Impact of Google +1

This last week saw the battle for Social Search get quite hot. Every Social Network and Search Engine wants to be the best and bringing their users the most relevant results. And Social Search is the answer.
 

The breaking news. Google +1 has been released. Similar to the “like” button on Facebook, the +1 button gives you the opportunity to rate a page. This rating is connected to your Google Account, therefor minimising the possibility of bots being used to  skew rankings.

How will this influence SERP? Quite fundamentally, if early studies are anything to go by.

A study by a Dutch SEO company has released a white-paper detailing a study they did with regards to +1. They found:

• search impressions seemed effected, but not for the home page used in the experiment
• 20% to 24% increase in visibility for most keywords tested depending on page type
• a corresponding increase in CTR was observed

The key indicated here is Click Through Rate. With recommended page people seem more likely to skim the page at least to the point of clicking on further links.

This once again shows that content is king in Search Engine Optimisation. The other factors, so beautifully explained in the periodic table of SEO, also so have some influence. But these factors are all ways to display the the relevance of content to the Search Engine.

If you are still using gun-ho SEO black-hat tactics from 5 years ago, you might be in for a surprise one of these days. Make sure that you a good understanding of SEO. Should you need some professional assistance on the matter, feel free to contact me.