Is Google Turning Into Social Engine?
There are subtle and rumored signs as well as obvious signs that Google is rapidly becoming a social engine. It will be the biggest social engine of all when everything falls into place.
If you are involved in or interested in internet marketing, it’s important for you to read on. If you haven’t read my post Social Engine Optimization-Social Media Search Engine Optimization-SMEO do so now. Then come back here to read about the obvious signs, the subtle and rumored signs of Google going social and get a few tips on internet marketing interaction.
Obvious Signs of Google Turning Social
The obvious signs are both fairly old – YouTube and fairly new – Google+. YouTube and Google+ are social platforms. While YouTube has been around for years it has recently started changing it’s look and tens of millions of dollars are going into making it even more social and interconnected with other social media sites. Google+ is still very new but it has already forced Facebook to be more proactive and even a little bit more pro business.
Subtle, Rumored Signs of Google Going Social
The internal and hidden workings of Google have always been kept secret and mysterious and perhaps rightly so. Things like the algorithm keep on changing to make it virtually impossible to fool the system.
But smart people don’t want to fool Google. Smart people want to do what works.
What works is sticking to the rules, honesty, good content and increasingly, this is the rumored part, interaction.
It seems that Google is now placing a lot more value on your interaction with your readers. In the past it had some value in Google’s eyes and it usually meant comments on your site or blog.
The value of comments is now much higher but that’s not all.
It appears that Google now also values highly your interaction through social media like Google+, YouTube and Facebook as they are connected to your site or blog.
Nobody is going to be able to conclusively prove this unless Google goes out of their way and makes a statement confirming it. They may never do that.
When you look at the signs mentioned above and how Google is in the process of integrating things like Google+ and YouTube with it’s new design into the mix you can’t but conclude that things are getting more social.
Update January 11, 2012: Yesterday a blog post appeared on Google’s blog that is announcing Google Search Plus. That is as obvious a sign of Google going social as you can get.
Internet Marketing Interaction Tips
Engaging your readers and your audience has always been a good idea and it has always worked.
Now there are more ways of doing it than ever before.
Comments on your blog are very important and will always be. Don’t let anybody convince you otherwise. The importance of comments is growing steadily. One tip about comments that many ignore is that in order to interact through comments you need to reply to comments your readers post and keep the conversation going.
Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Twitter and other social media interaction is getting more important and valuable each day now.
Have you been resisting using Google+, Facebook etc. ?
If you use them, do you know how to use them fully, taking advantage of everything they can do for you?
I couldn’t believe it when I read a comment somewhere in which a person was astonished that there are actually courses on Facebook and Google+. To them chit chatting needs no instruction.
There’s a lot more that can be done with social media than chit chatting, of course.
Is every possible way of using them for your business, whether you are an internet marketer or a conventional brick and mortar operation, clear to you?
Unless you’ve devoted a lot of your time to figuring everything out for yourself and keep at it to stay up to date, it’s very unlikely that you know how to use Facebook, Google+ and other social media to their maximum potential.
This is why courses are popping up all the time, especially on Facebook, fan pages and so on.
People need help to be able to use them quickly, properly and fully for their businesses. Most of these courses are helpful but I find that they are usually leaving out some important things and sometimes too many. Most of the courses aren’t being updated and often are obsolete as soon as they come out.
Are you currently taking a social media course or thinking about doing so?
What’s your opinion about Google turning into a social media engine?
Respond in the comments section and then like this post on Facebook, Google+ it and tweet the post to share it with others. Be social media and social engine friendly.
P.S. I’ve used a different text spacing for the Internet Marketing Interaction Tips part of the post. You are kindly requested to comment about which spacing you prefer after you answer the questions above. Does the larger spacing make it so much easier for you to read the text that you don’t mind having to do the extra scrolling? I listen, read and pay attention to what my readers prefer to see on my blog so please make your preference known.
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Authored by Vance Sova
Filed under: Internet Marketing Tools
There are courses out there on how to use Facebook and such, but these are the same as the folks who would take a course on “how to surf the Internet” or “how to use a word processor.” The average, reasonably competent computer user won’t take them. However, from the perspective of marketing, advertising, brand building and that kind of thing, courses can be useful… I’m just not sure I would take them myself.
Michael Kwan´s last blog post ..Sunday Snippet: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Vance Reply:
January 8th, 2012 at 11:56 pm
Hi Michael,
Thanks for commenting. I know what you mean. There are Facebook courses that are very basic and of little value to people like you or even an average person online. The course I’m talking about goes very deep about marketing, brand building and everything else. It also goes into Google+ but not as deeply, YouTube, Twitter and so on. You may know all of that but most people including myself find it very valuable.
