With the recent launch of Google’s +1 button, it has become evident that the battle between Facebook and Google goes well below the surface. Google’s development of this feature is an attempt to challenge Facebook’s “Like” button, as the two are similar in many ways; both inclusive of sharing capabilities, encouraging users to attest their approval of content with their social connections. What has become significantly different between the Google +1 and the Facebook Like is the adoption rate, and the support (or lack thereof) each receives from their very own company.
Both Facebook and Google are hardly quiet about their dissatisfaction with one another, but their products offer the opportunity for the user voice to be heard. While making a quick search query for “Facebook” in Google, the +1 button appeared alongside the top search result:
Throughout all of Google, slightly more than 2,500 users have given Facebook +1 credibility. However, when searching through Facebook for “Google” different results happen to appear:
More than 9 million users have taken the time to show their interest in Google on Facebook. Between these two search queries, it appears the adoption rate that Google’s +1 button has received falls well below Facebook’s Like button.
To go one step further, it also appears that Google lacks in the overall support of their company. After completing a search for each company within their own platform, Google falls short yet again. Here is the top result for searching “Google”, with the +1 alongside the result:
On their own turf, Google only garners approximately 4,000 +1’s. If you hope to look on the bright side, yes – they do have more than Facebook. However, Facebook shows the true cheerleaders that make up their company when you search within their network:
With over 47 million users showing their support of Facebook within the social network, that is more than five times the amount of users who did the same for Google – once again showing the viral element the Facebook Like button embodies.
As if the contrast between Facebook and Google product support isn’t already widely evident, recent news has announced that Google’s PageRank has dropped from a 10 to a 9; the controller of the ranking system has seemingly devalued its own site.
With the supporting evidence of these recent search results, it appears that Google in some ways – and may have done so involuntarily – accepted defeat to the social network giant. The battle between Facebook and Google will continue, but until Google can show some support and love for its own product Facebook may outshine its competition.
