In early 2021, we wrote “Changes in Search Behavior and Results in 2021” to determine if the average person’s perception of internet platforms and search engines had changed significantly, especially considering the high degree of social change that had taken place. At the time, it appeared as if there was a so-called “war on big tech” that was beginning to occur with those worried about disseminating information surrounding politics and health. This sentiment may have breached platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and even Google. To learn more, we set out to conduct a study.
While our findings were undoubtedly interesting the first time around, our second study brought to light some illuminating new information. In this blog, we break down the information we gathered from both studies and what we can learn from the results of each.
Changes in Search Behavior in 2021: Understanding Our Original Findings
Here were the questions and answers from the initial findings from early 2021:
On a scale from 1–10, how much do you feel that this platform alters or suppresses general information that is presented to you?
Facebook – 6.56
Twitter – 5.77
Google – 5.48
On a scale from 1–10, how much do you feel that this platform alters or suppresses social/political information that is presented to you?
Facebook – 6.41
Twitter – 6.26
Google – 5.09
On a scale from 1-10, do you feel like you will be LESS likely to trust information that you see on this platform in 2021?
Facebook – 7.65
Twitter – 5.17
Google – 4.96
As we can see in this study, there was a general mistrust of Facebook as a platform. Though this doubt wasn’t drastic, it’s certainly worth noting. After all, it may play a role in the legal industry, especially with increasing popularity for campaigns such as mass torts where the messaging sways public opinion toward trusting a law firm with which they’re not familiar instead of a pharmaceutical or a brand with much stronger marketing potential.
At the time, Google was relatively neutral across the board. However—spoiler alert—there have certainly been definite shifts in public opinion over the past several months.
Changes in Search Behavior in 2021: Looking at the Updated Results
In July of 2021, we asked the same three questions to several hundred respondents, resulting in the following information:
On a scale of 1–10, how much do you feel that this platform alters or suppresses general information that is presented to you?
Facebook – 7.19
Twitter – 5.72
Google – 6.3
On a scale from 1–10, how much do you feel that this platform alters or suppresses social/political information that is presented to you?
Facebook – 6.95
Twitter – 5.81
Google – 6.62
On a scale from 1-10, do you feel like you will be LESS likely to trust information that you see on this platform in 2021?
Facebook – 7.07
Twitter – 5.81
Google – 6.64
Clearly, the most significant jump is from Google. Concerning the platform suppressing social/political information, the average answer jumped up from its initial neutral standing to a much higher number. Facebook didn’t fare much better, but it didn’t see as significant of a jump.
However, this is not to express that post-election sensationalism or a new administration is the culprit for such mistrust. Instead, these findings provide a general analysis of how cycles in our society change how we perceive and receive our information.
Looking at the Public Perception Surrounding the Suppression of Information on Google
I still believed that there might have been something in the framing of the questions to create such a shift in attitude, so I conducted another survey focusing more on Google and the possibility of other factors that may have arisen in Google’s perception—apart from anything social or political.
When I surveyed another 250 people solely asking about Google, I still saw an increase of 11.79% and 13.31% respectively compared to January, but that isn’t 30.06% and 33.87%, which is far more significant:
On a scale from 1–10, how much do you feel that this platform alters or suppresses social/political information that is presented to you?
Google – 5.69
On a scale from 1-10, do you feel like you will be LESS likely to trust information that you see on this platform in 2021?
Google – 5.62
Note that there’s an increase, but it’s still close enough to neutral for it not to be alarming. Facebook, on the other hand, looks to be heading toward a point of no return. Because I wanted to confirm other factors with regard to Google, here are two additional questions:
On a scale from 1–10, do you believe Google still provides the best search results out of any search engine or social platform?
7.78
On a scale from 1–10, how much do you feel that Google provides results that the highest bidder can purchase?
6.14
I plan on following up on my first question regarding search engine/social platform alternatives—and hopefully don’t see too many Bing’s and Yahoo’s—but I felt pretty good about the average respondent feeling that Google hasn’t monetized all results and will also navigate past paid ads should they feel they’ll get a better user experience elsewhere.
Breaking Down the Takeaways from Each Survey
Before we can decide where we put our firm’s marketing and visibility efforts to get our ideal client to trust us, clients first have to believe in the platform they’re using. Suppose we’re continuously putting our budget into places like Facebook and Yelp. Can we expect the same return from Facebook a year from now if the general user believes your firm is untrustworthy by virtue of being featured on Facebook? Perhaps users wonder about Facebook’s ulterior motive and why they know so much about them already. Maybe they wouldn’t have this mindset somewhere else.
Google has made claims about changing how cookies/pixels will be used, but are they referring to their search engine or Chrome browser? How much information are they getting from users nowadays, anyway? All these questions contribute to the underlying outlook of big tech and their intentions to deliver information. These considerations should be at the forefront of your long-term marketing, even if they may not come to real fruition until 2022.
Anticipate Essential Updates from Best-in-Class Industry Specialists
At Market My Market, we intimately understand how public perception surrounding platforms such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, and more are rapidly changing. By working with top-of-the-line legal marketing professionals, you may be able to take measures that will safeguard your marketing results and guarantee your law firm stays competitive and aggressive during uncertain times. If you’d like to learn more about how we work with law firms to improve their SEO and expand their businesses, get in touch with us for a free consultation today.