Search Marketing and Google’s +1

Google recently unleashed two major initiatives: Google+ and +1. While Google+ has been making waves as a social media competitor, +1 also has implications for businesses, websites, and search engine marketers. “Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1’s can help friends, contacts, and others on the web find the best stuff when they search,” says Google. So what does this mean for you?

+1 can have an effect on search results, so it is only natural that marketers would wonder if a new strategy is in order. Search marketing expert Benedict Hayes says, “Google is aiming to gauge sentiment and interactivity by introducing the +1 button. This replicates the Facebook Likes and retweets by Twitter feature. This will allow a high presence…and give value to the search results.” Google does, however, have more reach worldwide than either Facebook or Twitter, so many believe that +1 is more of a force to be reckoned with – or accommodated to.

Google accounts for about 80 percent of the search market, so it is essential that SEO tactics be geared towards the search giant. Businesses that depend on search engine traffic for revenue or sales, such as online game sites, are expected to adopt +1 more heavily and to make it a more prominent part of their campaigns, while businesses with an established clientele or brand wouldn’t be as quick to adopt it.

CEO and co-founder of Games2Win, Alok Kejriwal says that +1 ’crowd-sources’ Google ranking amongst friends!…the FB Like/commenting engine works in collusion with +1 – not in seclusion. To me, an FB like/comment is a ‘viral push,’ +1 is a ‘viral pull.’” This can act to draw traffic to you as search becomes much more socially-oriented.

Many SEO experts agree that +1 doesn’t necessarily mean you need to change your SEO techniques; rather, it presents a chance to augment strategy to if it is appropriate for your particular business.