What about Google becoming social search engine, what do you think about that?
We can never deny that search engines share a secret relationship with social media. But with each passing day, it’s becoming more and more evident. Being search engine giant, Google sure has interests in social networking services, more so after Google Plus was born. It’s only a matter of time when Google evolves into a social engine, besides being what it really is…
Vance Reply:
January 11th, 2012 at 8:58 pm
Hi Sandra,
Thanks for the nice comment. As opposed to the dismissive comment that Fred wrote, you have more of an insight. Now to prove that there is some truth to what I wrote here is a proof that Google has already made another progress in this direction on their own blog: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/search-plus-your-world.html
Considering that I wrote my post at least a week before I posted it, there is no way I could have known anything concrete that now appears on Google’s blog when I wrote it. It was just my observation and anticipation. What will concretely happen with Google and all the details is of course unknown to me and anybody else who’s not part of Google. However the direction has been set. It’s no gossip.
Reading the pages tittle makes me shock about google but it seems that its just a gossips. Very interesting post about it. If it will be happen lots of individual can make it more advancing for those who knows about Google much but it seems that they have a hard time to compete with Facebook because lots of individual don’t know much about Google+ or Google instead.
Really nice tips here! Thanks for sharing them, my biggest resolution for the new year was to increase the traffic of my blog. I’ve already done some SEO stuff on it, but I have heard that there is an other way to get more traffic on a blog: the social media. I have personal accounts on several social media sites, but now I have to create some accounts for my blog, too. I already know how it works on Facebook, Twitter and youtube, but I have heard that there is a special business scene on Google+. Does anybody know how it works? And according to your article, I would mention LinkedIn as a possibility, too.
Cindy´s last blog post ..Toothache – home remedies
Vance Reply:
January 11th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for the nice comment. I have mentioned social media and named several platforms. I didn’t mention LinkedIn but that wasn’t to say anything about them either way. They are good too, it’s just that I couldn’t mention all the platforms because the post would get too long and cluttered. The course I recommend which is primarily on Facebook also covers LinkedIn as well as Google+, YouTube and Twitter. Just check it out and you’ll see that they are all there. There’s also a portion of the course which you can take virtually for free or for just a few dollars if you aren’t sure you want to go fully ahead with it as I did.
If you are going for best contents like myself, simply pay a quick visit this site daily since it presents quality contents, thanks
Vance Reply:
January 11th, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Hi Stevie,
I’m not sure which site you’re talking about. If it’s mine thanks. Please clarify if you are indeed visiting daily.
Google is becoming a complex entity, this is not necessarily bad, but right now i think that we need strict laws regarding sharing and distributing private content. Without them, every individual is vulnerable, and can be an online victim.
Vance Reply:
January 13th, 2012 at 2:13 am
Hi Mia,
Thank you for the comment. I don’t think that current laws allow anybody to share private information on anybody. Therefore I don’t see any need for more laws. Perhaps if you can be more specific as to what you mean it would be helpful.
Your right Vance, Google is becoming a huge social engine and it’s tentacles are becoming more and more intertwined in everyone’s life. I can still remember when Google was a relative new comer, and I have to say I preferred it as just a simple search engine. Google seems to want to take over every upcoming web innovation, from social networking, to shopping comparison to video. I prefer a more diverse Web, where more companies can make a buck.
Vance Reply:
January 13th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Hi Richard,
I don’t think that Google is preventing other companies or anybody from making money online. They definitely want to increase their business and get into more things. How is that different from any other successful company?
At least they have some backbone and leave even the largest potential market in the world rather than cooperating with censorship and other freedom busting activities that other huge companies and even governments agree to in order to make a buck.
Thanks for commenting,
Cheers,
Vance
Thinking the same thing Vance. It looks like Google wants to become the hub of all the internet. I mean, right now a large portion of internet users have Google as their homepage, but now this homepage is not just a search engine, but now it’s also social media (i.e Google Plus). I can see them striving for a monopoly of the net.
Google appears to be desperately pushing it’s social engine idea. I hope their eagerness to get on the social bandwagon does not derail the good thing they had going with the search engine service.
Adeline´s last blog post ..How to Reinstall Internet Explorer 9 in Windows 7
Google is getting more an more social every day. My search results now show G+ pages and posts which is pretty exciting!
G have a massive reach and if they continue incorporating every product with G+ it’s bound to get more traction.
