by samWhen Google first released the +1 feature, it was difficult to imagine users finding the incentive to actively give websites their approval, so the implications for SEO may have been understated. It seemed it was simply an attempt to match Facebook’s advantage over them in online marketing and garner the focused information that users willingly give to their rivals. Although, unlike the ‘like’ button, this feature was isolated in the search engine and restricted to those who opted to use Google accounts.
This changes with the +1s feature’s integration with the new social network ‘Google Plus’, which requires a Google account. Like Facebook, users’ likes and interests are built into their ‘Plus’ profiles. With +1 buttons available on websites, users can validate content instantly and publicly, all the while forming a hub of their interests on their profiles. The feature then feels less like a blatant attempt at gathering information and more like a natural extension of sharing through social media.
A mass adoption of +1 will have a big effect on the way that we search on a day-to-day basis and an equally large effect on Internet marketing and SEO. The option to give websites a +1 is provided for both the organic and PPC search results, and the +1 totals are displayed on both. While the user may take a website’s ranking to be indicative of its trustworthiness and/or reputation, with +1, we will have personalised endorsements from our friends. This is bound to have an impact on our perceptions of different products and services.
It’s difficult to think of anybody objecting to recommendations from their friends or even rankings in light of our friends’ opinions, but the +1 feature isn’t limited to our social circles. It’s to be taken into account across all Google users and reflected in search results. This would be a useful representation of the majority opinion if the accuracy of the numbers could be ensured. However, any abuse of the feature will result in unfair search positions if Google’s algorithms adopt them and give them significant weight in determining rankings. At its worst, a large portion of rankings could, in part, be decided through resources alone or whoever can conjure the most +1s through bribing the public or creating multiple Google accounts. This makes for one-sided SEO. There will be a rise in services guaranteeing +1’s for a price. It would seem like the easiest way to gain Google’s favour.