Google +1 is the button that allows the social sharing of interesting content in the SERP. Nothing exceptionally new: it is very similar to Facebook and its “Like”.
Facebook , in the “higher spheres” of the web, must cause more commotion than one might believe if Google has decided to use a new tool very similar to the “Like”. In fact, next to the search results and ads, the button “+1” has arrived.
The operation is simple: by clicking “+1” you will share the link in the SERP with your network of contacts. This, besides signaling to others what you find interesting online, will also allow Google to weave a web of feedback related to the search results offered for the given keyword. This will, presumably, over time lead to changes in the SERP, more aligned with user behavior.
It goes without saying that in order to use +1 and thus share your opinion, you must be logged into your Google profile.
Once logged in, it will be possible to see what you have given a “+1” and, if desired, you can also remove a preference given in the past.
The network of +1 will then specifically suggest one search result rather than another: for example, if a friend clicked +1 next to a search related to a certain book, it is likely that result could be interesting also for ourselves, which is why we might be more willing to click on the link, having a certain probability of a useful search because it has already been “vetted” by someone we know.
Practically a virtual word-of-mouth and quite generalized; even when there are no indications from friends, Google will show some “+1” that it considers relevant: geolocation allows for linking your Google account with businesses in the area, for example. If the corner café owner has given “+1” to a certain link, it might become plausible to think there is something worth knowing, reading, or verifying.
Google +1 is already operational on google.com and it is not only related to search results but also to ads. The service, however, will soon be expanded elsewhere and into various other areas touched by Google. Also, given the increasing relevance Twitter, the “+1” in the future could somehow be integrated into connections created exactly through Twitter.
While waiting to understand how much Google +1 can influence or improve the average user’s experience on the search engine, we propose the Google +1 presentation video, not without leaving a reflection: for the new generations “internet” is becoming simply “Facebook” and Mountain View, which has not managed to launch a true Google social network as effective as FB, seems to struggle in search of its social key.
Will a “+1” be enough to make Zuckerberg’s creation lose its sharing supremacy?
And finally, is Google’s intent really to tailor the most relevant results to the user or is it indirectly outsourcing the job of filtering search results to unsuspecting users?
Be the first to comment