Looks like that’s another social media profile to manage!
Interesting post – I do indeed think that Google is placing more importance on social. It’s one of the best ways for the search engine to find content that people want to read.
Re. the spacing – I find that the first one felt easier to read. This could be because I am a fast reader, and so having my eyes have to hop through a large white space feels disorienting, and also the scrolling aspect.
Liz @ Guldkit´s last blog post ..Guldkit – rädda naturen
Vance Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Hi Liz,
Thanks for the comment and for taking the time to answer my question which I also requested from my readers about the spacing. It’s interesting that you view it similarly as I do. Contrary to what a lot of people advise, which is bigger spacing, I don’t like it myself. The added scrolling and empty spaces don’t add to my reading enjoyment at all. Some people like large spacing because they like to read in small bites and don’t want to lose the spot where they last glanced. This is why some copywriters advise writing this way. But you are one of many that takes a different view and that’s great.It just proves that things don’t work uniformly for everyone. Unless I get an overwhelming response in favor of the larger spacing I won’t be using it much if ever again.
I agree that interaction is important in SEO and Google+ is Google’s way of telling us that we should engage with our readers more. With the growing popularity of Google+, Facebook is now on massive campaign because their number of active users has decreased. This is mostly due to innovations made by Youtube and Google+.
What’s my opinion?? well..too much face-tweet-thumblr-bla bla and you will not have good life…too much kids spent time on net and real social meetings are forgotten..much less kids goes out and play with others..and now google follow that..ccc 🙁
milla´s last blog post ..Will SMO Replace SEO?
Vance Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 11:10 pm
Hi Milla,
Thanks for the comment. Too much of anything is not good. That doesn’t mean that in the right amounts it cannot be good.
I don’t think that it is a good way what google does nowadays. They can already control us and collect all the data of our internet surfing habits. It will be a social engine, and also an all-round internet environment. And that doesn’t only have benefits.
Catwoman´s last blog post ..fogbeültetés
Vance Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Hi Catwoman,
Almost everybody is collecting information, not only Google. Pretty much everything anyone does can be monitored. That is so even without any social media and Google getting involved with it. Good or bad that’s the world we live in.
Thanks for commenting.
I hope their eagerness to get on the social bandwagon does not derail the good thing they had going with the search engine service.
Carey´s last blog post ..Payment Protection Insurance
Vance Reply:
January 18th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Hi Carey,
I think they can handle both quite easily. Thanks for commenting.
Hey Vance,
This is one of the important factors for today’s Inbound Marketing and SEO. The reason i am saying is that because the Google SERP is now much more fueled with the social searches. earlier in 2009, Google started it’s first step towards being Social by having partnership with twitter and fetching the tweets into the google SERP, and this year after so many error and trials with Google Buzz, google Wave the Ultimate outcome with which the Google folks come is Google+ and it’s wide coverage in the Google SERP is much bigger evidence of Google Being social. As we all know that the Search engines are now preferring to make more and more customized experience for any user, so indeed the Google comes on the first step for it. recently the Google’s new way of SERP aka “Search Plus Your World” has gathered lots of attentions as well as many people have thought about the privacy also upon this new feature. Today’s Search engines are much more different than of last 3 to 7 years.. Great topic and post Vance.. would be waiting for more from you!
Google is absolutely turning into a social engine. With the new Google+ integration into search, and twitter feeds supplying breaking news. It is exciting news for people who create engaging content, like yourself.
Followed on Twitter.
Google is ruining the way people search. However, times they are changing and so Google has to change.
Aurindam Mukherjee´s last blog post ..Why You need to Re-Think Your Digital Marketing Strategy!
I am still fairly new with google plus and search plus. I am glad that Google turned social without trying to be the next Facebook or something like that. It seems nice that they also teamed up with other social platforms. I just hope that Google will trash the error message when one is using the google search engine too much. Thanks for the insights.
Astrid Sanschagrin´s last blog post ..Banc de musculation V-Fit
Nice to know about these improvement bring by our Google engine, I think its an additional benefits for everyone.
Yes, it seems so. So your +1 matters than your keywords? I am trying my best to expand my circles so that I can reach more people. Also wishing that they will click on my +1 to boost my ranking. Pretty tiresom.
Liz @ Make Money Online´s last blog post ..H&R Block Promo Codes 2012
It will be interesting to see if G+ succeeds. At this point, it seems like they messed up the timing by launching before having all the features available. It was very hyped in the beginning and many people joined, but very few of those people are using it.
