What Google +1 Means for SEO

When thinking most of us hear the world “Internet” several things come to mind but when we say “search engine” Google has the monopoly on this term. In fact, the term “Google it,” has become a phrase most of us utter at least once a day. Google has this notability for good reason; it is one of the most innovative, powerful and the biggest search engine in the entire world. With its vast pool of highly talented programmers, Google always tries to remain a step ahead with its technological prowess and sometimes its innovations even throw a spanner in the works of the SEO, web development and landing page design.

 

Currently, Google has borrowed some of the social media and networking sites features, and has come out with “+1 button”, which is quite similar to “like” button that we see on the highly popular Facebook. Marketing specialists have realized the power behind social media throughout the past few years and have harnessed this power in print, tv and Internet advertising. The whole concept makes sense from a consumer standpoint – your friend tells you something is good, you assume it is and are willing to try it/read it/buy it etc. Prior to the social media boom, we were faced with merely the advice of marketers as they slowly tried to convince us to give that product a try. As we all know, building trust and a good reputation with customers is key to good business, but when we have family and friends, who already have earned that trust, recommending products, the outcome is a favorable one for all.

For all those who don’t consider themselves to be Internet savvy, Google’s “+1 button” permits others who are doing searches to recommend and endorse the chosen websites to other users or even their close friends. When you find some useful listing after doing search on some subject, you can inform others of this by just clicking on the “+1” button placed just besides the link. It is actually a kind of “thumbs up” to a particular website or link. While clicking on this “+1 button”, if you are logged into Gmail or your Google account, your name will flash on the contacts or the friends who are connected with you through various Google accounts. This makes this function highly personalized and social.

It is now clear that Google “+1” will definitely have some impact on the way some tactics were earlier used successfully in the SEO. This “+1” button will not remain confined to the Google search listings alone, but will soon be available to various other websites all across the internet. The owners of websites can now place this button on their sites to seek recommendations and then monitor them as they are received through analytics. This is an innovative way of the Google to fine tune their ranking method for the search engine by relying not only on their algorithms but on the recommendations of the users as well.

Though, nobody can be sure how this information is gathered using the “+1 button,” or how it will ultimately influence SEO in the long-run, it is believed that it will definitely effect the search engine rankings and other SEO practices in various ways. This button is still operating on an experimental basis but SEO experts should start thinking of ways it could affect the algorithms that determine the search engine rankings so as to integrate necessary changes in their search engine optimization techniques.

Good content will not be able to pull the customers the way it is now doing if they fail to gather enough “+1”s. With Google adopting the tips and tricks of the social media, it is important for the SEO companies to effectively use the content marketing and the social media activities in their search engine optimization campaigns.

Written By Elizabeth Murphy

Elizabeth Murphy is a contributing writer for Invesp.com, a site which offers clients the ability to increase their website’s conversion optimization.

Article source: http://cmvlive.com/technology/marketing/1176-what-google-1-means-for-seo