Okay, so the guys in the Search labs here at i3 Search Worx have been trialling Google+1 for the past month or so and are in a position where we would now like to put our hand into how we feel it is going to affect SEO and the general Social Media landscape.

Let's start off by defining exactly what Google +1 is actually all about - this is Google's attempt after their monumental flop which is Google Buzz to enter the Social Media arena with some sort of purpose. Google + 1 allows people to '+1' a website that they liked or found particularly useful and share it with friends and family - but more importantly others.

Here's the plus one promo video:

Let's look at Google's opening paragraph on their Google +1 promo:

The +1 button is shorthand for "this is pretty cool" or "you should check this out. "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"

This is Google from the start indicating that Google + 1 will influence or put emphasis on its search results - this isn't coincidence either, even on the official Google blog they have said:

"Say, for example, you’re planning a winter trip to Tahoe, Calif. When you do a search, you may now see a +1 from your slalom-skiing aunt next to the result for a lodge in the area. Or if you’re looking for a new pasta recipe, we’ll show you +1’s from your culinary genius college roommate. And even if none of your friends are baristas or caffeine addicts, we may still show you how many people across the web have +1’d your local coffee shop"

So +1 will help people find your content and by all accounts looks as though it is a set to be a signal within its algorithm.

As an agency, i3SearchWorx already makes use of the social media landscape to aid with its SEO strategies as we are firm believers in the rise of Social Search Engine Optimisation - we have already seen how influential social media is on major search engines such as Google and Bing with amalgamated social results now shown for keyword searches across a whole range of different markets.

The first thing we are asked is - can the +1 be manipulated if it's a signal? Many would think so, but let's look at this realistically, Google would have thought of this and would have a robust algorithm catering for potential spammers - if you ask any SEO company they will tell you that user-generated signals can be easily manipulated and we do agree to some extent - but Google has A LOT of information on you to make an informed decision as to whether or not you are a 'genuine' +1'er or a 'rogue' +1'er - think about the different aspects - Gmail, Google Analytics, Calendar, GTalk, Google Reader, Google Docs etc etc, they have a whole background history on us, just check out your Google Dashboard!

Matt Cutts (Quality Search Group, Google) follows up with the following statement:

“The primary benefit is that search gets better. It gets better in the user interface immediately, and we’ll look at it as a potential signal to improve search quality as well. I find social search extremely useful, especially with the recent updates. This change continues the evolution of social search, and it’s a natural progression to improve the search experience.”

Again, this is a clear signal that social media is looking to become a major influence on key search algorithms.

What we as an agency are 'concerned' about is that if Google +1 WILL influence rankings, wouldn't this mean brands with heavy traffic will begin dominating search? Brands such as Nike and Footlocker with hundreds of thousands of views a day could really take advantage - it all boils down to how much Google +1 will influence Google's ranking signals. There must be some sort of buffer on Google +1's signals to stop this from happening as ... well ... it would spell the end for many SME's that are solely reliant on organic search to strum up business. We are not saying this WILL happen, but from a viewpoint of what we already know, it could quite easily happen although we like to think Google have already thought of this.

Our advice would be that businesses start thinking social, start looking at social content, video viral, link baits, news, different angles, developing press rooms and blogs as well as building a social identity on popular social networking, bookmarking and web 2.0 sites to really take advantage of the era that is Social Media SEO.

In a world where the web is all about collaboration and key influencers, it's no wonder that Google and let's face it, all other major search engines will probably follow, are making steps to ensure that search, is... Social.

Posted: 25/05/11 16:56