This past April, the world learned that Facebook had hired a PR firm to spread anti-Google stories in high-profile publications like USA Today, The Washington post, Politico, and The Huffington Post. The pitch? That Google infringes “on the privacy rules and rights of hundreds of companies ranging from Yelp to Facebook and Twitter to LinkedIn.” This is an ironic accusation from the social networking giant who has time and time again been accused of invading its own users’ privacy. Across the globe, you can hear mutterings of “the pot calling the kettle black.”
The tension between Google and Facebook has been simmering for a while, and seems ready to go into a full boil. Facebook has been gearing up to make significant changes to the way it relates to the web; developers were expecting major announcements at this year’s F8 conference, which was supposed to be held April 21, 2011; however, while Google and Twitter’s conferences have come and gone, the Facebook conference never happened. Would Mark Zuckerburg have announced something big- something even bigger than last year’s “like” button? The buzz on the web is that Facebook is taking its social network to a whole new level, laying the groundwork for total internet reorganization. While high Google rankings (coveted by website owners) are based upon building links (or relationships between pages); Facebook could change the game entirely by reorganizing the internet according to relationships between people. The tension in the air thickens as internet users wait for Facebook to make its next move.
In an effort to keep up with a constantly evolving global informational technology system, Google has been struggling to get information onto the web faster and in real time. In 2009, Google incorporated live Twitter feeds into its search results, suddenly making Twitter a tool for SEO. Google also uses links posted on Facebook as a ranking signal. Google has tried to make its rankings based on the quality of content as opposed to other factors that affect SEO, thereby presenting search results that are not only relevant but are high-quality. However, a million different little factors make this difficult. Facebook, with its shiny new “like” button, could boost search results based on personal opinions of millions of people across the web. No one has come close to toppling Google’s internet stronghold, but if Facebook could come up with a strong search, it might very well have a shot.
However, if Google is struggling and Facebook is posed to be the “face” of the web, where was the need for Facebook’s ridiculous attempt at a smear-campaign? Was it simple deflection from the public’s scrutiny of its own privacy issues? Or are the powers that be seriously concerned that Google’s own social networking tool, Social Circle, is a threat? The reason for the attack remains vague, but onlookers realize that it is but one small battle what looks to be an all-out war between the two biggest names on the internet. We can only sit back and wonder- “how will this (eventually) affect me?”
Citations:
- What Social Signals Do Google & Bing Really Count? SearchEngineLand.com
- Facebook vs. Google: Game On CNN.com
- Facebook paid PR firm to smear Google Guardian.co.uk
- Google deflects PR firm’s attack of Gmail privacy USAToday.com
About the Author
Cory Howell is a search engine marketing professional and social media strategist for MorePro Marketing in Phoenix. Whether you’re using social media yourself or outsourcing to contractors, a web content contributor agreement is a good way to protect your business from potential misuse. Follow @moreSEOtips on Twitter.
