Google has proposed to utilise the +1 button as a ranking factor for the natural search results.
In an email to Wired.com, a spokesperson from Google stated: “Google still study the clicks on +1 buttons as a signal that influences the ranking and appearance of websites in search results. The purpose of any ranking signal is to improve overall search quality. For +1’s and other social ranking signals, as with any new ranking signal, we’ll be starting carefully and learning how those signals are related to quality.”
This is not surprising. I am sure that every SEO in the world saw it coming when +1 was released. As Google alluded to in their email to Wired, Google has and continues to use social media as a factor in the natural results.
The problem I forsee with this particular social factor is it appears to be so easily manipulated. It is similar to when Google Maps (Places) first came out and it was possible to write reviews on listings. Many people went to the minimal effort of registering multiple Google accounts and writing their own reviews. Not that it ever had much effect but people still did it. They’ll do anything given half the chance.
Introducing +1 as a ranking factor allows blackhats another avenue for manipulating the search results, filling the internet with spam, and for Google at least, incurring the wrath of trust-busting authorities. In fact, if you head to Google right now and do a search on “buy plus ones” or “plus one packages” there are already a number of websites offering services for the creation of articial plus ones.
I would not recommend purchasing +1s though. There is no way of knowing what kind of effect it will have at the moment. And I’m sure Google has already thought of this and will be on the lookout for artificial or spammed +1s.
Google has already faced a lot of scrutiny recently. They have been accussed of favoring their own services in search results over others. Google is currently facing pressure from Europe and Washington over this issue. Naturally, Google denies the accussations and released the following statement to defend themselves: “There are more than 200 signals that we use to detemine the rank of a website, and last year we made more than 500 improvements to the algorithm.”
The improvements that Google is speaking about are the recent changes that were made to combat spam websites from appearing above more relevant results. Google believes that +1s will also aid in spam control, stating that, “now with the +1 button having more control over search results spam results should be even harder to come across.” That statement does not make sense to me because the +1s could be used just as easily to promote spammy websites. It could be the new google-bombing.
The blog tekgoblin.com sums it up nicely with a comparison and bunch of rhetorical questions… I love rhetorical questions:
“However, what if groups of people favored one specific site and kept driving them to the top of the results similar to what happened to Digg.com. Digg had content from the same source at the top of the results on a daily basis and it would be above more relevant content.”
“So, if the Google results are now going to rely on social signals such as the +1 button what about sites that don’t incorporate it yet? Or what about new sites that are emerging onto the internet? Do they have a chance at even being listed in the search results and driving traffic to their sites? This is a very touchy subject and Google will need to think about it and pursue it very carefully.”