It seems like a weird question doesn’t it. Because clearly Google and Facebook are separate (and sometimes competing) businesses.
But let’s get our SEO strategy mindset on!
The reason I pose that question, it that I wanted inspire you to look at your website marketing strategies in a different light and to give you a different perspective on the ol’ SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) chestnut. And Facebook as a comprehensively-used modern-day-marketing medium seems like a good place to start to do that.
So while the explicit answer to the question is of course “no”…. when we look at from the content-marketing perspective (ie. with the goal of getting our content[website] in front of an audience) the huge parallels in the way the two work, will help you better understand what Google is requiring of you as a business owners, to deliver your website to your audience in search results.
Who does Google serve, business or end user?
Many people think that search engines exist for business (well business owners trying to rank on Google think that). After all, search engines are a way of putting our businesses in front of an audience. Right?
Well people who think this way, are the same people who have been stung by recent Facebook changes that have essentially reduced natural business page reach.
The focus is always the end user. The customer if you will (who is in fact your customer too).
When you type a search query, Google takes its job very seriously.
It wants to deliver the very best search result to the customer so that they will come back and use its search engine again and again. End goal, more users.
And more users give them more opportunities to charge businesses to deliver their content in the form of Google ads = money for Google.
Facebook is the same. Facebook wants you as a user, to enjoy the content in your feed so much that you fall into the rabbit hole and spend hours at a time online. The more time online, the more opportunity for them to slip some paid content in there. Facebook ads and sponsored content.
Both are businesses in the business of trying to make money. Just. Like. You.
And while both Google and Facebook give business options to *pay* to increase the profile of your content to the audience (ads and sponsored posts), both will also freely reward for great content – Google by ranking, Facebook by visibility – just because it benefits their end user.
Both have their own criteria for determining good content:
Google: by content quality and authority (and the quality and authority are evaluated by search algorithms)
Facebook: by users interactions and trust of the source (which is determined by shares and likes)
The point is (and I keep saying this again and again) the trend for the search engines (such as Google) is to require business to take control of their websites and produce regular, relevant and quality content. And in return Google shall give you ranking.
Just like Facebook. Have you every noticed the snowball effect? When you share something that is well liked and popular, more people get to see it? That is exactly how it works. Facebook is likewise rewarding your good content by increasing your reach. Heard the phrase ‘going viral’ anyone?
