Google joins the social scene with Google +1
Google +1 isn’t completely new. The social component was released back in March as what seemed to be Google’s version of Facebook’s “Like” button.
Google has now extended its +1 button to online content publishers. This allows publishers the opportunity to include the button within their website, so that visitors who enjoy the content can give it a +1 approval.
Back in April, SEOmoz conducted a study to see if social media data, including Facebook “Likes” and Twitter tweets, had an impact on Google rankings. Their conclusions found that social metrics correlated with higher rankings in Google.
It’s apparent that Google not only appreciates high-quality content, they also reward content that people find useful and share with their friends, family or colleagues.
And since Google has been rewarding pages that receive attention from Facebook and Twitter users, I’m going to make the claim that the Google +1 button will be just as valuable, if not more valuable, to Google rankings in the future as the button gains more popularity.
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Google joins social media ranks
The social media competition taking place is pretty interesting. Yesterday, Twitter announced its new Follow Button, which is designed to allow website users to follow a Twitter feed while staying on the publisher’s site.
Twitter is likely aiming to get publishers to use this button on their sites so that they will have a better opportunity to increase user engagement and increase time spent on site.
Google’s +1 is expected to combine the power of Google’s search algorithm with the desirable aspect of social sharing. Web searchers who find articles helpful or interesting within Google’s search engine can click the Google +1 button, which will highlight that content in search queries for friends and social media connections when they search similar topics.
Google is heavily interested in the user experience, and providing content that is approved by peers is one way the company is trying to feature quality content.
If you have interest in getting the Google +1 button on your website, all the information you need can be found here.
I mentioned above that I believe, if Google +1 gains popularity with publishers, it will have a significant impact on Google rankings. What do you think about the Google +1 button? Will it impact search results? Will it even gain popularity, or will the Twitter Follow Button and Facebook’s “Like” button be more significant? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.
