On its Google+ Developers blog, Google reported that +1 buttons will now recommend other website content that has been endorsed by users when a visitor goes to +1 a page. The move is the latest step in the evolution of the +1 button, which the company is relying on to drive traffic to the social network, and it could help marketers gain more clicks to content marked as valuable by visitors..
Users who plan to +1 a piece of content will now see a dropdown menu when they hover over the button, which will allow them to find other articles, blog posts or videos that Google+ users have +1’d on the site. Julie Farago, engineering manager for Google, reported that the recommendations will be from the same site to ensure content is relevant to the user.
Even users that are not enrolled or logged into Google+ will be able to see the dropdown menu. Similarly, ensuring that non-users can click the +1 button helps social media marketing campaigns with Google+ maximize reach and capitalize on the Google+ impact beyond social in terms of the SEO lift the platform can provide.
The feature is not available on all sites yet as the company seeks to perfect it before widely releasing it. Developers can enroll to test the feature, and no timetable was reported for its full rollout.
Advancements for Google+ have been few and far between in recent months. However, Brafton recently highlighted the integration of Google+ with Flipboard for iOS and Android users that will help users share relevant content from Flipboard onto their Google+ page. Plus, more updates for Google+ social marketers are expected at this week’s Google I/O conference.
