What you should know about Google +1

What is Google’s new +1 Button?

Google is constantly tweaking their search engine and adding new products to improve the search experience for the end user. Whether that means improving their algorithim to weed out frivilous search results, improving Google Apps, or radically changing the way search works, Google always has the end user in mind. With that said, +1 is one step closer to personalizing the Google search engine and making it more…’powered by users’.

With +1, Users have the ability to recommend, or “+1″ a search result that appears in the Google Search Network. The list of items is still being introduced, however items such as websites, recipes, images, products and advertisements can all be “+1′d” so that your friends and family (that are presumably connected to you via Google) can see your recommendation if they search for something similar. The goal is to improve your search since you’ll be seeing items that someone you trust recommends.  Any +1 a user does will be viewable on their “Google Profile” and in friend’s search results.

Impact?

Google has publicly stated that +1 will affect Google Search Results. That means that sites that have several +1′s from active users will likely see higher search results (and therefore more visibility) than sites that don’t have as many endorsements.  This can be big news for many websites attempting to rise to the top of search rankings.

While it may seem that this system, like so many social media systems out there, can be easily exploited by spammers, Google uses a very intelligent system to analyze whether a +1 is coming from a real person or not. By using their vast array of applications (Ex. Gmail, Buzz, Voice, Adwords, Search History, and more) they can quickly determine whether a profile belongs to a real person, or was created simply to increase +1′s of a site. It appears that this system will not exploited easily.

Thoughts

The +1 system can be very big for those who decide to truly use the power it promises. While it’s unlikely that this will build up a lot of mainstream usage due to the requirement of having to be logged in as a Google user to use it, it can be very beneficial for those active in getting real users to recommend their websites via Google +1.

When to look for it

Google +1 is currently in ‘experimental mode’ meaning you’ll need to activate via your settings before using it. However, like with most Google products, it will likely become active to the public very soon.