Jack is new to SEO. There is a lot he doesn’t know, but he’d like to keep his job so he asks a lot of questions. The “You Don’t Know, Jack?” series of posts highlights some of his most interesting.
Today’s “You Don’t Know, Jack?” is a little different than most. You all know the usual structure – I come up with a brilliant question relating to what we do at L2T Media, I find someone willing to humor me with an answer, and then it is posted on this blog.
This time, however, I have a special treat for everyone. Instead of finding “just anyone” to grudgingly answer my question, I’ve decided to ask the one who knows me best. The only one to believe in me since the very beginning. Myself! That’s right, today’s “You Don’t Know, Jack?” has just turned into a “You Don’t Know Jack, Jack?”
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Question: What do we know about Google’s +1 and how can it affect search engine marketing efforts?
Answer: Jack! Your questions are so insightful! I would love to explain the implications of Google’s +1 on search engine marketing.
Based on the current (admittedly, limited) +1 discussion out there, it looks like implications on SEO and PPC will be heavily dependent on how this whole thing takes off with the common user. Some of the main ideas that are being focused on now are as follows:
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- If the user agrees to let their +1s be public, it can show up on a search result or site as “Jack Thornburg and 16 others +1’d this.” Therefore, it will not only be a factor to people with lots of Google connections, but can also affect the decisions of anyone on the web.
- Soon, Google will add a way to track +1s on Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics. It looks like it has already been added to the interface, but use is limited. When completely rolled out, it will be a great way to track social presence and influence.
- +1s may have a larger ranking impact in some industries than in others where there simply isn’t much social interaction (best pizza place vs. metal manufacturing plant). We’re guessing that the auto industry will be closer to the pizza place example than the manufacturing plant.
- Gaming +1s seems like it would be extremely hard to do. By gaming, I’m referring to a company simply creating as many different Gmail accounts as they want to +1 their website. As each +1 is tied to your Gmail account (which is then tied to your YouTube account, Yelp, etc.), there are a ton of factors that Google can use to determine if you are a real person. Further, Google will be able to tell how important your +1s are based on your web reputation.
One of the cool things about +1 is that you can install a +1 button on any page that can actually +1 another page altogether. This way, people who are leaving a review for a car dealer can +1 the company’s homepage instead of the review site they are on.
Moving forward, it looks like we will just have to keep an eye on how the world accepts the +1 button. If people love it, it may end up holding a lot of weight in SEO rankings. As of now, well, it’s hard to tell.
Have an idea for a “You Don’t Know, Jack?” question? Feel free to e-mail me your suggestions and I’ll do everything I can to find an answer from one of our many experts. Remember - he who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. At least that’s what I’m told.
