads are effective on Facebook, Google, and other websites, search marketing is still the best method for attracting sales. It’s also the main reason why people visit Google.

Adding to this, most people trust the Google search results over display ads. This is simply because today’s consumers know display ads are paid for ads while the search results come straight from Google.  After all, if Google thinks your business is worthy of a #1 ranking, consumers will think you’re the best choice.

Google display advertising relates directly to keywords, but Facebook display advertising is more personal. Facebook uses algorithms to pull information from member profiles and their posts when choosing the display ads that appear. This means Facebook chooses display ads on the basis of a member’s likes and dislikes instead of through specific keywords.

Search Marketing Is Still #1

While Facebook offers a way to personally market to consumers, search marketing is still number one, and will be around for a long time. How do I know? Because it all comes down to how people use Facebook.

People use Facebook to connect and interact with people. However, when people look for products or services, they head to Google. Facebook may help with business branding and creating business awareness, but when people are serious about making a purchase, they go directly to Google and typically click on the websites they find in the top two pages of results.

In complimentary ways, Facebook and Google work together to recall to the original purposes of the Internet.  It really wasn’t to make it simpler to share cute videos of people’s cats. But sharing was at the root of the thing.  As the last quarter of the twentieth century began, for the most part, the only really effective computers belonged to research institutions or government, who was also using their computers for research.  It wasn’t uncommon for scientists to have a need to share their work between other institutions; and the Internet was originally developed to meet this need.

At about the same, useful home computers came on the market. These were far from the desktops and laptops which are nearly universal today. These were mostly machines for hobbyists, and the nascent Internet gave these amateur computer enthusiasts a simple and effective way to share their fun.

The line between fun and serious business on computers, and especially on the Internet, is often blurry. Marketing, whether socially or through search, is a good example of this blurriness.

If you’re interested in successfully building your business through display marketing, search marketing, Facebook, or Google, contact Seattle SEO Consultant today to arrange a free half hour consultation with Chad!