What Is Google’s +1 Button?

Along with the big Google Panda Update, you may have noticed the new Google +1 button on websites, blogs, and even on Google SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).  While there isn’t much to this button right now, other than a way to show off how popular an article or blog post is, Google has big plans for this little button.

Facebook’s “Like” button has become very popular. It is an easy way to share great websites and articles with your Facebook friends, as well as a great way for companies to market with. How many times have you seen businesses giving away coupons or free products just for “Liking” their Facebook Fanpage.  Well, Google has taken this to the next level. Pretty soon, a website’s pagerank, or the place it appears in Google’s search results page, will be dependent upon the number of times visitors clicked on the +1 button.

Many webmasters have already placed the +1 button on their sites, often replacing the  Google Buzz button. Though the functionality is not the same, in the future Google Buzz options will be incorporated into the +1 button. I have recently added the +1 button here on FWR, which you will see at the top right side of all my posts, next to the Tweet button.

Current Google +1 Button Functions

As of the writing of this post, there are only a fewy functions of the Google +1 button:

• Show how many people  like a specific post or article
• If a user has a Google Account, the website URL of that page that the +1 button was clicked on will appear on the +1 tab on their Google Profile.
• The name of the user that clicked on a +1 button on your website may be listed next to the search result snippet when that person is connected to you via a Google, including a Gmail contact or chat list contact.
• Users logged into Google will see the number of +1’s that each website has obtained next to its results snippets.
• According to Google, the number of +1 clicks may also influence the position of any AdWords ads on pages with active +1 button.

Future Google +1 Button Functions

Google still has some testing to do, especially since spammers will no doubt try to sabotage the +1 button. But they have big plans for future Google +1 btton functions, which include:

• Google’s Pangrank algorithm will include a website’s +1 button count, so the more people click on a +1 button, the higher that website will appear in the SERPs.
• Google Buzz attributes will be included in the +1 button functions.
• Google plans to implement analytics for the +1 button, allowing webmasters to capture information on  geography, demographics,search impact, and content.

If you have a self hosted WordPress blog, simply add a plugin to place the +1 button on your website. Or, go HERE for a tutorial on how to add it in manually.  Google is suggesting that all website owners add the Google +1 button to their sites now! Get started and show some love to your favorite websites by clicking the new Google +1 button!

 Link to this page

 Link to this page

Related Posts:

• Introducing WordPress 3.2 “Gershwin”
• Websites Are Important
• Job Opportunity- Write For ComplexSearch
• Freelance Writer Road Website Button Contest
• I Am Now a Professional Blogger!