Local businesses are using Facebook Pages as the new website or as a new way to connect to consumers. In previous years, Facebook has offered business pages detailed analytics tools to measure demographic and numerical data to learn about their consumers with Page Insights. Now, not only can businesses learn about who their consumers are with Facebook, but the social media site can help them reach out to potential consumers with an updated search engine: Graph Search.

How Facebook is Narrowing Down Online Searches

12.4% of online searches are already being done through Facebook compared to 6% of other specialized sites. Google takes the cake with 50% of online searches, but a Facebook page ends up in the top search results anyways.

There is no set algorithm yet, but Graph Search allows Facebook users to search for businesses, pages and other information by asking questions with specific keywords. A common use of Facebook is to look up what friends and other people think of different businesses by looking to see if they “like” the page or not. These searches can direct and connect you to different people who give the stamp of approval for businesses and services in specific cities. Especially if a consumer is visiting or moving to a new city, Graph Search can help them narrow done which businesses to visit and answer their questions such as where to get a haircut, the best place to work out, or even where they can receive health care. Facebook users can find what they are looking for with Graph Search instead of taking time to read every friend’s profile page.

Try it out yourself and query:

• “Friends/people who have visited London”
• “Friends/people who live in Austin, Texas”
• “Friends/people who like Mexican food”
• “Friends/people who like the YMCA”

Why Should a Business Depend on Graph Search?

In addition, from the business perspective, the possible searches to learn about your consumer and check out on Facebook are endless. Businesses can query apps, games, groups, events, any type of interaction on with Graph Search to learn about their consumers by doing cross searches such as “people who like Candy Crush Saga and Coca-Cola” or “people who go to UCLA and study marketing.”

However, some users have set their profiles to private/only me or friends only settings for security. This way, Facebook users can individually select what information the public is allowed to see or not to see.

To use Graph Search to your advantage for your business, other than using analytics to check out (see Domo.com’s dashboards here as an example) whom your customers are and what they like, you might need to do a page update.  Consider specific information potential customers may enter to find your business:

• Descriptions
• Weekly Specials
• Unique Products or Services
• Keywords
• Location
• Hours

The more you update your business’ Facebook page (which you’re doing already, right?), the higher the chance that your business shows up in specific searches. Graph Search is also an excellent source for looking up photos as well (just simply searching “Photos of Starbucks”), but only if you tag a photo’s location and include a caption with it. Otherwise, a business name could show up in the search engine sans photos, but to a customer, the instant access of viewing photos makes the search more valuable.  All in all, by updating your business’ Facebook page with important information, there is a better chance that potential consumers will discover your brand based on if there is match in the search engine.

So what can the Facebook Graph Search do for your business? Well, that’s really up to you and how you use it to your advantage. The Graph Search hasn’t reached its full potential just yet, but you can keep up with it by updating your page on a regular basis and do your own searches to see what types of businesses, products, or services interest consumers.

About the Author

Jeremie Brenton is a part-time freelance tech and business writer and guest blogger. Check out his recent articles or contact him via Facebook or GooglePlus.