Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Google +1 - Quick Facts & 101


Ok so what’s Google +1 and does it make sense?
Whether you are a marketer or just an average Internet user you've seen or heard about the Google +1 button.  Basically, +1 acts like the Facebook share or Twitter tweet button with some slight additions - it affects search rankings. A pretty important differentiator.
So think of +1′s as votes. Whenever someone +1′s a website, it counts as a sort of recommendation and shows up next to the page in Google’s search results. The more +1 in your contact circle the higher the ranking in the search results.
Why should I care?
What Google is trying to do is make the search more relevant to you. If your friends have +1 something - you are more apt to click on that link because your friends have already validated the link and it will show up higher in the search rank.
How does it know me and my friends?
You must be logged into your Google account in order to use Google +1. Yes, you need a google account, of course. It basically then pulls from your contact list.
So how is all this information relevant to me? 
Well, if you’re just the average Google user then this information probably won’t help you. If you were simply curious about all these obscure +1 buttons showing up everywhere, you now know what they do and there is no reason for you to carry on reading.
BUT if you are corporation or organization you should take note and consider implementation because let’s face it, natural SEO doesn’t work very well and Google’s algorithm isn’t always fair. So play the game, leverage automated tools and stick to what works.
So what are some con's?
It is still gaining steam - so the verdict isn't in yet, but these are some of the issues I see:
Confusing: We already have "Like" for Facebook, "Follow" for twitter, "digg" for digg and now one more to add to the bunch with +1.
UX (User Experience) Issues: When reading an article and you like what you are reading - the natural reaction is to Like the button - not +1 it - the naming on +1 is not that intuitive - so adoption may be slow.
Limited Reach: Your +1's are only shared with your gmail contacts. Not anyone else - so this is very limited and if folks really want to endorse content, they are more likely to use tools that have a wider reach (via Facebook, Twitter etc.)
Shareability: When you +1 you are not really sharing content. So what I mean is clicking on Facebook "Like" will get you the updates about the page on your newsfeed. +1 just goes to your Gmail profile which nobody looks at. So it's not shared, it's deposited in your profile, ick.
So in summary +1 is not all that user friendly and may not make complete sense to the individual user. Where I see the benefit though is for companies implementing the widget on their site so that their ranking will increase in Google search.

Still confused - here's a video that explains it more visually!

Oh and if you are in the mood - don't forget to +1 this page for me :)