Apex Internet Blog

Google’s +1 Button Is Here

In early April 2011 I wrote about Google’s +1 button experiment, today I write to advise that Google are now releasing the +1 button availability to every site on the web i.e. it’s no longer in Google Labs. Already on Twitter this morning I have seen a number of New Zealand and overseas users Tweeting about how they have added the +1 button to their website or blog.

For those of you who aren’t entirely sure what the +1 button is actually all about, read on. Basically it is a way for users of your website to ‘rate’ the page/s they visit. Users are also able to +1 Google AdWords ads too. For a user to be able to do this they need to be logged in to a Google account, as do those who will see the +1’s in search results.

Many people will be wondering whether they actually need another ‘social’ button somewhat cluttering up their site. Whilst the use of this button is yet to be proven, it is important to remember that this is one of Google’s steps toward social search and probably not something to be taken lightly. It’s also believed that engagement data will soon be coming to Analytics, Webmaster Tools and AdWords. All of this information will become useful in determining how users are engaging with your site and proves that Google are serious about social search.

Google have announced that they are rolling out the +1 button for English language searches on Google.com at this stage. However for those that want to see +1 search results and AdWords ads it is possible to opt into this via their experimental search site.

Google are hoping that the availability of the +1 button will give their users the ability to recommend great content to friends and connections, therefore making search results much more relevant and helpful – something we all know Google is striving to achieve each day.

If you are wondering what the +1 button looks like, here’s an example:   The number in the speech bubble above is how many times that particular site/page has been given a +1 “vote”. There are four size options available, language settings and the option to choose not to have the counter display are also available : Add +1 to your website.

Some useful resources from Google:
Google Webmaster Central +1 button FAQ
Google +1 button policy
+1 button API

Categories: Search
Posted on: 2nd Jun 11 by Lizette Bretherton
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