Google+ and its effects on SERPs
-
Hi all,
With the recent launch of Google+ I've looked into the possible effects of +1'ing sites and whether or not it has a direct effect on other people with whom I'm connected within Google+.
So far I cannot see any direct correlation, however I running a bigger/wider experiement with more people to get a definitive answer.
What does scare me as an SEO, is that Google+ users will (most likely) use Google search whilst they are logged in, which, as we know personalises results based on a myriad of suspected metrics such as previous visits, personal +1, etc...
How is this going to effect the SEO world if/when a Google+ attracts more users.
Experienced this first hand when a client called me to congratulate a jump from position 9 on Google to first position over the weekend, which when I checked, the website hadn't shifted, the client was logged into her Google account due to the fact she had been playing with plus.
Thoughts?
Cheers
Aran
-
I'm talking about having the +1 button on pages of your website - e.g. product pages (info here). If there have been a number of people +1 a particular product then that may help the position of that page organically - I think even if you aren't signed in.
You wouldn't +1 at the SERP stage if you haven't been on the site but your friends might have done which could input into it.
All guesses though
-
Agreed CCA.
I don't get +1's on SERPs, when your google something and you get the SERPs you generally haven't visited the sites before, so why would you +1 at that point?
-
Aran,
I think that it will have some sort of an affect on the SERP (by considering your different circles) when being logged in to Google.
But also, http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1152948 shows that the +1 button at least has some impact on rankings and therefore we should all adopt it - I'm not sure it will ever be as popular as a like button, but, who knows!
-
I've conducted an experiment with several friends in my 'Friends' Circle within Google+
To start I +1'd a clients site whilst signed in to Google. Then I Signed out and went on to tweet the URL for another clients website and finally facebook shared yet another clients website (within another industry)
I asked my friends to +1, tweet and FB share a URL which I gave them.
Now when signed into Google the +1'd website (normally at 9th in Google) is now ranked 3rd with a note under the SERP telling me my firend +1'd the site. The website which received the Tweets is now 9th on Google, it is normally 12th when not signed in. Also a note appeared under the serp saying my friend had Tweeted the URL.
The page that received the facebook shares didn't change in position!
All the people concerned all follow each other on twitter, belong to the same circle on Google+ and are friends on Facebook.
Not a very well set up or executed experiement, I made it up as I went along and put into practise within 5 minutes of conceiving the idea. But interesting results all the same.
If Google+ takes off and people adopt the trend of staying logged into Google when searching, Social Metrics are going to have a huge impact on traditional SEO.
Now all we need is someone to setup a 'proper' experiement.
-
oh, you missed off Android and the efforts to takeover the mobile OS market!
Kowtow to Google.
-
Agreed, the number of personalised searches will increase if Google+ catches on. Is this the beginning of the end for SEO?
-
Google has crossed all the lines from being a pure search engine, to being the source of data. There are many people who, if you ask them, would tell you that Google has no data related to them personally. Most are quite mistaken. If a human uses a pc, Google is going to have tons of data available unless the person makes a very specific effort to avoid Google's services.
Gmail, Spreadsheets, Analytics, Desktop, Adwords, YouTube, Google +, WiFi, Chrome browser, translator, picasa photos, Google maps and I am sure there are a dozen other Google apps. Many of these services are independently very highly rated. YouTube alone is the #3 website in the world.
It really brings to reality the phrase "It's Google's world. We are just living in it." They are poised to further widen the chasm between themselves and the next closest competitor. Clearly they will leverage these resources to a greater extent in time.
-
I think that personalized search is making it much more difficult to get sales from customers who have an established history with your competitor. The introduction of Google+ will most likely increase the number of searches that are personalized.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Sharing Blogs on my Personal or Business Google plus Account
Hi i have been using my business G+ account to share my blogs, but have realised that this would have been better using my personal G+ account. Should i now go back through those 50+ blogs and re-share via my personal G+ account eg one every 3 days or should i re-share the G+ business entry? Thanks Ash
Social Media | | AshShep10 -
Should I post my upcoming blog series on my blog or on Google+
I am in the process of writing a series of blog posts covering one subject in more detail. Normally, I would just post my blog posts on my blog, but I have heard and read recently that posting content on Google+ is having very good results. So should I post this series exclusively on my Google+ pages instead with a link back to my blog and site or just focus on posting on my blog as I have done before? Thanks in advance, Peter
Social Media | | crackingmedia0 -
Google Play rankings?
Hi everyone, I've spent the last hour or two googling information on Google Play app rankings, and a few websites mention that standard pagerank of the app page is taken into account when calculating rankings. This seems to make sense, though I'd estimate it's probably not a large factor, with daily downloads being a much higher factor IMO. So my question is, how much of a factor does standard link-building for a Google Play app webpage have in the rankings?. We're trying to increase exposure of an app we've built (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.onedirection), and though we seem to have more downloads, reviews and +1's than others, we seem to be ranking beneath them. Thanks, Chris.
Social Media | | PixelKicks1 -
Purchasing a Google Plus Profile
A client of mine has the opportunity to purchase a google plus profile from a now defunct competitor. Essentially the profile is in tens of thousands of circles, so it may be a decent idea just from a marketing standpoint. When it comes to SEO I am wondering about a few things Is this against Googles rules? Has there been any proof of authorship playing a role in SERP rankings? So if there was an article where the author was in 50 circles compared to the same article where the author was in 50,000 circles would it effect the rankings at all? Have there been any studies done that show that the +1 (from Google Plus users) effects SERP rankings? Sorry for all the questions, but this is an interesting opportunity. Thanks in advance!
Social Media | | Mjstout0 -
Places for business vs. Google+ personal profile
I am still trying to figure out Places and Google+. Could someone please help me understand how my Google+ profile (that it attached to and can be accessed through my gmail account) interacts with my Places page (which requires my gmail credentials to administer, but can only be accessed through the Places page itself)? Do my posts on my personal profile enhance my Places listing? Any help would be appreciated.
Social Media | | richardslaw0 -
SEO relevance of Google+. Should we bother getting Google+?
I've read mixed results about the SEO benefit of having Google+ for your company. I'm sure that a very small % of my sites user base has Google+ so if we did implement Google+ into our site I don't think we would really have anyone following us...or in our circle or whatever they call it. So are you guys using Google+ for your business and if so, do you think it's worth it for me to if I know barely any of my users have Google+? Google really seems to be trying to plush Google+ for business, with replacing Google places with Google+ Business and requiring people to log into Google+ to rate businesses. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Social Media | | SheffieldMarketing1 -
How does Google measure FB likes?
Hi, I am wondering how an FB like made on a webpage can have a positive impact in its Google rankings. How does Google measure an FB like of a Person (especially with a non public profile)? Kind Regards, Sebastian
Social Media | | Naturalmente0 -
Social Content Posting - Post to Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter and Linked in at the same time
Hi, Is there any means of posting new content for my companies various social profiles in the one go rather than having to log into each one? This would save a lot of time. Thanks
Social Media | | fdep0