Google has introduced a new feature called Google +1. Google states, “The +1 button is shorthand for, “This is pretty cool” or “You should check this out “Click +1 to publicly give something your stamp of approval. Your +1′s can help friends; contacts and others on the web find the best stuff when they search.” Google “+1” can be described as peer reviewed search results that are easily identifiable through the addition of the “+1” logo next the result.
But what does this new feature mean for Google search results? Firstly, it means that the business with the best search engine optimisation (SEO) or the largest SEO budget will no longer be able to dominate rankings if they continue to pursue their current strategy and ignore the “+1” feature.
The reason for this is because users tend to trust their family, friends and colleagues more than they do an entity like Google. Users will begin to see their friend’s “+1” recommendations as being more credible and helpful than the top results and the second, third or even fourth result may yield more traffic if there are more “+1” recommendations assigned to it.
As time goes on Google will undoubtedly alter its search algorithm to place more weight on the number of “+1” recommendations a website receives, rendering the old school and somewhat manipulative methods and strategies of old fashioned SEO inadequate.
With all this being said, the bottom line remains unchanged…Good content is always the king when it comes to search rankings and quality content will lead to an influx of “+1” recommendations, which will improve search rankings and traffic to the site.
Public relations professionals are experts at crafting content that can be easily read, shared and communicated to others; which should increase the chance of being found. When an individual receives the exact response to their search query they will simply “+1” the webpage.
The new world of SEO and search results could potentially be driven and influenced by the user and not by those with the largest budget or even the search engines.
