Everything You Need To Know About Google’s +1 Button

In March Google introduced The +1 Button, a simple way to “Like” Google search results…

When you’re signed into your Google account, every Google search result will now have a +1 icon next to it . If you find the search result useful or just enjoy the linked site, you hit the +1 icon. Google says by +1-ing a result you’re giving it a recommendation, a stamp of approval. More +1′s on a result means the site is more interesting.

Social

You can see what your friends +1′d which ideally lends more credence to a particular search result. Imagine if your best friend found a link interesting and +1′d it. When you stumble upon that in the future, you’re probably going to click it.

The +1 button is shorthand for “this is pretty cool” or “you should check this out.” Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1′s can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.

Google Evolution

Google +1 is another sign that Google wants to evolve into a more social search engine. All those +1′s they keep track of will not only help Google make their searches better, but also make them more relevant to your social circle. As the Internet gets clotted in cobwebs, having friends personally +1 the best sites keeps Google from falling too far behind Facebook and Twitter in social sharing.

Ranking

An exact quote from Google’s David Byttow, from when the feature was first announced: “We’ll also start to look at +1’s as one of the many signals we use to determine a page’s relevance and ranking, including social signals from other services. For +1′s, as with any new ranking signal, we’ll be starting carefully and learning how those signals affect search quality over time.”

Installation

I’ve just installed it on one of my clients’ websites today. As the days go by I am pretty confident that she will get the +1′s and the good recommendations for all to see. (www.balanceandpower.com)

Do you think Google’s +1 can help people find out about your website?

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