Vance Reply:
January 30th, 2012 at 2:14 am
Hi Annie,
You have a good point. They didn’t do everything right to start with but I think that’s quite normal. I think they’ll fix things, improve them and will grow again. We’ll see. Thanks for the comment.
I think social marketing can be done by anyone with a lot of time but not necessarily done well! I tried to do Social marketing to drive business to my web page but I found that I just didn’t have enough time to do it so I decided to outsource to an established company called Magicbuz. They have teams of conversationalists who talk to people on a personal level all over the internet and market my business to more people than I could ever have. The traffic coming to my web page is awesome.
Social media is becoming more popular as time moves further into the 21st century. Google may devote more time and resources into expanding their own social media network.
Google Plus didn’t advance since its launch. So I was thinking if it will be a Facebook killer or not. Google may have turned the search engine into social engine but I think it’s far to conclude that it is successful enough.
Vance Reply:
January 30th, 2012 at 1:56 am
Hi Richard,
I don’t know many people who think that Google is not successful enough. As a search engine it alone has more market share than all the others combined. It owns YouTube which is number one in its category. Google+ has not been around for years like Facebook and I hope it won’t ever be a Facebook killer. There’s room for at least two players.
Thanks for the comment.
I am quite upset with this new search your world junk Google has implemented. I don’t like it at all. And I hate having to make an extra click every time I do a Google search. That would be the click on the icon that says “hide personal results.” I’d be a bit happier if I could click a permanent “Hide personal results.” button.
Brian@pizza blogt´s last blog post ..Muhammad Ali Pizza Hut Commercial With Angelo Dundee
I’ve read an article about Google Search Plus and I think this is the proof that Google is becoming a social engine. I don’t know bu t reading the articles today about G+, specially about it’s hang-out (even used by Obama), what can I say? It’s great to have an account at G+ both for personal and business advantage.
Thank you! I’m going to subscribe to your RSS Feed to be updated on your latest posts. I can also contribute some information since I know the topics that this blog covers.
Cheers,
Jeffery
Vance Reply:
February 2nd, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Hi Jeffrey,
If you subscribe to my RSS feed that’ll be good. As for contributing I have no idea why you haven’t done so right now. Let’s see what else you have to say. In the meantime I removed comment luv on this comment of yours which contributed zero.
Cheers
Vance
Google+ is definitely a solid entry into the social media market, but I think at a certain point, the market is going to be saturated. Since people are already having to take classes on how to maximize their social media influence, we might see some social media sites die off because people will simply not have the time to use them
The Frugal Dad´s last blog post ..What We Think vs. What We Do: America’s Nutrition Evolution (Infographic)
Good Job. This article is most interesting!
Thanks
What google really needs to do is emphasize social gaming on google+. Back in June 2011, they advertised for a “Google Games” product manager. So many of my aunts/uncles use facebook to play farmville and other casual games. Google really needs to tap into that!
matt@Video Game News´s last blog post ..Aliens: Colonial Marines Trailer and Details Emerge
Thanks for the Social Media info! This will certanly help me with my SEO company Megabit Marketing! Thanks again!
Vance Reply:
February 11th, 2012 at 11:40 am
Hi Jay,
No need to put an exclamation mark after each short sentence. I have removed your link from the comment. I don’t know you and comments are meant to add value and not for free self-promotion.
I think Google+ is a huge boon for local businesses trying to rank well in the local index and in “Places” on the blended results. I think a well optimized G+ page is going to really help in that arena. On the topic of YouTube I have to say that even though it is social, the comment threads are a sewer. There are some really ignorant people on there.
Vance Reply:
February 11th, 2012 at 11:35 am
Hi Dave,
Thanks for commenting. Google+ is likely to be huge but so far it’s not done as much as many people expected when it first came out. It’s still early in the game though. As for YouTube there are both good and bad people there. The bad minority is very vocal so it may seem like there is too much of what you call a sewer. It helps to focus on the good stuff and ignore the rest.
Jenny@Energy Armor Bracelet Reply:
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:43 am
Google in my opinion is just a big giant glutton who tries to take over everything it can, last thing we need is another social media site…come on really where do you draw the line? I for one will not use google plus, it’s just to much!
Jenny@Energy Armor Bracelet´s last blog post ..Energy Armor Bracelet
Hmmm, I’ve never thought at Google this way. You wrote an interesting article.
The search engine giant Google has mostly been successful in implementing new ideas.So lets see how this one turns out to be.
Robert@HImalayan Encounter Reply:
April 15th, 2012 at 8:57 pm
Google always comes with new ideas and with better one so it is no doubt that it will certainly work.
