Does Google Plus Affect Your Google Ranking?

What Is Google Plus?

First of all, what is Google Plus? Google Plus is Google’s version of social media. It is Facebook, Twitter and everything else combined. Similar to Facebook, Google Plus users can post messages, pictures, or videos. Users can also comment and vote on different posts.  Google Plus is almost exactly like Facebook with the difference being circles and the ability to categorize what you share.

What are Google Plus Circles?

Google Plus circles allow you to create a list of friends that can be personalized and stream news feeds. At first this may sound just like Facebook friends. However, Google Plus circles are a little different because you can categorize your contacts into different groups. So for example, I could add a circle such as “Internet marketing friends”.  Then I can add another circle of my close friends and family. This works out nicely as my friends and family might not want to always hear about Internet marketing tips,  just as it may not be appropriate for my Internet marketing circle to know every detail of my personal life.

The +1 Feature

Google’s +1 is similar to the Facebook like button. This seems pretty straight forward. You are simply sharing with everyone that you “like” something. However there is a little more to it than this. The real purpose of the Facebook like and Google +1 is to track how many votes are given to a particular piece of content.

The Google +1 is a way for Google to improve their search results and which in turn, could affect your website’s Google rankings. So Google Plus is more than a means to connect with people. Google is actually using this information to see what people think are good websites.

So How Does  Google Plus Affect Your Google Ranking?

As we mentioned above Google’s +1 feature is used by Google to track what people consider to be good content. So what does this mean for your website? You may have noticed on certain websites there is a +1 icon. It can be found by the other social book marking icons such as like, tweet, or share. Even people without a Google Plus account can click the +1 button to show that they enjoyed your content and found it informative.

So how does this information help Google? By clicking the +1 button, you are basically telling Google that the information was valuable to you and relevant to the words you typed in to the search. Google then takes this information to tweak their search results the next time a particular key phrase is entered into the search.

The bottom line is the +1 one button gives your content credibility, not only to Google but to the next person that visits your website.

Need Help with Google Plus or Help with Increasing Your Google Ranking?

For more pointers on social media and search engine marketing, contact Spyder Byte Media, a Michigan SEO and Internet Marketing Company located in Shelby Township, Michigan. For more information call (586) 260-1344.