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Google’s +1 buttons appear on more retail websites than Facebook share buttons or Twitter buttons according to an analysis by Darren Herman, chief digital officer at The Media Kitchen, a media planning and buying firm.
The finding is both surprising and logical. It’s surprising because Google’s +1 buttons are relatively new. It’s logical because any smart retailer is going to do whatever Google wants in the hopes of getting better search placement.
Herman worked with Evidon, which tracks online ad tags, to see what ad technology and social buttons were on 20 major retail sites. The sites looked at were: Best Buy, CouponCabin, Sports Authority, LL Bean, Gap, Dicks Sporting Goods, Bed Bath Beyond, SVPPLY, DSW.com, Modells, Zappos, Old Navy, Disney, Target, Walmart, Gilt, Sears, Amazon, NewEgg, and Piperlime.
According to his research, the Google +1 button is on 45% of sites versus 40% for Facebook like buttons, and 15% for Twitter share buttons.
What does the +1 button do, exactly? It sends a signal to Google that you like what you see. And if you’re on Google+, it might show up in your stream.
It’s supposed to be another signal Google can use to refine it’s search engine. Most normal web users probably don’t understand this, but for a retailer looking to get better search results, it doesn’t hurt to throw up a +1 button to make Google happy.
For more on what Herman found head over to his blog post. One more key takeaway: Google is involved in ad serving every step of the way →