Google has been struggling to impose google+ to the masses. And i don’t think they’re going the right way by mixing google+ with their search engine. For the moment, i fail to see the point, besides promotion.
There is no real use for their search user right now.
I think google is huge and it is do difficult for others to compete, and also google controls us in some way too much
Vance Reply:
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Hi Kevin,
Google is collecting a lot of information on everybody and will do so even more now with their new privacy policy. There is a potential for them to have too much control. If they abuse it in the future it may harm them eventually. Let’s hope that they’ll remember their “Do no evil” motto.
Vance
Today, Google has a big portion of the internet that many users are using. Social media sites today helps businesses promote their business.
I think there are certainly signs of Google turning into a social engine, especially with the introduction of Google+. One thing that I have noticed is regarding SEO, Google now acknowledges the presence of social media sites, meaning that having a Twitter and Facebook feed will along side other link building will produce good results regarding SERPs.
Jason@Loan Finder´s last blog post ..Bank of England Base Rate Announcement | Unsecured Loan Finder
Nice article! I think Google is definitely moving in more of a social direction, but also more importantly want to become more than just a search engine. With these new changes, I have definitely felt a push to use all or more of their services. It will be interesting to see what the future hold for this company!
Google is definitely getting into the Social Game. In fact, all the big tech companies are starting to get into each other’s stuff. Google also recently purchased Motorola so they’ll be making phones too.
John @ Ernest Becker´s last blog post ..Talking about Defenseless
Hai Vance!
I my point of view,Google updates every piece of info time to time from the websites which updates regularly.If we have a deep look over it,we can get lots of info as well.Thanks for sharing a nice article
Google is turning social because that is what the world wants whether we say we do or not. That is what we do nowadays and Google is only helping us with our experience on the web. Yeah, it seems intrusive for them to collect our data but that will only help us and businesses in the long run. Instead of seeing “smut” ads on my computer I will see something more directed at me because of what I use Google and other search engines for. You just have to take what the world throws at you and turn it into a positive thing in your life. Great article, very thought provoking, thanks.
Google are always about copying good examples and fallowing people demand. As everyone asks for Google to become more social then Google just does that.
I think first things that Google has done to become more social are very appreciable and they are doing it right
Mike´s last blog post ..Vocabulary Level E Answers
The thing about the internet is that it just keeps changing. Just when I thought it was all about Facebook the this plus one thing comes out! It’s hard to keep up, you’ve really got to be in it to win it…
Chad@How To Mack´s last blog post ..Daygame Blueprint Review – DayGame.com’s Daytime Pick Up Guide
This is what Matt Cutts said about google in one of his youtube video: SOCIAL is KEY. SEO is changing into something very different than ever before. More human, more connected to people, more social. And less mechanical, robotical or spammy. This is what Matt wants to eliminate: black hat SEO tricks (farm content etc…)
I like the idea of Google becoming more socially integrated. The cleanliness and functionality of their code is better than, and similar to, what Facebook used to be like before Facebook became so weighted down. Privacy, of course, is another story but I think Google is taking more steps towards privacy than they used to. Nice article !
Vance Reply:
March 1st, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Hi Robby,
I’m not sure what you mean by saying that Google is taking more privacy steps. If anything their recent privacy policy change simplified things for them as they integrated everything.
Thanks for commenting.
Vance
Wow! Thanks for sharing these useful tips, I think that you’re totally right, social engines are the search engines of tomorrow. And if somebody wants to promote online something, the most effective way for the marketing is the SEO, because it makes easy to find the right audience for the product. Social platforms are a useful way to build backlinks, which are a nice tool to generate a higher traffic to the site.
Julie@dental implants´s last blog post ..dental implants
Google is being criticized that Google+ is just another pilot project that will fail like all the other ones before, eg. Google Wave, Google Video, Buzz etc. BUt I read quite an informative article not so long ago that carefully explained that Google Plus is not just a side-project, but more an indication of how Google will evolve into one big Social / Search Engine. In my opinion, if Google does not turn into a social media engine it will lose out in the future. I’m not really the ‘course’ kind of guy, I rely on the general online socializing and reading material to educate myself and keep up to date on what is happening and how to use it etc. 🙂 Oh, and I do actually enjoy the larger spacing when reading! Thanks!
Vance Reply:
March 2nd, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Hi Lennon,
Thanks for commenting on the text spacing too, I really appreciate it.
As for Google+ It seems to have lost some momentum but I don’t think it’s a side project either. CNN seems to promote it heavily by saying at almost every opportunity “Put us in your circles on Google+”.
