Google's +1 and What It Will Mean for You

Social Media

by Help Elf

The Boss (Ken) sent me a few notes and asked me to blend with my own comments on Google's recent +1 release, just to get you started thinking on this. He'll be posting something more definitive when he's had a chance to absorb its meaning, short and long term. So here we go, my very first Elf post! :-)

Google recently announced its "+1" button, which will allow anyone reading one of your pages to "vote" for it back on the search results page (eventually, Google plans to make it available for you to add to each page of your site). This sounds like an experiment in social media, doesn't it? Well, it is, with one major difference...

Any +1 "vote" for your page doesn't go to a social media platform, like a Facebook "Like" does, where all of the friends of the person doing the Liking see a link to your Web page.

Google's first version requires anyone who enjoys your page and wants to +1 it to return to the search results page ("SERP") to do so. That begs the question, why would anyone return to the search results page just to click on the +1 button?

I just don't see much of a motive for anyone to click the Back button, just to click on the +1 beside your page listing in the search results. Besides, if the page is really good, there's an excellent chance that your visitor will go deeper into your site. By the time s/he comes up for air ;-), s/he may very well have forgotten all about the +1 button.

---SIDEBAR---
Many made fun of the name for this ("+1").
It's a tough one for Google. Facebook has
staked out the motivation, the driving force.
Google is going to try to make "+1" part of our
lexicon, verb and noun.
---SIDEBAR---

How It Works

Google's +1 only works if you've logged into your Google account, and only if you've created a Google Profile. That profile is available to anyone who wants to see it.

You can keep your +1 choices private (essentially turning them into private bookmarks for your own use only), but people who use Google will still be able to see who you are (your first name, last name and photo, at a minimum).

So if you're concerned about your online privacy and don't create a Google Profile, you won't have access to +1.

If you do decide to use +1, Google will track your use of it, and then tailor content and ads to you...

"+1 personalization on non-Google sites allows Google to tailor content and ads to you across the Web, based on your Google profile, +1 activity, and social connections."

From http://www.google.com/support/profiles/bin/answer.py?&answer=1152622

If you do use the button, then Google will let your social connections know that you've +1'd that page (if any query they use also finds that site in the search results).

Who are your social connections? They're...

people in your Gmail/Google Talk chat list
people in your My Contacts group in Google Contacts
people you're following in Google Reader and Google Buzz
Twitter and FriendFeed connections, plus
people that all of your connections are connected to.

Want to find out just how far your +1 recommendations will spread? Check out your social circle page.

---SIDEBAR---
Here's Google's official privacy policy for +1.
---SIDEBAR---

Something Else To Consider

Facebook has a clear separation between a profile and a business page. If you "Friend" someone, you're connected via profiles. What you share on your profile is seen only by those you've Friended (and more people, if you choose). What you post on your business page is only seen by people who have "Liked" your page. And the two never cross.

But your Google Profile may contain business contacts, personal contacts, work contacts, family and more. If you +1 a page that's related to your social life, you may not want your family and/or business contacts to know about it.

That could be a stumbling block that Google needs to overcome if it wants to see +1 become popular.

The Real Value of +1 in the Search Results

What you'll see when you do a search, even without a Google Profile, is the running total of all people who have +1'd a page. So you'll see an overall "vote of confidence" or a "thumbs up" count that can help you decide if a page is worth visiting.

---SIDEBAR---
P.S. You likely won't see the "+1" button
for a while since it's being tested with a
small number of searchers. And you must
be signed into Google.
---SIDEBAR---

As a Webmaster, this is important for the success of your online business. As a page in the search results starts to accumulate +1's, it will likely start to rise to the top, resulting in even more visits and, in theory, more +1's. Even more visits result in even more +1's. A virtuous circle for any page with great content.

And that's what makes +1 worth a look (especially when Google releases the option to add it to each of your pages).

A Facebook Like tells your Facebook friends about the page, but it does nothing for your site's rankings in Google's results.

+1 use should see quality content rising to the top of search results, which will bring you more traffic.

That's Also the Danger of +1

Since everyone will see the number of +1's a page has received, and since there's a high likelihood that +1'd pages will float closer and closer to the coveted #1-3 positions, it probably won't be long until we see the "black hats" start to game +1.

It may become even worse when the +1 button can be added to a site's pages. But we have to hope that bright minds (brighter than mine, at least) have already covered all these spam angles, and have written an algorithm to weed them out.

We'll be keeping an eye on the spam aspect of Google's +1 for you.

For SBIers

We'll be adding +1 to Socialize It! as soon as Google releases the on-site version of the button.

If this takes off (we'll all know how popular it is by the time Google releases the on-site button, which is supposed to be in a few months), search will become more important than ever. And you'll have nothing extra to do to benefit from it. Just keep on publishing quality content.

High-value, relevant content will automatically be the recipient of votes, so whether it's social search (someone +1'd a page that a friend's search finds) or "regular" search (where you'll see the total number of +1's), strong content will always benefit. Especially now that the Farmer/Panda anti-pap algo has reduced the rankings of many low quality pages.

My suspicion is that, long-term, the "regular" search will be the big winner here, if "regular" surfers buy in.

It could even, eventually, help Google with the link-spamming, link-bombing problem that it's had to contend with over the past couple of years.

Will Social Ads Mean an Increase in AdSense Income?

You may also see a rise in AdSense income if +1 becomes popular. Ads can be voted on. And an ad with ten +1's will show that number right in the AdSense block on your site's pages. Bringing that ad to people's attention may just be the nudge that they need to click on the ad and earn you a commission.

Google has said that ads with more +1's won't cost the advertiser more, so we'll keep our fingers crossed that Google is dealing with the inevitable ad scams that will pop up related to this feature.

Conclusion

What's in it for you?...

+1 puts Google into the Like business. The attraction is that it impacts Google Search -- that is the big "+1" for e-biz sites. The question is... how much will that matter if surfers prefer to just Facebook Like a page as the opportunity presents itself?

My suspicion is "not much," at least not until you see +1 buttons on Web sites. "Regular" folks are more likely to "+1" it there (although their desire to share may be stifled if they're required to have a Google Profile first).

+1 could help make Google's search results even more relevant for its users, or it could turn into another failure in its attempt to become more social, since it already has a couple of things against it...

1) How many people already have a Google Profile, or will want to create one, just so that they can +1? How many even have a Google Account (Gmail, for instance)? Compare that to the 500 million plus people who have a Facebook profile.

2) Can Google convince the "regular" person (someone who isn't an Internet marketer, or a marketer in general) to take all the steps needed to use +1?

But if success for the on-site button does happen...

+1's will have an impact on actual search results.

---SIDEBAR---
The +1's, if Google can control spam, may be
more worthwhile than links (which have become
overwhelmed with spam and a variety of other
issues).
---SIDEBAR---

Boil it all down and forget the social/viral stuff that happens on Facebook for the average surfer. The "+1's" for your Web pages will give Google the social data it needs to help improve its SERPs by blending in this signal.

What do you think about Google's newest foray into the world of social?

P.S. If you want to play with +1 at Google Search, you can do that here...
http://www.google.com/experimental/index.html

(You need a Google Profile and to be logged into it.)

P.P.S. If you want to sign up to add beta +1 to your site...
https://services.google.com/fb/forms/plusonesignup/

(Remember, though, we'll add this to Socialize It! as soon as the on-site version goes public.)