I apologize for the lack of updates lately- I will be updating this blog much more frequently in the future.

I wanted to spend a few minutes today reflecting on some developments with facebook search.  Earlier this month I wrote a post about how Facebook is shifting to compete against Google in order to better monetize their visitors.  Facebook’s obvious layout changes emphasizes their search box, but now it seems that Bing is filling web results.  Is this a long term move, or is this Microsoft flexing their ownership muscles?

Although the answer is not clear, I am looking forward to watching this unfold.  Bing should start savoring this surge in search traffic, because I personally don’t think it will last.  Anyone remember what happened to Microsoft’s Adcenter not too long ago?

Thanks for reading, and please post your thoughts.

Facebook started rolling out their new layout to users on February 4^th, 2010. This new layout has many different visual alterations, but the most apparent upgrade was the navigation and search box.  If we take a look at the differences in layouts- it’s pretty obvious that Facebook is trying to promote their search box.  The search box now appears to the right of where you see notifications and messages.  Not only is this in an area that is highlighted red when you receive notifications, it’s also conveniently located at the very top of the site- in the center of the page.  This area is a hot zone for your eyes- even if you don’t realize it.

Is this an attempt to get users familiar with searching Facebook?  Of course it is.  With users who are accustomed to search, this enables Facebook to monetize visitors exactly like Google does.  Let’s face it- display ads don’t convert nearly as well as keyword targeted ads…

When you browse Facebook, do you notice the advertisements on the right hand side of the page?  I know that I surely don’t- and it’s not because I’m an internet marketer.  I know how to browse Facebook so well that I don’t even notice any ads on the page.  As a matter of fact, I know what I am going to do on a particular page, before the page even loads.  I don’t think I’m alone in this category- as most of Facebook’s users have been active for years.

Zuckerberg is challenged with trying to monetize 400+ million registered users who are deeply affected by ad blindness.  Although the company is starting to churn profits (or so we are lead to believe…) there is a golden opportunity to align keyword targeted ads on search results.  This is exactly how Google cashes in on search, and generates billions of dollars per quarter.  According to filed finance documents sent to the Securities Exchange Commission- Google generates 97% of their revenue from advertising, 66% of which is from search.  These numbers are astronomical compared to the guesstimated revenue that Facebook has generated.  This is certainly a big hint for Zuckerberg…

In addition to displaying these relevant keyword targeted ads, Facebook could be positioned to enter the search market.  With millions of daily active users, Facebook could replace Google- and be the one stop shop for internet activity.  It will certainly be interesting to watch this unfold- and will ultimately be beneficial for us as consumers if Google has a formidable competitor.  We all know Bing and Yahoo! clearly can’t top Google’s mass…

It’s your move, Google.