Some people don’t understand why Google had to get into the social media sphere. They figure social media and search are two very different areas of the web. They think there’s little overlap and that Google just started Google+ to get into Facebook’s space and generate more advertising revenue for themselves at some point.

I disagree.

I think that Google saw the writing on the walls. They saw a world where interacting with friends via social media actually meant LESS SEARCH [Read: less people clicking on paid ads].

Here’s an example of what I’m taking about:

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In this example, I used Facebook and my social circles to help me find (search) and choose a product to purchase. Before Facebook, I may have asked around, but would have probably Googled smokers and smoker reviews. Now, with all the fake reviews and paid blogs, I don’t know who to believe. But I will trust my friends’ opinions.

You’ve probably seen this yourself. Your friends ask where they should vacation, or the name of a good hotel where they’ll be traveling, even the name of a good stylist or landscaper. All those queries – former Google searches that could have resulted in a click on a sponsored ad.

Now, isn’t it clear why Google+ is taking on Facebook?

Also of note: I’ve highlighted all the brand names that came up when I asked my friends about smokers. One person even sent me a link directly to the smoker they use. If you’re an online business, have you made it easy for your happy and loyal customers to share your products with the likes of Facebook? It’s worth thinking about.

Thanks for reading. And always, please feel free to share.

David McBee

 – – – – – – – – – – UPDATE – – – – – – – – – –

A few hours after posting this article a good friend of mine snagged these off of his Facebook wall and shared them with me. Looks like some dentists owe Facebook (and their loyal patients) a debt of gratitude.