How do you believe Google's +1 service is going to affect SEO? What can we do?
-
So Google just announced the +1 button, which is there answer to Facebook 'likes' button:
http://searchengineland.com/meet-1-googles-answer-to-the-facebook-like-button-70569
http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/30/google-plus-one/
They should begin showing up now on Google US. If you aren't seeing them, you can turn them on here:
http://www.google.com/experimental/
I want to know? What affect do you predict these are going to have? Is there anything we can do from an SEO point to begin leveraging +1 right from the outset?
-
I'm not sure I see the motivation for people to +1 something. For Facebook, social connection is a big motivator: people want their friends to see what they 'like'. How many people actually view other Google profiles like we do Facebook? Why would anyone use the +1 in Google? I think understanding the motivation might be a key to understanding how to leverage it better.
-
Excellent question. The answer to this (at least for me) is that big statement you hear so often about the most important tactic and principle of SEO. Developing great , interesting and unique content. Our entire SEO process is evolving to start with a creative approach, using content and then moving to what I would call traditional SEO tactics.
The gaming concern is one we all share, but can not control. We are hoping that by helping our clients develop better and more interesting information, 1+ will take care of it self.
-
It has been rolled out to English Google.com but is due to be rolled out in time. Also only shows if logged into Google account so for many people they won't see it anyway.
-
Has Google +1 been rolled out on just google.com? It doesn't seem to appear on .co.uk
-
There are 2 aspects to consider when you discuss gaming it. The first is the effect it has on the SERPs for everybody, the second is for how it affects it for social users and what the effect on CTR is.
For the 1st, the answer is - the same way they do with links. Check for cliques, for lots of unused accounts +1'ining the same sites, etc. etc. We'll see how effective that is.
For the 2nd, one important fact is going to be you can't game people's networks. You can create a bunch of bogus accounts, and create +1 groups for circular +1'ing. However, none of that matters if you aren't in people's networks. Currently it seems that +1's only show up if at least one friend/contact has +1'd the site. Then you see the total count (see attached image), otherwise at it stands you aren't going to affect people's CTR (which itself will be a signal).
-
From the Google Adwords blog adwords.blogspot.com (emphasis mine):
"You don’t have to make adjustments to your advertising strategy based on +1 buttons, and the way we calculate Quality Score isn’t changing (though +1s will be one of many signals we use to calculate organic search ranking)."
So it definitely IS going to be used as a signal.
And they're going to keep people from gaming this ... how?
-
I agree about Google's previous efforts, however I think +1 is finally going to be their breakthrough. They are going to push it hard, and unlike the other efforts, there is no real effort from the user to learn about it. I mean - most people never bothered to try to understand Google Buzz, whereas the concept of a 'like' button is really simple and widely known.
Currently, you cannot embed them into your website (it is coming, but not for 'months'), so that aspect isn't yet in play.
If you consider this - Google know that social is becoming increasingly important and is going to keeping growing. Furthermore, they seemed to have reached a limit with using links to determine what results to show, and are in need of new signals.
Everyone knows social signals are becoming more important, and Google really doesn't want to be relying only on signals under the control of others. I think +1 is here to stay, in one form or another.
However, currently you can only +1 a site from the SERPs, so it makes it hard for companies going to leverage this. Yet, I'm sure people will find a way.
-
Aside from adding the +1 button to your sites I doubt it will be that big. Most of Google's attempts at adding social features don't ever take off like they do for Facebook or other sites. I imagine the effect will be similar to that of how Facebook likes affect search engine results. It will help but not too important of a factor.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Google+ pages in search results
I have a simple question - I've read a lot about how google+ pages are ranking well in google searches, and that it's a good idea to incorporate google+ into your strategy. So I was on a call this morning, talking to a client about this. The client brought up the fact that in all his google searches, he's NEVER seen a google plus page in the search results. I realized that I never have either. After some searches, I still don't see any google plus pages, at least not on page 1 or 2. Am I missing something? Needless to say, the client was not convinced about the value of having a G+ page, and I came away not sure what I was missing. So how do people measure the impact of using google+ on their main website? -Jim
Social Media | | jimr4511 -
Getting Google Plus brand snippet
Hi, Wondering if anyone has a checklist for getting that brand entry on the right of the SERPs? i.e from your experience how many followers you need, plus ones, where to interlink etc Here's my brands G+ if you want to check it out! https://plus.google.com/111833333168778283139/posts Thanks, Asaad
Social Media | | Asaad0 -
SEO difference between having a Google+ Brand and Google+ Business page?
Functionally the Google+ Brand and Business pages seem to be exactly the same, but does having one or the other have an effect on SEO? Is it better to have both?
Social Media | | HireSpace0 -
Same posts on facebook and google+. Is this a problem?
I plan to publish same posts on facebook and google+. As they are in 10 different languages, I would rather not make modifications for facebook and google+ respectively. Do you see any problems with this? Do you think it matters whether I first publish on google+ or first on facebook? Any problem if I publish posts on one social media account which I already published in another social media account for another company of mine some months ago? thanks
Social Media | | lcourse0 -
Facebooking and Liking - Whis is best SEO practice for Rankings
Hi everyone! , i am a rookie with SEO. I have a very specific question for which i would love to hear your opinions on this. I have a facebook fan page about my company. We try to post quality stuff in regard to the industry we are in. However, we are social people, and i have seen improvements whenever we post more "social" topics such as TGIF, Photos, DIY themes. My question is (Actually two questions) : Is there a direct correlation or metric between rankings and "likes", the size of your facebook community ? If so, which has more power or effect on rankings. Facebook Likes generated from your website , or General Likes of posts within your existing community. Hope to hear from ya! Every advice is good advice. Regards Jesus D Aceromart
Social Media | | JesusD0 -
Anybody can invite me to Quora ? please!
Hello, it will be much appreciated if anybody could please invite me to Quora, my email address [email protected] thanks again!
Social Media | | maddogx0