+1 – Google’s fusion of paid search and social

March 31, 2011
by Duncan Fisher

So how could Google make their paid search ads even more compelling to the user? Well I’d say that by having somebody you know actually recommending an advert would definitely be a step in the right direction. This is what the latest release – Google’s “+1 button” – will achieve. According to Google research, 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know.

Not only will the “+1 button” impact paid search ads but also the whole Google search landscape and websites that advertise across it. Click here to view a post from our Head of SEO, James Lowery, for a broader view including future website implications and natural listings.

So how does it work for Paid Search ads? Below is how an advert will appear with the “+1 button” alongside the advert. If Consumer A finds the advert relevant to what they were searching for, they have the option to click on the “+1 button” to recommend the advert to their contacts

Consumer B, who is a contact of Consumer A, will then see the following ad if conducting the same search, whilst signed into their Google account.

Consumer B may be influenced by the recommendation and therefore be more likely to click through on the advert. As many a paid search marketer will know, the holy grail is CTR as this has such a significant impact on Google’s Quality score. Early research studies have indicated that the impact of these “+1 button” ads do indeed boost CTRs. I would anticipate that conversion rates will also be impacted as the user will have already been influenced that this is a site they can trust.

This all seems great, however, uptake is the key. Why would a user click on this +1 button if they don’t know what it does? Also, you will need to have a Google public profile to be able to hit the plus box. Those with Google accounts will be able to view the personalised recommendations. Those with no Google account or profile will just see aggregated data (x amount of users +1’d this ad) but no personalised results.

The +1 button will gain wider recognition as it begins to appear within pages of website owners. In the interim, how will Google communicate this functionality and benefit to the consumer? Time will tell…

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