The Side Note

As Google+ keeps growing, many people are wondering, what will the new ‘+1’ feature do for SEO?” Will Google searches give a search advantage to sites that have been “+1?”

We believe Google+ is essentially going to put a different spin on searching.  The +1 button is similar to Facebook’s “like” button.  However, Google is taking it one step further.  If your friends and family recommend content with the +1 button, this content is going to become more relevant in your searches. SEO Scheduler discussed what Google insiders said about this new +1 feature:

“Content recommended by friends and acquaintances is often more relevant than content from strangers. For example, a movie review from an expert is useful, but a movie review from a friend who shares your tastes can be even better. Because of this, +1’s from friends and contacts can be a useful signal to Google when determining the relevance of your page to a user’s query. This is just one of many signals Google may use to determine a page’s relevance and ranking, and we’re constantly tweaking and improving our algorithm to improve overall search quality. For +1′s, as with any new ranking signal, we’ll be starting carefully and learning how those signals affect search quality.”

Essentially Google+ is turning SEO into SER, Search Engine Relevance.  And the relevance part is if people you know “like” certain content. The ability for this to change the way you get content from searches is going to be a slow process, so no need to worry just yet.  First of all, you must be signed into Google+ for this to have any affect on the content Google gives you.  Also, until you build your Google+ circles and recommending content reach critical mass, the social search feature isn’t going to have much impact.

Another thing to be aware of is that Google has not yet set up profiles for businesses.  You may notice that in order to get information from a business on Google+ page, it must be from a specific person, not the business.  For marketers, once business profiles are implemented, jump on the bandwagon ASAP.  This will definitely improve SEO and allow a business to utilize “relevance searching” to your advantage.

Our best advice today is to be keenly aware of Google+. Start by implementing +1 buttons on websites to get better page rankings. However, there is no need to immediately change the way you create SEO. Our prediction is that social searching could be HUGE in the near future!

Props to Natalie Kleopfer for her research and contributions to this story.

Let us know if you have started implementing +1 buttons and if you are using Google+. Share your thoughts on the impact of Google+ with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.