7 Things You Should Know About Google +1

By Amy Africa

Recently Google announced the launch of +1 (yes, plus one, a name even more unfortunate than iPad), its version of the Facebook "Like" button. Google says +1 is shorthand for "this is pretty cool" or "you should check this out," and that it's designed to help you "share recommendations with the world — right in Google's search results." For experts at search engine optimization, this is Google's new version of PageRank. For spammers, this is a dream come true. For users, it's a shiny button to keep them busy/involved/occupied/distracted. For marketers, it's yet another "to do" to add to your never-ending list. Here are seven things you should know about Google +1:

1. As it stands today, users need to be logged into their Google account to +1 something. (If you don't see +1s yet, sign up for Google's experimental search site.) When users click the +1 button, their recommendations show up in their Google public profile. One of the biggest challenges of +1 is that many users don't even know they have a profile — if you have any kind of Google account, you have a profile.

2. +1 will be enabled on all pay-per-click ads. Again, users need to be logged into their Google account to see and/or click the +1 button. If people in your network have clicked the +1 button, their recommendations will show up at the bottom of the ad. If nobody in your network has clicked on the +1 but a lot of people in general have, Google will show you that the page is popular. But as with all things Google, this is subject to change. The roll out of +1s won't change PPC rankings. You're able to opt out of the +1 program if you'd prefer not to participate. Clicks on the +1 button don't count as paid clicks. Allegedly, there will be reporting on your ads that are getting the most +1 clicks.

3. +1 will have an impact on your organic search rankings — and it could be significant (Read: at least until the spammers have their way with it). Google isn't being shy about saying that getting folks to +1 your site is going to influence your organic rankings in a positive way. How much will it impact your site? It'll likely depend on your category and how social your users are. It's important to remember that even though consumers have Twitter and Facebook accounts, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're active with them. Plus, not everyone is a sharer, nor do all of your customers search on their home computers with a logged in Google account. In fact, if you're at work, chances are you're not logged into your personal Google account.

4. Google says that in the future you'll be able to add +1 buttons to your site. (Google says this will be months, not weeks.) This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest (and best) uses of the +1 program. Unfortunately, it also adds another element for you to work into your already crowded website.

Very few people are talking about this, but of all the possible places for retailers to use +1, product pages will likely be the most important. As a result, track which products/services people are +1'ing. You may be able to do something with that information. Depending on how your customers are using +1, it may indicate a propensity for them to buy/use your products/services. So, if people click the +1 button and you're tracking it on your end and have their email addresses, you could send them triggered email messages. Emails based on selected interest are some of the most successful and underused emails available to you.

Most retailers are thinking about the benefits of +1 for their Google rankings, but if you're really on top of things, there are lots of ways you can use +1 to your advantage on your own site as well. For example, you can use your +1 results for merchandising (enhance the content, including videos, for the items with the most +1s); to solicit reviews on particular items; to determine which products and/or services you should recommend to visitors; to customize a personalized landing page (just think, all your +1's in one place); to promote in PPC; to work harder to improve organic rankings; and to feature more on Twitter and Facebook.

5. Speaking of Facebook and Twitter, be sure to look at all the other icons (your "Tweet This" and Like buttons, for example) you use on your site to decide which order you want your icons to be listed. Remember, the first one will get the most attention, so prioritize them accordingly.

6. The bigger the brand, the better the chance it'll benefit from +1. Why? Simple. The more traffic you have, the more +1s you're going to get. If you're a little guy and want to make +1 work for you, you're going to have to work at it. Like with orders, if you don't ask for the click, you're not going to get it.

7. With +1, Google is going head-to-head with Facebook over ad dollars. In the end, the company with the most data will win. Right now, Google is highly dependent on gathering its browsing data via cookies. With +1, however, Google will be able to learn more information about consumers, their likes and dislikes, their habits, and so on. Depending on how successful the +1 program is, this may or may not be important to you.

Google has committed to reporting on the +1 program (at least in the beginning), so use that to your advantage. Look at if/how it's impacting your organic rankings. Determine if/how it's changing the way users click on your PPC ads. Figure out how you can use it to your advantage on your web pages so you're ready when it comes around.

Amy Africa is chief imagin8tion officer at e-commerce marketing solutions firm Eight by Eight. Reach Amy at amy@amyafrica.com.