Google 1 (Plus One) Button | How to Add to Your Website

Google has unveiled a new button and they are calling it +1 (Plus One). This new button will eventually appear alongside all search results in the Google index. Currently, you have to be a signed in Google user and signed up for their experiment to see it in action.

Get started right now: Go to the Google experimental page now to get +1 working for you. You will be asked to sign in to your Google account if not already:
CLICK HERE: http://www.google.com/experimental/

Website owners may place the Plus One button on their web pages. It will appear similar to a Facebook Like button. There is a dynamic number near the +1 button that shows the total number of people who have clicked on the button thus far. Similar to 'liking' the page and giving their support to the content, a page with a higher number is a page that has had more users click the button and support it.

As each Google user clicks on the button (either via search or via the webpage), the number in the box increases by one and the page gains in popularity. We assume, too, that the page will also gain in ranking in the Google search engine for users participating in the program vs. lower ranked pages that have less Google 'likes'.

As with any new Google experiment there are more questions than answers at this point about Plus One. The biggest question is what impact will this have on search results? The official FAQ from Google currently gives precious little information, but states the following important details:

How does +1 affect search results?

+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.

Does +1 affect my site's performance in search?

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.

My Analysis
My personal analysis is this. If the +1 experiment takes off and is supported by the internet community, Google will definitely begin displaying popular sites (those with a higher number of likes) above other sites in the index. This is a huge deal for everyone! It adds a completely new metric to search and your business/website must embrace this immediately to stay relevant.

The first step in adding the plus one button to your website is visiting the Google button creator, found here:
http://www.google.com/webmasters/+1/button/index.html

Select the options you like from the form. You can expand "Advanced Options" to have more control over the button.

The next step requires access to the source code of your website.

If a website firm currently helps you with your web development, they can add the code for you. Email the code from the following steps to them and let them know where on the page you want the button to go.

If you have access to the code yourself and are comfortable editing your own website, follow these instructions.

If you don't have a web firm and don't know what to do on your own, contact me and I will attempt to help you figure out the best way to place the +1 code on your website.

The code: You'll want to copy the first line of code shown on the custom +1 button page to your website in HTML mode. The code you want to edit on your site is probably in a footer file. Insert the google code immediately above the </body> tag that ends your website.

Then upload your revised website footer file to the site.

The code you insert to your website is similar to this tag (copy it directly from the Google button creator page:
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js"></script>

Now, copy the second part of the Google code to the exact area on your website where you want the button to appear. Typically, this would go next to all of the other social buttons on your website (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

<g:plusone size="medium"></g:plusone>

That's it! Upload the revised code, then visit your website. After a brief momentary loading process, the button should appear on your site. If you can't seem to get the button to work for whatever reason, contact me and I will try to help you.