Google has just released a new social feature called Google Plus One. It is basically a button similar to the Facebook “like” button which is shorthand for “You should check this out”. You click this +1 button to give a web page your recommendation to your friends and the world-wide web which will in turn help people find what they are looking for more quickly and easily.
Where is it found?
The plus one button can be found in two places on the web, the Google search listings and individual web pages. When you do a Google search you’ll see a little “+1” button next to each search result. You can then click this button to recommend search listings that you found useful. If you’re a content provider you can actually add the Google Plus One button to your website to allow your viewers to “+1” your content (You can actually see it at the bottom of this article).
Why is the +1 button helpful?
There’s so much information on the web today and one of the biggest challenges is sorting the good content from the bad. In a way we are all helping Google filter out the rubbish by providing real social feedback. Google will basically collect all of this “social” data generated by the plus one feature and merge it into Google search. I’m guessing that the more plus one’s a search listing receives, the higher up it will go in the Google search results. Once the social data is incorporated into the Google algorithm it should improve the quality of the Google search results in turn making it easier for us to find stuff and making the web a better place!
How do I get the plus one button?
In order to use the plus one button you’ll need a Google account. If you use Gmail then you already have a Google account. While you’re logged into your Google account you’ll be able to see the plus one button next to search results. Simply click on the button to recommend that search listing to the world. If you have your own website or blog you can add a “+1” button to your site to allow your viewers to “+1” your content.
What are your thoughts on the plus one button? Will it be as successful as Facebook’s “like” button?
Adham Dannaway
Web Designer and Front End Developer with a passion for web design, coding, blogging, WordPress and chewing gum. Check out my web design portfolio and follow me on Twitter and Facebook!
So are you saying the only way to see or use the plus one button as a consumer is if you are logged into your google account.
Yep, you need to be logged into your Google account. Most people that use gmail will be logged in anyway (Works in the same way the facebook like button does).
Won’t this be an easy new way to “game” the system. I can just see it now, hundreds of plus “oners” in India or the Phillipines adding this to their list of services for SEO.
How is google tracking this?
Yep, I was wondering about this too Linda. Hopefully Google have something in store to stop spammers misusing the +1 button. You’ll be able to track your own +1 data in Google Analytics which is pretty handy.