**** BWMagic's Affiliate Marketing Guide

Google +1 Button - One Ranking Tool You Can't Ignore

• Copyright Titus Hoskins
  

  A close look at Google's new +1 Button from an SEO and marketing perspective.

  As you probably know by now, Google is replacing Google Buzz with the +1 Button, although they haven't actually come out and said it yet. Well, to be accurate, Google has said nothing and Google Buzz is still active and present on many websites. It does have a slightly different function from the new +1 Buttons and Google will probably try to keep it around.

  However, I believe it won't be long before webmasters on masse, replace the Buzz button with the +1 Button. We are already seeing this happen. Why? What's the difference between the +1 Button and Google Buzz?

  For starters, the +1 Button will be more of a ranking signal, which means Google will be using it to rank content or webpages. The more "+1" hits your content receives, the higher it will be ranked in Google's all important index. That's reason enough to get most webmasters onboard and using the button to achieve higher rankings.

  As announced by Google's David Byttow: "We'll also start to look at +1's as one of the many signals we use to determine a page's relevance and ranking, including social signals from other services. For +1's, as with any new ranking signal, we'll be starting carefully and learning how those signals affect search quality over time."

  How does the Google +1 Button work?

  Webmasters can simply place the Google +1 Button on their webpages using a simple bit of java script supplied by Google. Surfers have to be logged into a Google account before the button will work. Google says clicking this button means you "like, agree with, or want to recommend" the content you're viewing. Once the visitor clicks the button, a link is created under the +1's tab in their Google Profile. And of course, Google adds up the number of clicks your content receives.

  This new button will be supported in 44 languages and the button will be seen in Blogger Blogs, Product Search, Android Market and YouTube. Everyone can view the aggregate annotations, but only logged in users will get personalized annotations from their own contacts in Gmail, Google Contacts, Google Chat, Google Reader and of course, Google Buzz.

  Of course, wherever we have a Google ranking signal or factor, you will have unscrupulous webmasters and online marketers who will try to "game" it. One only has to look at the whole "backlink" ranking signal/factor which has been totally corrupted by link buying, seo services, comment spam and reciprocal linking. And if one is being truly honest, using the number of backlinks as a democratic way of judging/ranking content has been greatly diminished to the point of no return, a futile task best reserved for the clueless and naive.

  Google already has procedures or policies in place which prohibits webmaster from enticing visitors to click to +1 Button. However, from a search engine perspective, Google now has two new methods of collecting/compiling more "democratic" voting for relevant and useful content on the web. Mainly data from this 1+ button and data from Chrome Browser users, which Google has stated may be used to determine rankings. Hopefully, these two ranking factors will be much more difficult to manipulate than backlinks.

  Should you use the Google +1 Button?

  This may seem like a no-brainer, but keep in mind, by using the +1 Button you're giving Google permission to crawl and analyse your website. For most webmasters, this is a very good idea since you definitely want Google indexing and ranking any new content you create. Plus, Goolge has future plans to launch analytics for this button, which could provide more valuable feedback for webmasters.

  Just like any of these social bookmarking buttons, such as the Facebook's Like button or Twitter's Re-Tweet button, having your visitors bookmark and discuss your content is an excellent way to build links and traffic. Google's +1 Button will probably prove just as effective in spreading your message as these other bookmaking systems, with one major addition: the Google's +1 Button will probably come with more SEO benefits. Just think of it as a button with benefits.

  ...
  Related links:

  http://developers.google.com/+/plugins/+1button/

  http://www.webpronews.com/google-1-button-3-2011-06

  
  

  Please bookmark with social media, your votes are noticed and greatly appreciated.