Seeing the huge success of Facebook, Google+ is Google’s answer to it and even if it takes a long time it will be most likely a big success too.
Cheers,
Vance
It’s a good thing that Google now puts more weight on the importance of social media. Now, our social media efforts will never be put to waste. As long as you do it properly, along with other SEO strategies, websites will rank better in the search engines.
Vance Reply:
March 2nd, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Hi Mike,
Thanks for commenting. I think it’s a good thing too.
Cheers,
Vance
Very good, congratulations! easy to understand explanatory and well, are posts like these that we need on the network.
Vance Reply:
March 7th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Thank you for commenting Gabriela. Next time, I’d like you to be more specific when you comment and to actually write your view or opinion regarding the subject. Writing about how good the post is doesn’t really contribute anything to it and to the other readers including me. Comments aren’t a popularity contest.
Cheers,
Vance
I think the big G has realized that the world is going social and that is why they are going social too. When you don’t adapt to changing times, you will be overtaken by events and if it is business you are doing, you will fall so hard. I think that’s why it has gone social. thanks for the insight
Reggie @ Make Money Online´s last blog post ..6 Factors to Consider Before Buying a Domain Name
Sure that Google is going social… Google will take all places in your life a guess soon enough :).
However, I dont like using facebook or google plus for marketing – does not work that well.
SiteNível@Criação de sites Reply:
March 15th, 2012 at 9:58 am
Using Google or Facebook for marketing works well in same niches. Like lodging, in my case, because I have some customers for that aproach.
In fact, I believe that Google will be a very large slice of our lifes, in just few years.
It will be there, when you sleep, wake up, take a shower or just thinking… Anyway, Google will be Skynet someday…
Vance Reply:
March 15th, 2012 at 10:10 am
Google is already there looming large. Watching us all the time even while offline would be creepy though.
Thanks for commenting.
I agree with you! What will concretely happen with Google and all the details is of course unknown to me and anybody else who’s not part of Google.Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Google is getting into all areas of the internet. Google PLus was not the instant sucess that perhaps Google had hoped for, but they are involved in so many other detailed areas of the net. It only takes some time for them to consider other ways to make money from social content, blogs, emails etc etc
Gaz´s last blog post ..Wordless Wednesday
Google is slowly taking over the world!! or rather the world wide web – does anyone still call it that? They know so much about eveyone its a little scary to be honest and now making money from what they know.
Kangei´s last blog post ..A Timely Observation or E=MC²
Vance Reply:
March 22nd, 2012 at 9:22 am
Hi Kangei,
Google is perceived to be taking over the internet by many people. It remains to be seen whether it’s going to abuse its position or not. Their motto still is do no evil or something like that. Let’s hope that they’ll be guided by it. Thank you for commenting.
Vance
Melisa L. Reply:
May 30th, 2012 at 11:16 am
I can only hope you are right on this one…could only be a matter of time before it does in fact abuse its position but we can still hope for the best! I do enjoy Google’s search engine but have not yet created a Plus page…
Vance Reply:
June 3rd, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Hi Melisa,
If they abuse their position they’ll regret it sooner or later. It would not be smart of them, so let’s hope they won’t do it.
It seems that Google pluses are only going to boost visibility of a site if it has been +1’d by someone in your sphere of influence. I log into the Google+ home page every now and then, and at the moment it doesn’t seem to beat Facebook in terms of having a relevant and interesting newsfeed for me, personally. This could all change in the future though. For the time being, it’s definitely useful to see what my friends and colleagues have been reading and adding pluses to.
Vance Reply:
March 22nd, 2012 at 9:18 am
Hi Archie,
Thanks for commenting. I think that a lot of people would agree with your comment. Google+ is not yet where it aims to be but that can and probably will change.
This is very true. Since Google owns Youtube and Google+, it only makes sense that they would incorporate them, even more than they are now, much more into search results in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if they increased Youtube and Google+ visibility, but left all other social media sites alone. Google is a corporation. It only makes sense that they would promote their own sites since they control how the world navigates the internet.
I know I will personally be integrating my business into Google+ and will be making a bunch of Youtube videos once my website grows. I may be wrong, but I feel as if Youtube and Google+ marketing will be much more effective than Facebook and Twitter marketing in the future, as long as Google is involved.
Brendan´s last blog post ..One of the Best Free Traffic Sources
i cant go on enough about SEO, done correctly,our websites will rank better in the search engines.interesting, easy to follow post by the way
Aylton Mctech Reply:
May 4th, 2012 at 5:44 am
certainly in SEO you should always follow the best path, the correct path. Black Hat no way, never!
