Will you be adding +1 to your sites?

[MarieHaynes]

I logged into my Adsense account yesterday and saw a notification that I could have code to add the plus one button to my site.

I currently have addthis on most pages, so I set it up so that the +1 button is floated next to my Addthis FB, Twitter and Share buttons.

I'd love to hear your personal thoughts on +1.

Do you think it will have a great effect on rankings?

Are you likely to +1 interesting sites as you surf the web?

Are you adding it to all of your pages?

[expertvillagemedia]

Hi

I read this many times on various top blogs and community forums that if you add a plus one button on your website and people are clicking or sharing your content by that plus one button, then it helps a lot in rankings.

Now is it because plus one is google's platform so google want to give it a high priority over facebook, twitter, or any other social networking platform? Isnt it a partial behavior from google because its a fact that google plus is not as popular or good as FB or twitter.

[Anita_Clark]

Not totally convinced on +1s yet but it's used quite a bit in my niche (real estate) so I have followed suit.  Time will tell how much impact it has.

[Rickshaw]

We already added it to our ecom site http://www.rickshawbags.com the first day the patch came out. As everyone else mentioned the results have been slow but I think it will become an effective tool. In addition to the fact that Google may start placing more weight on those pages I think is sends a strong message to our customers that we're current on tech trends and place a lot of value on curating our site's technology.

[copykatrecipes]

I am going to add it to my site in the round of redesigns that I am working on currently.  The problem with many of google's programs is that they don't always last, but I think there will be a penalty if you don't try it out.

[flowsimple]

I feel the same was as I do about this as I do about the "Google Tags" and its brief run. Google Tags was a BIG advantage for local businesses who took advantage of it at a measly $25 a month. Of course, they've discontinued the program entirely.

I think those who +1 will see an initial advantage in SERPS, but after it rises in popularity and matures, that factor will be lessened and Google will have moved on to other factors.

[5225Marketing]

This may be an incredibly unscientific answer, but the plusone button is ugly.

It crowds up the SERPs, it crowds up an already busy 'tweet, share, like etc.'

To SEOs it has incredible power, but to the users, it's: 'What is this little monster button doing here?'

[blackballonline]

This +1 thing all boils down to Google's Social strategic vision (or lack thereof).  I liken this to the checkout line at the grocery store. Sometimes things just end up in the cart because of the wait. If the +1 is on every site because the site owner doesn't want to feel like they are out instead of IN. We have seen +1 dramatically increase SERP results but only for those users who are logged in and are what Google deems "members of my social circle". Make no mistake Big Brother is here.

[stevenheron]

"I personally think that Google's got this kind of spam figured out."

Really?

[seospain]

My personal opinion is that it could well be a flop. With the "like" button people are so familiar with this due to so much Facebook usage. The average Facebook user is logged in most of the time, so they know that by clicking on like they will be sharing these with their social circle. With +1? What does it do? You click it, then what? Who see's it?

You and I know that it will show in the SERPS if someone you know has previously +1'd something but does the average joe bloggs know this?

When it comes to the average user on the web I don't think they will  have a clue about +1

As for placing a +1 button in the SERPS I am not sure on this. I mean, you search, get the results and then click on the link. You then going to view the page and then remember to go back and +1 it? I am more likely to click on my Evernote widget and bookmark it or if I want to share use my hootsuite hootlet and share it to FB or Twitter.

Really not convinced on +1 yet, but time will tell.

[hiddendepth]

I think +1 will be much more important to the site owner than the site visitor which is why it won't work that well. I'd be delighted if it does but won't be holding my breathe.

People LIKE things on Facebok because they're already logged into their Facebook account 24/7. They browse Facebook all day, interact with friends and like each others comments, links, sites etc.

With Google people search for things and find them. There is no social interaction or a sense of people wanting to support each other. Most people use Gmail but aren't always logged into it and don't spend a quarter of the time checking emails compared to what they spend on Facebook.

[ACann]

You really think Google will close out my Gmail and Google Docs account because I used their plus one service too much? Yeah... okay, let me know how you think they will actually implement that.

Headline: "Google closes email accounts because users did too many +1's"

or even, more realistically IMO,

Headline: "Google bans people from +1 for using it too much"

Really? I don't see that as a viable route for them. They're much more likely to just not use spammy +1s in determining SERPS - behind the scenes.

[MarieHaynes]

LOL...yeah...that term is kind of silly.  But what else are they going to use?  Plussing?  Oneing?  

