For those with an Interest in Search Marketing Google and its +1 Button are a New Twist. At first, when Google announced that its +1 social search function was going to appear on all its AdWords ads by default and no one would be able to opt out of it, it was quite an unpleasant surprise to most. Here was this Facebook Like look-alike that was going to announce to the world that their business wasn’t as desirable as the next one. How was anyone supposed to recover from a bad reputation? Apparently Google got a lot of heat playing hardball this way. Much to the relief of businesses involved in search marketing, Google has finally relented. The +1 button from now on is going to be the opt-out kind. Advertisers merely have to go to https://services.google.com/fb/forms/searchsocialadsoptout/.
For most businesses involved in search marketing, Google +1 really isn’t anything to opt out of though. Google finds that businesses really gain when they have ads that show that they are well-recommended. It boosts confidence among visitors. And it even measurably improves click-through rates. And in case any advertisers are wondering about this, when a visitor clicks on the +1 button next to a Google ad, it doesn’t cost the advertiser like a click would. So what is the word you use to describe what you do when you press that button? You can’t call it Liking because that would mean you were recommending it to your friends on Facebook. They refer to this as Plusing.
When a visitor Pluses a website while inside the website, that reflects on the website’s ad. One doesn’t have to go back to the search results page to Plus the ad. So is this whole Plusing experience exactly the same as Liking on Facebook? For the most part, it is. The one difference is that in the whole area of search marketing, Google is unchallenged king. It could really help boost Google’s AdWords. And of course, website owners can try to really court the system by finding ways to solicit Pluses the way they solicit Facebook Likes at the moment. These days, you get a discount off your purchase if you Like the website selling the product. Customers could get some kind of discount pretty soon for taking the trouble to Plus them as well.
In professional search marketing, Google will have no trouble getting established with its +1. They may have slightly more trouble getting Google users to actually take the trouble to sign into their profile to use the +1 button. Facebook never had any trouble with its Like concept because everyone on Facebook already has an account. Most people who use Google on the other hand do not have a Google Profile. They just use the Google search engine and leave. Getting them to actually sign up for a profile and always make sure that they are signed into their profile when they search can be a bit of a problem.
