The website visit statistics for 2009 are in and they tell an interesting story. If the current trend holds, Facebook will dethrone Google as the most visited website in the US. It just goes to prove that people love to socialize, at least online. During the holidays Facebook actually spiked above Google for the first time, and the long term trend line has it blowing by the search giant in 2010. Search Engine Land has a great Hitwise graph and article that shows Facebook eclipsing Google.

So what does this mean when a social media site will over take Google’s long held dominant position at the top of the food chain? For starters, it was inevitable that things would change as they always do. More importantly, Google is based primarily on search, and lets face it, Facebook’s search is beyond horrible. Since Facebook is aligned with Microsoft, it would stand to reason (and common sense) that Facebook would integrate Bing into their site if they wanted to truly challenge Google.

We all know Microsoft’s disdain for Google, so why hasn’t Bing been integrated into Facebook? Is it because Facebook still controls the majority of the company and therefore steers the ship? I don’t know the answer, but it seems reasonable to assume that Mark Zuckerberg and his team at Facebook have another agenda and right now they aren’t concerned with beating Google. This is probably good news as Facebook’s focus for 2010 needs to be on continuing to evolve and upgrading their product to maintain and expand their dominance. It is possible that in 2010 we are going to see Facebook file for an IPO? If we do, my advice is to jump on the bandwagon and don’t be one of those who says, “I wish I had bought stock when they launched.” How many of you say that every time you look at Google?

On the other hand, what does all this traffic mean for Facebook? Certainly they will increase their revenue, but in reality their revenue has nowhere to go but up. Google is extremely profitable whereas Facebook struggles to get into the black. It is one thing to have the visitors and another to turn those visits into a viable business. One thing is certain, 2009 was the year of social media, and 2010 looks to only build on where we left off. Stay tuned, it is going to be one of the most exciting years for technology.