In previous years, site owners could manipulate the search engine algorithm to make their site appear high in the search engine results. But Google has been making careful changes to its algorithm methods to give other quality sites a fair chance at appearing high in search engine results.
In February 2011, Google released one of several future algorithm updates, called Panda. Panda removed all of the a lot of spam sites and low quality sites from the search engine results. Many content farms contained low quality articles or spam articles, and after the Panda updates, these sites took a major hit. Though many site owners were disappointed about the changes, Google holds firm to its belief that it is making the search engine more relevant to users.
Now, Google is taking further steps to change the whole search engine experience for users. Google's creation of its own social media site, Google+, can very well shape the future search methods and results.
Google Plus+1
The plus one button that is suddenly appearing next to every URL in a Google search is associated with the Google+.
This button is Google's version of the like and thumbs up button from Facebook and Youtube.
Unlike those two sites, the plus one button operates on a search engine scale, rather than a website scale. Therefore, it is possible to reach millions of people with this simple feature, even people who are not a part of a social media site.
When a person clicks the plus one button next to a site, it sends recommendations to his or her friends, letting them know about their friend's recommendation. This is a great way to not only receive word of mouth marketing, but also appeal to different audiences.
Moreover, Google is using the plus one button to refine its search algorithm. It is relying on the opinion of users to determine what is and is not a quality site. This new search engine method is similar to a democratic vote. Google listens to the voice of the users and what they deem high quality.
It should be easy to see that you should get as many plus one clicks for your site as possible for a few different reasons. First, each person who clicks on your plus one button will consequently recommend your site to his or her friends. Second, Google is trending towards this type of recommendation for ranking sites. Therefore, the more plus one clicks your site has, the higher your site will appear in search results. Third, everyone can see how many plus one clicks your site has. Therefore, even if no one in their network has recommended your site, they can still see how many people did recommend your site.
Google+ is more than just a social networking site. It is quite possibly the future of search results. As studies are released, many more people will understand just how important Google+ and the plus one button really are. The earlier you accumulate plus one clicks, the higher ranking it will receive from Google.
About the Author: Zienna Miller
