• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 11, 2015

Facebook has indexed more than a trillion posts allowing individuals to search for keywords in posts that have been shared with them by others. Along with the buttons to add photos or locations, some Apple iOS users now see an "Add A Link" option.

"We're piloting a new way to add a link that’s been shared on Facebook to your posts and comments," a Facebook spokesperson told Search Marketing Daily.

People in this pilot see a new link icon along with the existing icons, similar to stickers. If the person selects the new link icon, which they can add to their post or comment with one tap, they can search for links that have been shared on Facebook.

Indexing more than a trillion posts enables users to conduct a much more complete and accurate search. The index provides a direct connection from one piece of content to another. In comparison, Google recently cited indexing more than 30 million links within apps that connect users directly from one page to another.

Indexing more than one trillion posts could prove lucrative for Facebook. The feature might also connect nicely to Facebook’s ad targeting platform. Several years ago, chatter from Digg and others described an aggregated news feed on Facebook that would pull in top articles from across several news sites. Now The New York Timesreports that in recent months Facebook has been holding talks with more than half a dozen media companies about hosting their content inside Facebook rather than making users tap a link to go to an external site.

The more information that flows through Facebook feeds, the more data that brands can gather about individuals. The triggers that advertisers can use to put their ads in front of consumers vary. The most recent related to potential home buyers such as the size and age of the home, and acreage. Last week's announcement with IBM combines retail data, such as purchase history or items viewed, with Facebook's user data.