What is Google +1 and Can It Help You Gain An Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition?

You may have been hearing the buzz going around the internet about Google +1, also referred to as “Google Plus 1″, but haven’t quite figured out what it actually is and how it works.  Don’t worry, you are not alone.  Until just recently I didn’t have the slightest idea what it is either.

My friend good Elmar Sandyck wrote a blog post about it a little while back and since I wasn’t quite able to wrap my head around this new technology I went on and did some more research on the subject.

Most likely you are familiar with Facebook’s “Like” button.

“The Like button lets a user share your content with friends on Facebook. When the user clicks the Like button on your site, a story appears in the user’s friends’ News Feed with a link back to your website.”

It’s a pretty cool!

Google has wanted to get in on the “Social Media” game for a while and has been jealously watching Facebook. So now they created their own “like button” and put their own little spin on it.

The advantage that Google has over Facebook is that they are a search engine. People go there to perform searches. That’s what they’re good at.

So what exactly is the Goolge +1 button?

Right now it is still in beta testing, but basically it works like follows…

While you are logged in to your Google profile, perform a search and see if there’s a +1 button. If there is, click on it and it will be saved to your Google profile. If your profile is public you can also share it with anyone who has a Google profile.

Like I said, right now it is still in beta testing, but as it becomes more popular you can scroll through your results and see how many people clicked on the +1 button and even who amongst your friends or connections have clicked +1.

So what’s the big deal with Google +1?

There has been no hard evidence but rumors as well as subtle hints, that eventually Google’s algorithm will be connected to the +1 button. (As they say …”where there is smoke, there is fire.”)

What does that mean?

It means, the more people click on the +1 button (in other words, cast their vote for the particular site or page) the higher that page ranks in the search engine. Or…the easier it is to get on the first page of Google.

How can you be part of the Google +1 experiment?

The first thing you need to do (if you haven’t already) is to get a Google profile. It’s very easy to set up, just follow the instructions.

Once you do have your Google profile, sign up for the +1 Button Experiment.

Just click on “Join this experiment” and you’re done.

Then just go ahead and do as Google suggests. Go to the web. Find sites that you like, vote for them by clicking on +1 buttons and add them to your profile. You can start with clicking on your own sites and pages …or mine, hint, hint. (If you +1 any of my pages let me know and I will reciprocate.) Make sure you are logged in to your Google Profile when you do this.

This is very powerful, as Google is combining search with social media. I already mentioned above that this will impact your ranking eventually if the rumors going around are indeed true.

So how will Google Plus 1 help you get an unfair advantage
over your competition?

How many friends do you have on Facebook?

How many people are following you on Twitter?

Just think about what would happen if you asked those people to help you out and vote for your content by clicking the +1 button?

Do you think it would make a difference?

It’s all about popularity!

If enough people think your content is valuable and they vote for it by clicking the +1 button, Google will see that and rank your content accordingly.

Oh the possibilities!

So, have you had any experience with Google +1 yet? If so please share it with us in the comments below. I always love your feedback.
To Your Success…

Ilka Flood
The Enlightened Networker

P.S. If you found value in this post please make sure you vote for it and re-tweet it and share it with your friends. Thank You!