The release of a new Facebook product will change the way people find things on the Internet.

Last week, Facebook announced they will soon release a product known as Graph Search. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, claims the new feature will become as important as its counterparts, the news feed and timelines, for keeping users engaged.

Graph Search pulls together unique results for every user due to its awareness of data and language. Instead of searching with specific keywords, a Facebook user can execute a search with more natural language such as “What movies might I like?” This produces a page of results dependent on user data like what their friends have liked or what they’ve listed as interests. Search queries like “Photos of my family from 1985” will produce a page of photos from 1985 that are tagged with the people who have been listed as the user’s family members.

Facebook Graph Search A Search Engine Game Changer?

Graph Search will also be used by people who are looking for products or services to suit their needs. Lars Rasmussen, the engineering director of Facebook, used an example at the live announcement that will hit close to home for dentists. “I had a toothache the other day and I am relatively new to the area so I didn’t have a dentist” he explained, “Looking up ‘dentist that my friends liked’ was really awesome because I knew I was going to go to someone who knows what they were doing—which she did.” Facebook users already depend on the experiences of their friends and family in the real world. Graph Search now gives users that type of information on demand. With Graph Search, Facebook has created a reason for users to “like” pages and check in at locations – the fact that this type of action will now help to serve their friends, not just advertisers and businesses. This kind of dependency will give dental practices the personal marketing leverage they seek to take full advantage of social media.

Another search product, Facebook Nearby, is a feature built exclusively for Facebook’s mobile users. Results produced when searching with the Nearby feature takes the user’s current location into account. Users can search for friends, restaurants, or venues with the nearest appearing at the top of the list. The Nearby feature only includes those who have a Facebook profile or page.

With features like Facebook Graph Search and Facebook Nearby, having a Facebook presence has become vital for dental practices. When integrated with a professional dental website design package, social media becomes an incredibly powerful solution. If you are currently without a Facebook business page, you will miss these new marketing opportunities. If Edward Zuckerberg, DDS (Mark’s father) has one, shouldn’t you?

PBHS offers a range of social media and dental website design services that will help you build a presence on Facebook and other social media platforms.