The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Privacy Settings
3. Search Settings
Return to the Settings —> Privacy Settings page. This time access the “Search” page.
The Search options are slightly limited, mostly because only a few customizations are necessary. This page clarifies your preferences for being found through Facebook’s Search feature. Your friends will always be able to find you by searching, and you cannot remove this ability from any friends or friend lists. You can, however, customize how the public will see you when searching for you.
I won’t go into detail here since the options are so few and simple. I will only point out the “Public Search Listing” option. If you selected “Everyone” for your search visibility, you are presented with the ability to receive a public search listing. By allowing Facebook to create a public search listing of your profile, you accept the submission of a limited version of your profile to various search engines. All of your privacy settings apply here, including the settings for what Facebook can display in in-site search results. Facebook search listings tend to rank fairly high in search engine results for members’ names because of Facebook’s powerful ranking as a website. Many people prefer to have this feature disabled because they do not want future employers or others to find their Facebook pages if possible. I allow Facebook to create a search listing for me since I’ve privatized most other settings anyway (and since my name is so common, I don’t believe I rank very high in search engine results). It’s up to you. Make sure to preview your search listing before clicking “Save Changes.”
Next page: Step 4: News Feed and Wall Settings