Google +1 – What it will do for you
The Google +1 button is Google’s answer to the Facebook “Like” button. People who have a Google account will now be able to promote their favorite Websites by clicking the +1 button, thereby saying to their friends and family that they should “check it out”.
If you are wondering where you can find one, the button will be seen in the Android Market, Blogger blogs, Product Search, and YouTube, in addition to any other sites that add them.
What will the Google +1 button do for you?
There are two sides to that story. The Google +1 button supposedly will benefit everyone, but for this article we will look at two specific groups: The Developer and the End-User.
The Developer
The addition of the Google +1 button on your website cannot possibly hurt it, but instead will give your viewers a chance to promote you to the rest of their online social circle. Keep in mind that the Google +1 button does not replace the Google Buzz button. Google Buzz allows people to comment, where Google +1 does not. The two Google buttons have the same difference as the Facebook Share button (Google Buzz), and the Facebook Like button (Google +1). What a planned surprise!
Also, by getting your website visitors to +1 your pages, your search ads and organic results might appear with +1 annotations more often. This could lead to more, better targeted traffic to your website!
The only downsides at the moment are:
- The +1 button is not supported in mobile search, yet.
- Analytics not currently available. The timeframe for release is currently TBD.
If you are looking for the coding help to get the button on your website check out our Adding the Google +1 to your website article, which will get +1 on your website in two simple steps.
Watch the Introductory Video
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The End User
For the End User, the Google +1 button allows you to recommend pages to your Google social network. Your connections will be able to see that you have +1’d certain websites when they search for relevant information using the Google search engine. Also, you can use the +1 like a bookmarking feature because you can go to your Google profile to see every website you have +1’d.
In Summary
Even though the Google +1 button is still in its infancy, the recommendation Meta social network like most of Google’s ideas, is here to stay. If you are a developer, now is the time to get in on the ground floor, and integrate the +1 button today! For the End User, go out on the web, click the +1 button, and let your friends see what you would recommend! After all, your friends are more likely to trust your recommendations than Google’s!
