Spreading the power of its recently popularized 'plus-one', Google now has begun incorporating this to AdWords. AdWords is Google's main advertising product. The +1 button will now allow Google users to recommend certain advertisements to their friends and contacts.
Much the same as Facebooks' “like” button, Google, with its +1 button, simplified it for people to get recommendations in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) from friends and colleagues online in the form of +1s while they are searching. With a single click, the+ 1 button lets Google users recommend the content they like on the web to their friends when it’s most useful − on the SERPs (if they’re signed in).
Earlier this month, the +1 button was made available to news sites and has been adopted by some web publishers. And now, Google +1 will also be seen on Google AdWords ads as well.
Just think how much more powerful your ads can become in search results. You don’t need to make any changes to your account to take advantage of Google +1 on ads. The final landing page URL of your ads can also appear on the Google profile of any user who +1’s your ad.
As marketers know, word of mouth is a powerful thing; On the web, word of mouth has become “word of click.” And Google is doing just that, turning its attention to its vast community on the web.
According to Google, the addition of +1 recommendation will help enhance the effectiveness of its AdWords advertisers campaigns by helping deliver more qualified traffic. “Think of the +1 button as a way for fans of your business to recommend what you offer, for all their friends and contacts to see,” Google's email to advertisers read.
Users who are signed into their Google account can click the button and their friends and contacts will see that news story or page promoted in their search. The buttons will automatically begin appearing across ads over the next few weeks, as they will be in organic search results pages.
But making a recommendation is not instant and there are several hurdles to overcome.
Moreover, for a contact to notice a recommendation it relies on them searching for a keyword that the +1 user has shown interest in and the contact must also be logged into their Google account.
Besides, the button's less than half-hearted adoption also suggests people do not want their searches sorted by the choices made by their friends and contacts, but organized by relevance to what the wider online community is reading.
