What is Google +1?

Google recently announced the launch of +1 (pronounced: plus one), which basically gives users the ability to click the +1 button on a useful website in order to make or share a recommendation. Then, based on your social relationships, Google combines the SERPs with information from people you know.

In yet a further attempt to deliver the most relevant results as quickly as possible, Google believes relevance is not just about keywords and webpages, but in an attempt to increase conversations, relationships also need to be factored into the equation.

Why not try it for yourself?

Head on over to Google Experimental, making sure you have logged into your Google account and have created and enabled a public Google profile. Click to join this experiment on the +1 section, then head over to Google.com and enter a search term to see +1 in action.

An example of the +1 button by the website title and recommendations from your social networks in the SERPs.

How to make a recommendation

Making a recommendation is very simple, just click on the +1 button in the SERPs. This will open the following pop-up window.

Be sure to customise the profile, as it will be visible in the live Google search results and your Google profile for all your friends to see.

Nobody likes change

After installing the new Google +1 feature and creating a public profile, it is fair to say that I can’t see there is a real need for it. At this moment in time I can go up and down search results ‘+1ing’ anything I like, but If I don’t have a social circle on Google to share these opinions with, what’s the point?

When looking at search results for ‘men’s clothing’ for example, I have no indication as to which is the most ‘+1ed’ result. How do I find out what the world has ‘+1ed’? And how is this going to influence what I click on when I don’t know what they look for in a supplier of men’s clothing?

This is where the Google +1 feature seems to be of very little benefit to a user unless you really appreciate and believe reviews from the general public and your social friends. Are you really going to click on a search result because Joe Bloggs who you met on the bus home from town ‘+1ed’ it?

Conclusion

The more I look into Google +1, the more I see its weaknesses. We already have the Facebook ‘like’ and we already have the Twitter ‘tweet’, so how is the Google +1 improving on these two already established models, which were released well over 12 months ago and are widely accepted?

In its current form I find the Google +1 rather limited as it is only visible in the search results. Once I’ve searched for the product and purchased it, why would I go back to the search so I can +1 it? Am I really that devoted to promoting companies I’ve purchase from? I don’t think so. It seems to me this is just another form of free advertising.

Feel free to leave your comments, thoughts and suggestions below.

Gareth Evans
SEO Programmer