In the near future, search listings for Facebook users will include links to branded pages for which those users are fans, according to informational ads appearing on the social network.

For example, a Google search for Mark Zuckerberg yields the following Facebook listing:

Once the Fan Pages Zuckerberg is connected to are indexable, the search listing will reflect them — serving as a passive form of word-of-mouth advertising. (That is, people that search for Zuckerberg may be positively influenced by what products are associated with his name, as if he himself had referred them.)

A Fan Page is a Facebook profile created for a film, band, public figure, business or product. Facebook users can connect to them to demonstrate they are "fans" of whatever the page is promoting. (See discussion on marketing strategy differences between Fan Pages and Groups.) Here is an example of how a Fan Page listing looks on a user's profile:

Unlike photos of "friends," Fan Page listings do not automatically rotate, but that will likely change.

The seemingly-small addition of Fan Pages in indexable user data will have a significant impact on their search value, writes allfacebook, because public search listings in Google for specific people will reflect what brands they are associated with.

In September '07, Facebook began allowing Google, Yahoo and other search engines to index member profiles. A year later, it availed content from public groups and events, wall posts, and discussion topics to search engines, drawing even more traffic from organic searches to the social network site.