Google +1 - What It Means To You? Leading Agency Digital Clarity Comment
There has been a lot of noise recently about Google +1 and the impact of this on your website and business in general. Let's take a closer look.
LONDON, ENGLAND, July 07, 2011
So what is Google+Similar to the Facebook 'Like' button, Google +1 allows users to recommend a particular website or advert to other contacts using Google products. Rather than an algorithmic change that universally affects the rank or relevancy of search results, Google +1 is designed to allow recommendations of results within a user's peer group. These recommendations may be indexed by Google to determine ranking of both natural and paid search results.
A study taken in 2009 by Neilson Research found that 90% of consumers noted that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70% trusted consumer opinions posted online*
Google + not to be confused with +1 is Google latest launch of social sharing products. In a trial testing environment with a select group of users the product suite is soon to launch fully. It will encompass the following offerings:
Circles - Group contacts into social groups, this could be family, university friends, the lads, and communicate specific messages within these Circles
Sparks - Sends users content, videos, images which relate to your interests to keep you up to date on the things you like
Hangouts - Share your location with friends and arrange face to face meet ups
Instant Upload - Automatically upload your photos from your mobile to your account saving time and effort
Huddle - Turns texting to multiple friends into a simple group chat so everyone can join in the conversation
Who can see +1?
Users of Google must be signed-in to see the +1 recommendation.
Signed-in users also see personalised annotations from:
• People in their Gmail (or Google Talk) chat list.
• People in their My Contacts group in Google Contacts.
• People they're following in Google Reader
Google +1 will not appear in mobile search results at this time.
Does +1 affect my website's search ranking?
Google may start determining relevance based on +1 recommendation from friends, family and acquaintances. Google are continuously upgrading and improving their algorithm to ensure the most relevant results are being delivered. We may see this become a factor taken into account in ranking and page relevance. So although it is not confirmed, the continued integration of search and social is likely to grow, and with that social will become more and more important to how your website is ranked.
Will the +1 button affect my web traffic?
It is possible that the personalised annotations which will appear alongside +1 recommendation may make your AdWords ad copy more prominent and relevant to searches. In turn this may influence click-through rates and traffic volumes however it will require monitoring and analysis before exact effects can be confirmed.
What do you need to do?
Incorporating the +1 button on your website or on a particular page will allow visitors to recommend you from within your site - this will appear in the search results for them and their peers. To learn more please contact Digital Clarity on the details below.
*Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries.
http://bit.ly/lJUFbU
For further Information please contact:
Reggie James | Digital Clarity
Tel: +44 (0)845 388 4071
E: info@digital-clarity.com
http://bit.ly/lJUFbU