Google is by far the internet giant and has had strangle hold on much of the online market for the past decade. It is nearly impossible to find anyone in the western world who does know about the Google Search Engine. In fact its already finding placement in the dictionary with the ever popular verb phrase ‘google it’. In addtion to its major dsearch presence it has also commanded a large share of the online advertising industry with annual revenues in excess of $35 billion US.
The well known newcomer to the internet, Facebook, is quickly closing in on Google. Facebook is now the 2nd most visited site in all of the vast internet and hold over 750 million member accounts. Google’s threat is the volume and accuracy of the data that is held about it’s memebers. This data can be directly correlated to advertising in a very effective manner. Google’s advertising model focuses around what people are looking for primarily using search queries, Facebook on the other hand utilizes behavioural targeting which has now proven to generate a much more effective RIO. A Facebook ad can select precise audiences focusing on:
- Age
- Gender
- Relationship status (Engaged is a great one for anyone in the wedding industry for example)
- Hoobies
- Location
- Employment Type
- Likes or Dislikes
By narrowing your audience down with these key values you can expect a significant improvement in advertising effectiveness when compared to conventional marketing.
Well it didn’t take long for Google to notice this, hence Google Plus – Google’s proprietary social network. Already at a whopping 10 million users in the first month, the social network allows for users to create profiles, enter personal information and connect with friends. The Google +1 button is the equivelant of the Facebook Like button and allows users to approve of an idea, website, concept, product etc and announce it to their network.
Google has long adopted the concept of influencing search results based on location, search history, browser settings and host of other factors. Now while its not official as of yet, the Google +1 button will affect how search results are returned to users. The whole concept around the +1 button is based on the principle idea that people who are connected share similar likes, beliefs and ideas and are very much influenced by their peers to be interested in the same places, products, websites, resources and most likely the same search results.
This leads us to the conclusion that connections of user who have historically +1ed a search result will have these sites promoted up the list of future results due to percieved validity and relevance.
The big questions is….when will this new ranking system take effect and start influencing results? Well it is unknown but will likely be when the +1 reaches a volume and velocity that proves adoption by the searching public. That said, you can already see indication of algorithm changes. If you got to page 5 in a search result and click the +1 button then complete the same search again you will see the position elevated. This is the same behaviour we can expect from the Google Plus and +1 integration once it is in full swing.
You can most likely expect to see this adoption by the end of the year so act fast and start accumulating those +1’s now so when Google’s flicks that ever so powerful switch of thiers your site will surge ahead of your competitors.
Amortech Conclusion
At Amortech we constantly research the new factors that affect search engine placement and recommend effective ways to take advantage of these factors to our clients – free of charge. This is what you should expect from a leading Calgary based search engine optimization (SEO) firm. Inquire today about having the +1 button integrated in to your site as well as the ever so powerful Like button. The earlier you start work the sooner you see results.
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