A couple of months ago, we reported on the launch of Google's +1 button for Google search engine results and AdWords ads. While Google had only hinted that a +1 button would become available for websites, the day has finally come.
Today, Google announced that websites can now add the +1 button to their sites, including individual web pages and articles. If you need to catch up on the initial news of what the +1 button is, watch the overview video below or read this article .
How +1 Works on Websites
Up until now, Google users were able to recommend content to their friends and contacts directly from Google search results and ads. Now, users can recommend content on a page while they're still on it.
Think of it as a Facebook "Like" button for the web. With the Facebook Like button, when a user Likes something via the button on a website, it shows up in their Facebook friends' news feeds. Similarly, when a Google user clicks the +1 button on a web page or article, their connections will see their +1’s within their search results. This enables users to easily view recommendations from their connections where they’re most useful -- in search results.
The only catch is that users must be signed into their Google Account in order to view +1 recommendations in search results, and web users must have a public Google Profile in order to +1 things. The first time you +1 something, Google will confront you with a confirmation screen that looks like this:
A Google user's +1s are also aggregated in a tab on that user's individual Google Profile, which users can choose to make visible or not.
How to Add the +1 Button to Your Website
Google offers helpful instructions and a code generator to enable site owners to add the new +1 Buttons to their websites. You can find these instructions here .
Why +1 Is Important for Marketers
Google's +1 button for websites enables marketers to take further advantage of social search. By adding the buttons to their web pages and content items such as landing pages and blog articles, marketers will have even more opportunities to extend the reach of their content.
Think about it -- just as you are more likely to choose one restaurant over another due to a recommendation from a friend, wouldn't you be more likely to click on a search result if one of your contacts +1'ed it? If one of your blog's readers +1'ed an article you wrote and a friend of theirs notices that in their search results, you're opening yourself up to potential new readers who might not have otherwise found you online.
The main marketing takeaway here is simple. Google and other social media sites are releasing buttons like this all the time (heck, Twitter just announced its new Follow Button yesterday!). If you do nothing else, focus on creating remarkable content that your readers will think is worthy of a +1 and will naturally want to share with their networks anyway. The power of social sharing is phenomenal, and Google's new addition helps marketers to more easily and effectively harness that power.
Will you add Google's new +1 Button to your website and/or blog?
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beto machado 5:17 PM on June 01, 2011
i just put the +1 this site: http://likebueno.com.br/
Kris 5:49 PM on June 01, 2011
Just added the button, we'll see if it makes any difference.
I think google will need to add some kind of incentive for people to create google profiles, I'm sure the number of people is nothing compared to facebook or twitter.
I'm not sure I would even have a google profile unless to manage things related to my website, analytics, google webmaster tools and all that stuff.
craig 6:03 PM on June 01, 2011
how does a non techie add this to a hubspot site? thanks.
Ralph Vugts 8:29 PM on June 01, 2011
Waste of time if you ask me. Not everyone has a Google acccount Vs FB account.
Jenny 10:00 AM on June 02, 2011
If you can use your Gmail account to utilize the +1 button, then I can definitely see it being popularly used due to how many people have Gmail. All companies should power their corporate e-mail through Gmail. I find it ridiculous that offices are still utilizing Microsoft Outlook and being forced to save e-mails to their individual hardrives due to size limits. Gmail allows you to never have to delete an e-mail and that is a luxury that every company should have.
beto machado 10:27 AM on June 02, 2011
agree with @Jenny
Pamela Seiple 10:43 AM on June 02, 2011
@Craig: We're working on adding the +1 button directly into the HubSpot product so it's an easy add-on, but for now I think you can just follow Google's instructions and add it to an HTML module on your HubSpot site.
Pamela Seiple 1:03 PM on June 02, 2011
@Craig: Actually, our customer team just published a blog post that instructs how to add the button to HubSpot sites. Check it out: http://bit.ly/mj4GSV
Paul 2:06 PM on June 02, 2011
Unfortunately, this is probably necessary, even though it will likely take a very long time to gain traction if it succeeds at all. Agree with other posters that Facebook is already there as the default, and Google isn't going to win everything.
