I have to admit, that viewing webpages today's means viewing a whole bunch of buttons everywhere. I see a button for Twitter, Facebook, Wordpress, Linkedin , etc.  While I understand that many web developers are more than happy to add these button to help spread their content, many more take adding buttons with a grain of salt.  So that now that Google +1 has created their own "Facebook Like" button, should web developers, SEO, and SEM professionals start adding it to their site? The answer is Yes!

With Google+1 announced, the new social network is growing at the speed of light.  It is said that there will be 20 million users this week- even though it is by invitation only.  It is time to get ready for what I think will be a worthy competitor to Facebook.  I am not saying that Facebook will plummet or be gone in a year, but just as many people use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, I can see a large majority being curious as to what Google's social network offers. 

The Button

Google has created a +1 button.  Not only does this button work comparably to the Facebook "Like" button which helps you to subscribe to content, it also shows viewers of a webpage just how many people have already clicked it.  This can help by showing visitors which are the most popular pieces of content; (this button will also be used on search engine results and even pay per click ads).  So, one of the most important ways the Google+1 button can be beneficial to sharing content and ultimately helping a website with its rankings is to help spread the word.

Adding the Button to Your Site or Webpage

It is very easy to add the +1 button to your site or webpage.  You can visit the following link and not only will you find the code, but also directions on how to post it: http://www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/+1/button/index.html

Important Information About Using the +1 Button

Google has a FAQ section located at http://www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/+1/button/index.html

There are two questions with answers that I would like to share from the above link.  They are:

How does the +1 button affect search results?  (Quote from Google FAQs)

"+1 helps people discover relevant content—a website, a Google search result, or an ad—from the people they already know and trust. Adding the +1 button to your pages lets users recommend your content, knowing that their friends and contacts will see their recommendation when it’s most relevant—in the context of Google search results.

When a signed-in Google user is searching, your Google search result snippet may be annotated with the names of the user's connections who've +1'd your page. If none of a user's connections has +1'd your page, your snippet may display the aggregate number of +1's your page has received."

The other Q&A I wanted to share is:

Does the +1 button affect my site's performance in search? (Quote from Google FAQs)

"Content recommended by friends and acquaintances is often more relevant than content from strangers. For example, a movie review from an expert is useful, but a movie review from a friend who shares your tastes can be even better. Because of this, +1’s from friends and contacts can be a useful signal to Google when determining the relevance of your page to a user’s query. This is just one of many signals Google may use to determine a page’s relevance and ranking, and we’re constantly tweaking and improving our algorithm to improve overall search quality. For +1's, as with any new ranking signal, we'll be starting carefully and learning how those signals affect search quality."

As you can see, Google is trying very hard to persuade web developers, SEO and SEM professionals to use the button.  They seem to be saying that if you use the button, it can directly help your site in the SERP's (Search Engine Results Page).  I agree partially.  Yes, this can be a tool for many people to view which item is popular and that can be a magnet to viewership which can help spread your content- thus more links and higher PR (Page Rank), etc.  I also agree to some extent that Google will be measuring +1 data to determine if it can be used some way in the algorithm to help it give a better ranking to a website or webpage. 

But this also brings up a concern, especially as Google is constantly under the attention of the FTC and other government agencies in the US and around the world.  It might be a slippery path Google takes if it really does give preferential treatment to sites with the +1 button and thus those sites without the +1 button decline.

For SEO/SEM Professionals

It's obvious if you are marketing your site, you should definitely add the +1 button - especially if you have already added other social networking site buttons.  While the +1 network is extremely new and still by invitation only, it might turn out to be a contender. 

While +1 can help you spread your brand and content across the web, rankings directly related to the use of the +1 button will take some time to figure out.  Google hasn't stated any additional information (as always) and it will take some time to experiment and to learn from others how much influence using the +1 button directly has on the SERPs.