Google launches +1 for search globally

Google has announced its +1 social networking button will be added to all of its search pages around the world. The +1 button went live several months ago for people to add onto their site, but this is the first time outside the US that it will be included in search results.

Google product manager Nick Radicevic wrote on his blog: “Today, +1’s will start appearing on Google search pages globally."We'll be starting off with sites like google.co.uk, google.de, google.jp and google.fr, then expanding quickly to most other Google search sites soon after."

"We’ve partnered with a few more sites in Europe, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand where you’ll see +1 buttons over the coming days.”

He added that the +1 button is a great way to encourage users to visit a site because it puts personal recommendations right at the place and time people are making decisions. Becky Hesilrige, a Social Media Optimiser at Go Optimisation was not quite sure the +1 button will be all that Google predicts.

She said: ” Currently I cannot see the +1 button making an enormous impact in the short term as it will take time for brands to build up their recommendations, and for users to understand and familiarize themselves with the feature."

"However, as Google is the most used search engine in the world, the addition of +1 in users’ time spent online means that it is essential to consider the feature and its implications within current search strategies.”

In her opinion, Google’s new feature is a gamble by Google in their attempt to enter the social media space. She believes it may take some form of worthwhile reward system for users to fully accept the new +1 idea.

For now, +1 remains a direct response to the Facebook “Like” button. +1 may also one day be factored into Google's search algorithm, making it a factor in SEO and page ranking.

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