@Jenny, beto: It would actually be a horrible idea for 99% of companies to adopt gmail as their email. Gmail is not secure, and Google retains anything sent forever and reserves the right to do with it as they please. Their security has already been breached, and the size of security/privacy nightmare for everyone everywhere would be beyond anything you can imagine if there was a significant data breach at Google. Wikileaks and Sony Playstation and Epsilon breaches would all look like a walk in the park in comparison. (Google any of them together with the word 'breach' if you don't know what I'm talking about.
I would never have a gmail account for any purpose other than talking to Google.
Jenny 2:43 PM on June 02, 2011
@Paul, fair enough. Every time I make an argument to anyone for cloud computing they always bring up the obvious security issue. I think it really depends on the company, and any company that aims to prove that they are technological leaders but, at the same time, has to tell clients "sorry, my mailbox is full," make themselves out to look like amateurs. Hardrives in general are becoming obsolete, despite the security risk, because it's cheaper to use cloud computing.
I agree that some random third party breaching the security of a Google+Company Domain Gmail account is a definite risk(and always has been), but as far as Google itself, Google would never leak private company info just for sport. That something they could never risk as they are a well-respected company. (That being said, I am well aware of the fact that they scan my e-mails and use them to cater ads to what they think I like. Why would I complain about that? I'd much rather see ads that are relevant to me.)
The university I attend merged our university domain with Google so that our e-mail addresses stayed the same but we got all of the features of Gmail. I couldn't have asked for a better e-mail system.
Paul 3:56 PM on June 02, 2011
@Jenny. I probably wasn't clear enough about the implications of using gmail. I get that people want to avail themselves of remote functionality and storage -- that's part of what's appealing about Hubspot.
The problem with corporate email being "in the cloud" is that corporations have a legal and fiduciary responsibility to protect corporate data, financial information, trade secrets, etc. Email contains all those things, as well as lots of personal and potentially embarrassing stuff, and it needs to be protected. If there is a single company systems breach, they pay the price. If there is a Google breach, we all pay the price.
As well, you may trust Google for personal stuff -- I don't. Google mines everything they have, and despite their early days "do no evil" philosophy, they are increasingly invading privacy all over the place and doing lots of evil. I don't wish my personal data to be sold to the highest bidder, and neither does any corporation. Therefore, neither gmail, nor anything like it, will ever be used for corporate email.
But, +1 is going to be a necessity, so the sooner we adapt to it the better.
You sound young -- I think as you get older you may increasingly realize how vulnerable you are with all the personal information out there in other people's hands. The legal system, and privacy and security regulation in particular is falling way behind the advance of technology, and I think we'll all realize it when a privacy event on the scale of the BP oil spill disaster happens. It's not a matter of if, but when.
*** btw, storage is cheap -- just ask Google. It's managing the data that's expensive. "My mailbox is full" is a data management and corporate management problem, not a data storage problem.
Jenny 4:24 PM on June 02, 2011
@Paul, thank you for the informative response. Could we possibly be talking about two different things? You said "gmail, nor anything like it, will ever be used for corporate email." Yet I know plenty of businesses using Google Apps for Business (http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/) as in, the e-mail address remains @mycompany.com, not @gmail.com, the format is just the exact same as Gmail.
Also, would you mind elaborating on “they are increasingly invading privacy all over the place and doing lots of evil.” I understand that Google mines everything (which I do not think is evil), but are you saying that they provide these Apps for Businesses and then leak private business information to the public? It seems like that’s what you are implying. Are there any examples of this? If so I would love to know about them.
Craig 5:22 PM on June 02, 2011
thank you pamela.
Rudy 9:09 AM on June 03, 2011
I agree with Jenny.
I will probably not add it to my online store until AddToAny or Share and Follow implement it into their plugins. As I would want this on every item listed in the store, not just on the single post pages.