Hi, I'm Dave. I have been running Propeller Media Works, an online marketing and web development studio in Burlington VT, since 1997. My primary focus is on digital innovation and trends that apply to web design, and online marketing.
Google Plus's [+1] button is finding its way onto web pages quicker now and with good reason. The button has two cool functions when logged into Google. The first click is simply a vote endorsing the page. Then the button expands and allows you to say something about that page and share the link with an individual, a Circle of friends, or the Public on G+.
On January 10, 2012, Google moved the SEO goal posts yet again with the introduction of "Search, plus your world"... ie Social Search.Google now lets searchers see page results endorsed by people in their G+ network, which puts serious value on the [+1] button and G+ in general. Google is essentially adding human intelligence to their search engine as it builds its own social graph.
So what is the impact on SEO? Google hasn't directly declared what the effect is yet, however marketers are seeing that pages that receive many +1s are performing better (more from Ian Lurie at Conversion Marketing for more). In general, there does seem to be a correlation between links shared on social networks and their resulting search rank according to SEOmoz. The nuance here is that the improved rank is related to Click-Through-Rate... simply that the page is getting more traffic, which effects pagerank. Not a direct link to the actual action of a user hitting the [+1] button.
How do marketers impact it? Do we just need to hire a room full of button pushers to hit our [+1] buttons? No, that won't affect anything because its not about the number, its about the [+1] vote of people in a user's network primarily. I say "primarily" because when I look at my social search results, I'll just see +1 G+ comments from people in my G+ network. Secondarily however, I'll also be able to see the total number of people world-wide who have given a page a +1, which might also influence my decision whether to click or not.
Still it seems that good SEO comes back to creating engaging content and then using every means possible to share that content. Google's [+1] button is a new tool for getting that content out... if the content is worth the +1 endorsement.
Google Plus may not rock yet, but it will. The combination of revenue potential, resources, brand involvement, influence on search, mobile, and Facebook's disregard for privacy and customer satisfaction will all combine to make Google Plus a powerful and popular social network.
Soon after it launched however, the G+ party was declared a bust. It looked to be just a bunch of geeks standing around a keg of warm stale beer. The calls went out from myself and others that Google + was dead.
You can always find the truth when you follow the money. PC Magazine recently reported, that while Google and Facebook are very close in the race for Unique Visits, Facebook crushes all when it comes to Time On Site. Time On Site reflects where people really Live online. Advertisers will pay more to be where people Live than where people Visit. Google gets that essential point, and even though they may be late to the party, they have the minds, means, and motivation to rock it once they show up.
Brands Are Invited Now
In November 2011, Google + invited Brands to join the party. Brands are quickly giving the network new juice by promoting the social network through placement of the G+ icon along side the Like button everywhere. December’s 55% bump over November may reflect this. Looking ahead, Brands will essentially bring the beer by delivering games and new forms of interaction through custom apps.
Why do brands care? Advertisers are trending away from mass broadcasting and toward more targeted advertising and engagement. Here they will also find a less crowded party with less competition to connect with customers. Another big reason is Search.
SEO & Social Search
The SEO play is obvious: Google + pages turn up in search engine results and the combination of Google Places (map) with Google Plus will enhance those results.
Social Search is a shift toward incorporating the influence of people in our networks into the search results algorithm. As an example your friend hits the +1 for your local bakery. When you search for sticky buns, that bakery will be given more weight.
>Update 1/10/12 > Today Google begins rolling out Social Search - such that it will incorporate stories and conversations that people in your circles share that relate to your search. As published today on Mashable: "Type in a topic of interest, like “Rome,” and along with maps, travel info, historical references, you’ll find a post your friend wrote in Google+ about a recent trip to Rome. That post, though, will only appear if it’s been shared with you or if the post is public."
Privacy
A key differentiator between G+ and Facebook is privacy. This could mark when Facebook’s brazen disregard for the privacy comes back to haunt them. In contrast, Google gets privacy and G+ is more oriented towards managing the flow of inbound and outbound communication (Circles) to control who sees what.
Mobile
Google’s new mobile operating system, Android 4, is designed to integrate with G+. New device owners are encouraged to connect/signup for G+ when they setup the device. The first device coming out on the new platform is Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, and if you pay attention to their ads, you’ll see that they’re featuring its G+ integration as a key feature. Droid is dominating the smartphone/tablet market with about 50% market share.
Apps & APIs
Google will be opening the doors this year for other developers get in and create new functionality for Brands and their customers. APIs are side doors that allow developers to plug in their own apps and extend the functionality of the system. Think games, contests, and other custom applications that engage (this is the cold beer).
Network Effect
The concept has to do with value of a service/product, and that in cases such as the fax machine, the value of the product grows as more people use it. A social network only has value once adoption reaches critical mass. There seems to be no question now that G+ is approaching that tipping point.
Facebook’s Customer Dissatisfaction
Facebook may be popular, but it isn’t loved. In fact, this summer’s American Customer Satisfaction Index report revealed Facebook to be one of the least loved – it ranks at the very bottom along with airlines and credit card companies. Why? I’d speculate that the serious disregard for privacy has hurt Facebook along with the constant changes and feature bloating that irritate users.
In contrast, Google scored very well. I’d suggest that while Google may not be as un-evil as it claims, they do understand the value of customer trust. Their search engine and associated ad platform that delivers billions is based on that trust.
Segmented Broadcasting and Aggregation
Circles *easily* allows you to segment who you broadcast to and who you listen to. Yes, you can create groups in Twitter and Facebook, but they don't let you choose which group you want to broadcasts to ... easily, and certainly not on a per post level. On G+ I can share an article about ski resorts just to my ski resort segment AND I can listen and only hear what those ski resorts are broadcasting. This type of segmentation makes this a great tool for those that currently jump between LinkedIn and Facebook, or those that are uncomfortable with their Facebook mashup of professional and personal friends.
Biggest Challenge: Social Network Fatigue
If the party isn’t awesome, it’s going to be difficult to pull people away from Facebook’s. They may not love it, but it’s where their friends are. It’s a hassle to create a new profile, learn its idiosyncrasies, and build your network. People are sheep and until more friends adopt G+, they’ll follow the heard.
Last Words
Google may not be putting on a killer party yet, but they’re figuring it out and lots of cold beer is on the way. Remember, Google Plus doesn’t need to beat Facebook to be a major social network player, and worth the time of consumers and brands. They can and will present a compelling offering that will be worth the time first for consumers and second for brands. They really must if they want to provide advertisers with placement where people Live versus Visit online.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 9:38AM 
Google now lets searchers see page results endorsed by people in their G+ network, which puts serious value on the [+1] button and G+ in general. Google is essentially adding human intelligence to their search engine as it builds its own social graph. 