Internet marketing is a rapidly evolving field and it always has been an environment where those that become complacent eventually find themselves left in the dust; however, the recent meteoric rise of the internet becoming “socialized” coupled with behavioral patterns based on trusted “personal” recommendations is definitely shaking up traditional search methods.
In blunt terms, the Facebook model of interacting on the internet is colliding with Google’s model of searching on the internet. Google’s method of providing relevant search results depend on a.) Either that you go to Google and search a term; b.) Or you have a Google toolbar and search from there; c.) Once you used Google to search a term, their secretive and constantly changing algorithm determines their search results. For a website to become relevant – and thus appear highly ranked in the search results – it must meet Google’s criteria for what constitutes relevancy. That means a website must fit into Google’s algorithm nicely – for instance, having a good amount of backlinks, proper meta data labeling, fast site speed, the right keywords, the correct amount of keywords to article length, etc. (and this is all just educated guesses, no one knows the magic formula). This has proven to be an effective way to navigate the vast internet, but a lot of high quality websites run the risk of getting left by the wayside (maybe they don’t have enough backlinks, perhaps Google feels they are keyword-stuffing, etc.). Websites ranked on the 5th page of Google Search results, even if they are engaging and well planned, have an extremely difficult time getting to the first page – new websites in particular are all too familiar with this problem.
Now the Facebook model operates a different way: instead of using an algorithm to determine relevancy, it allows YOU to determine relevancy. By sheer virtue of clicking on a Like or Share button, you are effectively telling the world (and Facebook of course) that this webpage meets your standards, interests you, and is relevant not only to you but probably to your social circle as well. Facebook keeps track of this information and uses their algorithm to try and determine other websites that may interest you – which you can then Like or Dislike and in turn affects their tailored algorithm for you. It’s a different way of interacting with the web and it’s catching on like wildfire.
Let’s not kid ourselves – if Google is King, Facebook is definitely trying to become The Great Usurper. Facebook has unleashed a slew of Facebook-centric applications to make the internet more “Facebook-esque” and with almost half a billion users, Facebook is one of the largest, most interactive, and best-funded competitors against Google. Whether or not Facebook will succeed in becoming the premier search website is hard to say right now, but it can be stated with certainty that making your website more Facebook friendly will behoove you in the short-term and (very possibly) the long run.
One of the best ways to make your website more Facebook-friendly is to add a Like button.
This is how Like Buttons work: if you put one of these buttons onto your website, people who visit that website and also use Facebook can click that Like button and Facebook will show your website in that person’s facebook wall for all of their friends to see. If their friends click the link, they will be led to your website. As the original person’s friends arrive on your page, the Like Button becomes personalized for them by displaying which of their friends already like your page. As more people click the Like button on your page, the exposure your page receives grows exponentially. Not only is the opportunity for great exposure, but because a friend “Likes” your website it will be perceived to have greater value because a friend endorses it.
Now that you know WHY you should add a Like button to your website,the next blog post will explain HOW to put a Facebook Like button on your website. 