I may be too late but yes I did notice this too without realizing what it was really. I just signed up for google + and all of a sudden it’s asking me to add friends. I was thinking what is that all about and never really bothered adding anyone because I had Facebook LOL. This article just answered my question right on the spot. Thanks!
– Cristina
Good post, I especially like the line about smart people wanting to do what works and not to outsmart Google.
Neil | Butterfield´s last blog post ..Cramps: The potassium connection
Absolutely brilliant! “We are the engine” has to be the most clear and concise way of explaining the impact of social media on search engine results.When people are looking to do business, they want someone that they know, like and trust. Conveying this, through online branding strategies, builds the level of authority and therefore the ability to be found online for that specific niche.
Since Google owns Youtube and Google+, it only makes sense that they would incorporate them, even more than they are now, much more into search results in the future.
james´s last blog post ..Google Becomes Social Engine-Internet Marketing Interaction Tips
That is normal and expected every business start with a simple goal, once they are stronger then they shoot to the moon. Google is getting there but never underestimate the new comers. I’m expecting that day will come and Google will have to slow down
I just recently read an article in a tech magazine that was pitting Google against Facebook. Initially when I saw it I thought that those sites where not related. As I read on though I saw how much Google is becoming a social network and is soon going to be competing more aggressively with Facebook. Whether the existence of one will cause the downfall of the other I don’t know.
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Vance Reply:
March 25th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Hi Elena Anne,
Thank you for the comment. I think that there is room for both Google and Facebook. What will really happen for sure nobody knows. Both will likely and hopefully thrive. When there’s only one place for anything it’s not really good.
Cheers,
Vance
Somehow, any internet enthusiast can see that Google is also becoming more social and interactive. In Google+, I’ve seen how it is becoming more like Facebook. Maybe it really is Google’s way of telling us that social media will now play a bigger role in the site rankings. I’m confident that social media can really help increase a website’s online presence as long as it is utilized properly.
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I want to see if Google+ will be able to beat Facebook. I thought the launch of Google+ will be the end of Facebook, but it looks like Facebook is still on top of its game.
I realy liked your blog…and also thanx for enhancing my knowledge
brilliant tips,i think Google wants to become the hub of the internet. unfortunately they`re making life a wee bit difficult for us these days
I might not agree here, I guess Google was, is and will be a search engine in core why… but Yes Google is tracking social signals and tracking us that how we engage and behave as social or particularly on different social media networks but this is because this has actually a lot to do with search…
We all know that search engine like Google is working hard to get results closer to what exactly user is thinking about and for that Google have to be closer to human brain and think like it… in order to do that Google have to notice that how users behave out of Google in the social world! #justsaying
Vance Reply:
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:40 am
Hi Mark,
How do you not agree? What you put in your comment seems to be agreeing at least partly with what I wrote.
I think with Google+ now, yes google is becoming more social, i think it will start to use our social interactions to help decide its search results, the world has seen that the web is a social platform, for connecting users together online and the more users like a certain subject then it would seem more important.
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Google, without a doubt, is the fastest growing social search engine. With its launch of Google+, it has indicated its intentions to compete strong with other major social networking sites. Quite an interesting blog and I appreciate the information provided in it. Thanks
What’s up, just wanted to tell you, I enjoyed this blog post. It was practical. Keep on posting!
I also think that the Google is trying to get more social with Google plus and is in the run to compete with facebook.
brilliant tips,i think Google wants to become the hub of the internet. The best part about Google+ is the ability to possibly show up on the first page without much SEO work if you are a part of their google+… an ever better reason to network!
Amazing useful article thanks a lot for sharing. I will deffinetely add this blog to my favorites.v
First time visitor. Great reviews and topics with interesting info. It’s only a matter of time before Google truly competes with Facebook…just my opinion.
Vance Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
Hi Brandon,
Great to have you here and I look forward to you being back commenting. Thanks for this comment. Right now Facebook has at least 10 times more users than Google+. But there was a time they had none. Google+ seems to be stalling as bit right now and some people I know aren’t as excited asbout it as when it first started. But I think that you may be right and that it’ll catch up with Facebook one day.
Vance
Will follow you from now on. Great article! Social networks are deffo that important for your ranking in google. Besides that they will keep growing and become more important!
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Vance Reply:
April 20th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Hi Sebastian,
You’ll follow me here or on twitter, Facebook, YouTube or all of those?
