Initial signs are that the Google +1 feature is going to find the last remaining gap in the ‘must have’ social sharing button trend. The majority of websites have at least a Twitter and Facebook sharing facility, by way of a small Tweet or Like button. Google has finally joined in and launched the +1 option, although needing a Google Account in place will limit the potential compared with say Facebook.
It’s questionable whether the number of +1′s your website pages has will effect rankings to any degree. We now know that social media activity is a source of algorithm points scoring, as long as the activity is engaged in the right format.
But how can you find out who +1′d your website pages? A feature of the plus 1 script is that you can see if any friends have also +1′d a page that appears in the search results. This is similar to viewing which Facebook friends have liked a page you are visiting.
For now the only way to see who has plus one’d your page is by being associated through Google, privacy laws meaning that seeing other people’s preferences is not permitted. It remains to be seen whether a tool to find out who Facebook Liked or Google +1′d your or competitors pages is developed. You can see who Tweeted a site through various 3rd party tools.
Update: As of November 2011 there are various rumours of a Check Google +1 feature with the Google+ account. Watch this space for updates before the New Year.
