One might think that the fact that Google+ is involved in the social media is merely bad news for Facebook. It might seem to be the case that Facebook getting involved in search would be negative for the prospects of Google. However, these kinds of basic assumptions might be somewhat misleading. This is basically because of the fluid complexity of the search world. Those interested in the finer points of web marketing would do well to reflect on some relevant complicating factors.
At Click Consult, we study the search sector in the kind of comprehensive detail that permits campaigns to attain gradualist success. Every campaign is site-specific and flexible enough to allow it to be steered to meet new challenges which come from the changing search world.
Since its inception last year, Google+ has attracted users in the social media sector. Many consultants are beginning to appreciate how Google+ can be manipulated as part of a campaign. However, Facebook has a massive lead over Google+ in terms of user numbers. It might have been annoyed by the way Google had been pushing Google+ earlier in the year, but in one way the evolution of Google+ may be helping the social media giant.
Facebook did not have as much intense competition before Google+ launched. Google’s earlier efforts at having a social media platform had come to nothing with the demise of Google Buzz. Twitter was a growing force, but it was far behind Facebook. Facebook could tell that Google was taking Google+ seriously and the consequence was that Facebook began to innovate more.
The fact is that social networking is growing in popularity. Users often use several networks. There is little prospect of a mass exodus from Facebook in the foreseeable future. Any vulnerability over the issue of privacy is not unique to Facebook. Therefore, it is easy to overestimate the problem which Facebook is being caused by Google+.
Strangely, the fact that Facebook may be getting more interested in search might not be bad for Google. As the hegemonic search engine, Google is being forced to defend itself against charges of anticompetitive behaviour by regulatory bodies. It has competition from Bing, but other search engines are not such serious contenders. However, various organisations do offer vertical search options and some people in Google believe they can make the argument that they face a lot of competition.
Google is not the only search engine which has been accused of anticompetitive behaviour. Bing has sometimes appeared to favour its own services. If Facebook were to get involved in search, it would assist Google insofar as it would support the argument that the sector was not being dominated by it as much as its critics contend.
Web marketing is a forward thinking business. It is impossible to forecast specific regulatory decisions with any precision. Nonetheless, it is of value to appreciate the kind of factors which may sway regulators. Whatever their decisions, the changing behaviour of the major search engines and the main social media players is positive in terms of fostering innovation.
