Why You want A Blog & A Facebook Fan Page (Hint: Facebook vs. Google)

it used to be, about five years ago, when SEO (search engine optimization) was the thing of each online publisher. From blogs like this one, all the up to huge content producing sites like NYTimes.com, the hub was dead set on search optimization and getting higher rankings in Google and the exclusive environment of Google News.

however there’s a shift happening in the way online publishers are generating the highest volume, and the highest quality traffic. And that Facebook is becoming extra valuable than Google.

Oh snap… I did not just say that did I?

Oh yeah, you heard me right – Facebook is becoming (or perhaps already is) the more authoritative referral source of online traffic to sites than Google.

And how do I identify this, you ask?

Let’s take a seem at The New York Times new paywall structure – the strategy implemented to charge for online content.

The New York Times set up a paywall used for it’s online edition (NYTimes.com) where you can study up to 20 articles per month for free from the site.

Traffic from Google information will be charged after only 5 visits per month..

However, traffic that comes to a NYTimes.com editorial from Facebook or Twitter is 100% exempt from the 20 article per month limit – meaning, when you visit an NYTimes.com editorial from Facebook or Twitter, it doesn’t count against your monthly quota of free articles.

hence why would The New Yorks Times charge after 20 visits to their site, and after 5 visits from Google News, but completely exempt traffic from Facebook and Twitter?

To put it simply, communal networks are driving a massive amount of traffic to newspaper sites.

Is SEO dead then?

I don’t believe so, because you still have the relevance and shear volume of search traffic happening on Google.  Articles that obtain a top ranking from your site for long tail keywords can be a long term source of continual traffic to your site.

except for sites that are active, producing multiple articles per day on news worthy stories, the NYT is finding that social networks are more valuable than Google.

Why you require a blog and Facebook Fan Page

This brings me to the reason of my title.

I believe we are at the very forefront of the bearing of Facebook, Twitter, and social networking.

The future of the online world is social, which will also include search. Search algorithms will become highly optimized based on a “friend interactions and recommendations” – it’s inevitable.

And by social networks like Facebook becoming such huge sources of high quality traffic, you can benefit greatly by having a blog and a Facebook Fan Page,Social Media Pages.