Google Plus One: Basics Explained

Updated January 13, 2023

There was quite a lot of buzz around Google Plus One when it launched last August.  Many of our clients groaned at having to learn yet another Social Media platform.  With 90+ million users, the jury is still out whether Google will catch-up to its rival Facebook.  Even so, Plus One (+1)  has had a huge impact on search. In addition to making search social, it also foils Black Hat SEO practitioners. Search engines continue to tweak their algorithms to best serve their human users, rather than reward those who try to cheat the system.

Before you decide to join Google+ or not, especially to help with your business’ SEO rankings, here are a few basics explained:

Google Plus Circles

Like all other social media, when you join Google Plus you want to get connected. In the Google+ world, you add people to circles — a simple way of categorizing your connections. Circles can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. When posting something, you have the option of sharing to specific circles or to your entire network.  Bonus feature alert: Plus integrates with your Gmail contacts, automatically updating  info as your connections modify their profiles.

Plus One Button

You’ve probably noticed the +1 button showing up in searches, on website pages or blog posts. This magical icon is similar to Facebook “Likes,” letting people in your circles know what you find interesting. Each time you click +1, you’ll  add to the list of hip, helpful, or just plain hair-brained things you’ve found across the web. Your full list of +1’s appears in a special tab on your public Google profile. Regardless if you choose to show others your+1’s or keep it to your self, it’s a great place to manage web favorites. Besides giving Google a vote toward stuff you like, they also use it to improve your overall search experience.

For additional how-to’s and details, check out Google Plus Support.