While Google+ users everywhere are waiting for the platform to take off, Compete recently reported that the website’s +1 button is becoming an increasingly popular method for users to share content. According to the research firm’s website tracking, there were more than 2.7 billion individual +1s in December 2011.
The growth of the site’s sharing tool demonstrates that users enjoy the simplicity of sharing content on Google. Still, actual traffic to the website is lagging substantially behind both Twitter and Facebook.
The +1 button could drive more Google+ activity, but it won’t necessarily dictate more Google+ traffic. Logged-in users can +1 anything from images on Google Image Search results to videos on YouTube and articles on their favorite websites directly from SERPs. Meanwhile, the Twitter and Facebook sharing capabilities require an additional step of clicking through to the sites.
The popularity of the +1 button may make social media marketing with Google+ become a competitive necessity for businesses – especially as Google works to unify its services.
Brafton has highlighted a series of adjustments the company has made this year to achieve a fully integrated, personalized Google web experience for users. Among the most prominent changes are Search, plus Your World and a new privacy policy, both of which have experienced frosty receptions from the public.