[EGOL]

I would enjoy seeing google close the accounts of people who are doing spammy +1's.

[ACann]

What is "unknown" though? With Twitter you have followers to easily distinguish who's putting out valuable stuff, but with Google all I have is my Gmail and Google Docs.

Of course I know there's also some type of networking possible on Google, but if they only go by the people who actually use that then the plus one affecting SERPS is a moot point anyway, as the majority of users sign up with Google for a particular service, largely Gmail or Docs.

I do agree plus one-ing 100 sites in an hour is obviously abnormal, but how about 20 within an hour? I could easily hit that in a browsing session.

P.S. as a side note - "plus one-ing" what the heck? They couldn't come up with a better action?

[MarieHaynes]

I personally think that Google's got this kind of spam figured out.  They can likely detect abnormal patterns.

It's likely similar to the whole thing with authority on Twitter.  So, if Rand tweets about my site then it's going to be helpful.  But, if someone who is relatively unknown plus ones 100 sites a day, those plusses may not be that helpful.

[ACann]

What I've been wondering about is the potential for blackhat abuse. I have several Google accounts under slightly different names that I use for different purposes, and I have plenty of friends who I'll be encouraging to "+1" my site's homepage, so what's stopping somebody from bringing this to an even bigger level?

An enterprising individual could start a nice business connecting websites willing to pay for +1's. I would absolutely pay $1 for a plus one, and I would even more absolutely be willing to plus one 100 websites for $100. If I didn't have a conscience (and if I had time) I would be all over this!

[MarieHaynes]

Ryan...when your friend +1'd the article did it rise in the SERPS at all?  It would be interesting to test and see if after a few +1's the SERPS are affected!

[RyanKent]

I use AddThis as well. Initially the size of the +1 Google widget they offered was too big. You can adjust the code as follows and it fits nicely:

<a class="addthis_button_google_plusone" g:plusone:size="medium"></a>

I wasn't sure whether to include it or not this early on so I tried an experiment. I +1'd my home page on my account, then went to Google and did a search using my home page URL as the parameter. My site appeared as the first result, which was expected, but it also included the +1 icon in two places. If you personally +1'd a page, it shows on the first and last line of the result.

Next, I asked a friend to +1 an article. I did another Google search for that article and I could see where my friend had +1'd the article. My friend and I had never linked our Google accounts in any way so it is nothing to do with being in a friend's list of anything like that.

Feel free to use the following site to test: http://www.terapvp.com

Below is an image of the search results. The first result is a page that my friend +1'd. The second result is a page I +1'd.

Google +1 example

[blackballonline]

I have a motto "Google likes Google" for this reason alone its worth the few minutes it takes to add. - Just my Opinion

[EGOL]

...it automatically penalizes sites that don't have it...

I feel the same way - especially about the review stars that you can see in the SERPs - the small player is screwed. Put it on your site to minimize damage.

[AlanBleiweiss]

I'm in wait-see mode.  I expect it will get some traction, yet think it's a terrible idea - setting a bad precedent - it automatically penalizes sites that don't have it.  Not good at all.  So for now, I wait it out in protest.

[MarieHaynes]

I agree that I think +1 will be a big factor in ranking...so for that reason alone I'm going to use it.

btw...congrats on your Guru status EGOL!  It's well deserved.

[EGOL]

Yesterday I went to several sites such as HuffingtonPost, TechCrunch, WashingtonPost and Mashable who were reported to be "partnered" users.  The number of people using  +1 was puny when compared to the number of people using tweets, Facebook shares, and email.  Almost nobody using it.  Facebook was  500:1 above it.   When I googled the titles of their articles I could see the counts displayed in the SERPs.  It's still early, usage will probably increase over time.

I have the  big AddThis chicklets at the top of my site set to "preferred services and personalization" (it displays services that the visitor has already used to share).   Yesterday I changed the last preferred service to force Google Plusone but it produced a chicklet with a count that broke my design.

So, I am going to watch this for a couple of weeks to see if the usage rate picks up.  I  think that getting a bunch of +1's for your site will be extremely valuable in the SERPs.

My concern about +1 is that the initial information that google has put out about it is not very easy to understand, clicks to dead URLs and has content that will turn off people who worry about privacy.  Also, +1 has been around for a while in other forms and people might be tired of seeing yet another iteration.  I am not betting big money on this one.

[blackballonline]

As it is an easy add, we'll add it. I noticed it on the SEOMoz Community Blog already and I actually +1ed a post so why not?