Will Google+ and +1 change how web marketing functioned?

Google’s CEO Larry Page recently announced Google+ stats: 10 Million Google+ users, over 1 billion items shared and received per day, also that G +1 button is being served 2.3 billion times per day. This is a remarkable milestone for Google+ project, though the usage and context of usage is more important and not the numbers which time will decide how users are going to adapt to the new wave.

Before starting any discussion about how plusone can have an impact on Search Engine Optimization, I would like to stress on a fact, it will not kill SEO services but rather will add one more level.

Now that Google’s +1 is also a social vote alongside Facebook’s like and Twitter’s tweet, it certainly has the impact on Search Engine Optimization. Google has in fact already included +1 tracker to its webmaster tools through +1 metrics.

For a URL, the +1’s are gathered from all the sources on the web. That includes Google’s organic search results, paid result, from +1 buttons installed on your website or blog and through Google+.
Note that, on paid results plus ones do not incur any cost on the advertiser, they are automatic. This would in fact open the doors to businesses to combine their SEO and PPC or Search engine marketing in general!

How does Google find your URL through G +1?
It is through 3 ways Google will find your URL.

1. First Step, Specific URL in the plusone button code

This by default does not have a link inside the tags. In that case Google will look for second step.

2. Second Step, Google looks for canonical link

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Usually link given here is the website link and not the particular webpage or article link in the blog. And in some cases canonical code is altogether absent in WebPages. Even in this case Google looks for web page URL which is being showed in the address bar!

3. Third Step, Google looks for URL in the address bar of browser

Is G +1 anti-spam?

Google is anti- spam from the very beginning. If we take a look on all the popular social networks, they all are diluted from spammers and irrelevant content making the genuine publishers hard to rank higher on the organic results.

But in case of plusone button, giving a +1 is possible only when a user is logged into his/her Google account. When for the first time + 1 is clicked, it is taken as a vote whereas the next one negates it and hence naturally you can get only one +1 no matter how many clicks you give in a row. Additionally Google keeps a track on how many clicks are being sent from the same IP address, if it suspects of an automated process it displays a CAPTCHA. So there is no possibility of using unethical process to manipulate this tool.

Google Chrome has its plus one anything extension already, which lets us +1 any web page even if a particular website has not installed +1 button! Well similarly, Microsoft’s Bing has recently given out new Bing toolbar with Facebook’s universal like button through which you can like and share any content on the web. But the fact is Google has complete control over its +1 button whereas in case of Facebook’s “like“ button it has to rely on third party information! This alone will make the search results which have got ranking boost from +1 social signal more relevant and credible. Even if the actual results will be apparent in a longer run, the fact is it’s already time for web marketing enthusiasts to take the whole Google + project seriously!