Google has been the standard in online search for years, it is even referred to as a verb, when you want to learn something more about a topic you just “Google” it.
However, according to current research Googling it is not the standard anymore.
Parse.ly has found that more referral traffic is coming from Facebook than from a Google search. Facebook has become the top Social Site and is a top source of news, information, and online activity in general. In fact, people spend an average of 35 minutes a day on Facebook.
Facebook monopolizes users’ free time, where Google is more of a go-to, people use it when they need it. It is a tool for people to use when they are actively seeking out information they need at that moment.
However, more people are using Facebook and finding content they want more information about. In fact, 40% of referral traffic now comes from Facebook, 37% is coming from Google.
Don’t Google It, Facebook It
As users are spending more time on Facebook, it requires your business to spend more time on Facebook, and be there when they are there.
Beyond just being there, it is also necessary for businesses and brands to provide content that their audience wants to see. They must also generate interest in products and services to make sales.
Time to Shift Gears
If you are still relying on Google to drive traffic to your website or you are still putting effort into trying to get your website optimized to it is the #1 spot on Google search results, you are doing it wrong.
Not only is Facebook driving more traffic to websites than Google, often the budget spent on Facebook is much less than Google. Recently, a large ecommerce site we know shifted most of their budget toward Facebook Ads and daily marketing efforts. They found their Facebook campaigns were driving more traffic to their website at a lower cost-per-click rate than their Google AdWords and optimization efforts.
If your business is not using Facebook it is likely you are missing a large audience of potential customers.
It may be time to reassess and start focusing on Facebook.
Source: B2C
