Relevant content
Google + 1 is a new social network by Google. In a way, it’s very helpful to web browsers since it helps them in discovering relevant content from an ad, a website or a Google search result from people they have a history with and as such, trust. Subsequently, people hosting given websites, by adding the + 1 button to their Web Pages enable visitors to the site to recommend other users as they know that their contacts and friends will be able to see their recommendation at a time when it is most relevant in regard to Google search results.
Signed in Google users
A great social media it is, Google +1 allows signed in users to annotate their Google result snippet with identities of the users friends or contacts that bear the + ‘d on the users page when searching. Additionally, Google +1 also allows a user whose connections do not have a +1’d on their page to display the cumulative number of +1’s the respective page has received.
Site Performance in Search
The question that arises when it comes to search engine optimization regards whether or not the Google Plus One tool affect ones site performance when searching. In answering this question, the advantage that the social media tool has is that content that users are recommended to by acquaintances and friends ranks high in terms of relevance compared to stranger recommended content. This implies that when an expert recommends a movie review, such a recommendation may be useful. However, compared to a friend’s suggestion, the expert opinion ranks low as the friend is intimately aware of personal tastes and preferences. Ultimately, +1recommendations from contacts and friends are useful points of reference that allows Google to determine the relevance of ones page to a given users search query.
Traffic
The +1 button also has a significant impact on traffic. As such, personalized annotations that appear next to a given webpage in displayed results of a search increase the pages’ visibility. Additionally, it also makes the page’s snippet more compelling.
Search results.
Most users are concerned whether the +1 originating from their site can appear in their search results. In regard to this, in the event a user +1’s a URL on his or her respective site, the Google search result snippet for that respective URL can be annotated in the results of the search as well as search ads.
+1 Visibility
The +1 button appears for users that are visible as signed in on google.com in any modern browser. This makes the social media visible to a relatively high number of individuals. It also derives an element of privacy since it restricts outside visibility. However, +1 may be public to some individuals since they display personalized annotations to any users that are visible as signed in.
+1 Annotations visibility
Everyone has access to aggregate annotations. Additionally users that are visible as signed can also access personalized annotations from:
- Google Talk or Gmail chatlist
- My contacts Group
- Google Buzz and Google Reader followers
