Facebook Integration Brings Personalized Search Results to Bing

The worlds of SEO and social media were rocked the other day when Bing announced they will incorporate Facebook data into their search results for the most personal social-search integration to hit the web. What does this mean for the user? If you search for something on Bing and are logged into your Facebook account, you will see which pages, products and websites your friends Like and recommend high in the results, regardless of where that page ranks in the general SERP.

Back in October 2010, Bing one-upped Google be forming a partnership with Facebook, establishing the importance of social factors on search results. The amount of information shared between Facebook and Bing was limited, but the foundation was set. Then in February of this year, Bing announced they were incorporating Facebook Like data into their search results. The newest integration is the most personalized to date.
According the Bing blog,
…Bing is bringing the collective IQ of the Web together with the opinions of the people you trust most, to bring the “Friend Effect” to search…you can receive personalized search results based on the opinions of your friends by simply signing into Facebook. New features make it easier to see what your Facebook friends “like” across the Web, incorporate the collective know-how of the Web into your search results, and begin adding a more conversational aspect to your searches. Decisions can now be made with more than facts, now the opinions of your trusted friends and the collective wisdom of the Web.

Here are a few things Bing and Facebook have done to create a personalized search like none before:
1. Instantly see which stories, content and sites your Facebook friends have “liked.”
2. Bing will surface results, which may typically have been on page three or four, higher in its results based on stuff your friends have liked.
3. Bing shows well-liked content, including trending topics, articles and Facebook fan pages, from sites across the web.
4.By combining Facebook’s communication tools with Bing, search can become conversational and turn decision-making on Bing from a passive experience to an active dialogue.
5.Bing not only shows you what your friends like and share online, but also what major brands and companies are saying.
Some are saying that this integration has changed the face of SEO forever. Others are saying it’s still not enough to take on Google.

How do you think the Facebook-Bing integration will affect SEO?