Outstanding blog, I have been viewing blogs for some time now and this one stand out because the writer of the contents has a unique style and the posts contain knowledge different from others. This definitely helps me on my research on internet marketing. I also bookmarked it.
This is a great news for us esp. people who is interested in internet marketing, it is a good news for them. Because it will be the biggest social engine of all when everything falls into place.
I was resisting using Google + at first but after alot of research into its benefits I was sold. I guess Google becoming more social is the next logical step for them considering the growth in social media in recent years. I’m excited to see these future changes.
Yes I agree with the article that Google is becoming a social engine. I’ve even heard evidence of people with google+ pages getting a SERP boost when it links to their website!
With the rate Google is expanding, it is going to rule the entire internet in a few years downline. With social media getting so famous nowadays, it was expected the Google acquires of creates its own version sooner of later. Anyways I have no complaints.
Google has a become a giant search engine, and I am sure it does rely of social networks to look at the trends on the market.
But one thing I don’t understand – why does it keep coming with complicated algorithms that affect already established websites? What’s the point in making your website so searchable and then tanking it?
Vance Reply:
May 9th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Google wants to provide quality content to those who search. Not all sites are quality sites unfortunately. While Google is not always accurate and right in its search results, even according to their own standards, they are trying to be. The new algorithms are the tools they use to eliminate spam and worthless sites. It’s possible that some good sites get slapped in the process but eventually what is good and quality should end up on top. At least that is Google’s aim, apparently.
I heard that Google+ is a ghost town, nobody really actively participating there, just having a profile page up for optimization. IT would be great to see a study that shows the percentage of active users.
Yes you are right about Google that Google turning into social search engine, it’s a nice fact for Google, doing well.
Honestly, I don’t think google is turning social. They’re trying, that is, but youtube was already social before google took over, and google+ is a complete fail. I know no one who uses it. They should leave social to the other social networks like facebook and twitter. It would surprise me if they would be succesful.
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Vance Reply:
June 3rd, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Hi Menno,
Your view is appreciated. It’s true that Google+ is a bit slower in getting users lately but I know plenty of people who use it. I don’t mind them (Google) going social because it helps them to give people better search results. We’ll see what happens with that in the future. You could be right or not. Let’s give it a couple of years.
Thanks for commenting.
I notice the same thing with Google for example I want to search and compare two brands of laptop. When i hit enter on Google the first page is full of social site results such as Youtube Videos and Facebook Fan page. I think they give more priority on social site for the sole reason to promote their own sites such as Youtube and Google Plus. Usually I found answers on the second and third page of the search results. Which sometimes gives me the headache.
It’s one of the best ways for the search engine to find content that people want to read. Google is becoming a complex entity, this is not necessarily bad, but right now i think that we need strict laws regarding sharing and distributing private content. It’s one of the best ways for the search engine to find content that people want to read.
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Yes, absolutely true. Google is now social engine. Google is making timely efforts for filter spamming. Now a days it is very essential to follow the steps defines by Google to interact with it for internet marketing.
I’ve always welcomed googles integration of all their services into one platform. I remember the day i could log into both gmail and youtube with the same password. It was the happiest day of my life!
The last move made by them is that Google+ Local replace Google Places after they bought Zagat ( an user-generated restaurant surveys).
Social media seems to be dominating right now but it becomes rather difficult to keep up with the many sites and regular updating, etc. Any tips for this?
Vance Reply:
June 21st, 2012 at 1:39 am
Hi Aitea G.,
The tip would be to choose one media or two, three at most, and devote only as much time to it as necessary. It’s a balancing act and the right amount of time devoted to social media can only be determined by you.
Maybe I should invest more in social media.
But I’m afraid that it will consume to match time.
Vance Reply:
June 21st, 2012 at 1:28 am
Hi Jack,
That is a very legitimate and common worry people have. If you suspect you spend too much time already on social media then you may want to put in less of it. It’s a tool that like any tool can be overused.
Your view is appreciated. It’s true that Google+ is a bit slower in getting users lately but I know plenty of people who use it.
Hey Vance,
I definitely agree that things are turning more and more social online. It’s all about connecting and interacting. The hard part is that with all these different social sites coming out it’s hard to stay on top of everything.
By the time you check and update Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, reply to your comments, respond to emails, and participate in other people’s blogs, there’s not much time left in the day.
Would you say the CommentLuv plugin has been a good choice for increasing participation at your blog? I keep debating back and forth about it.
Derek Maak @ Text Your Ex Back Review´s last blog post ..Can I Text Him First Or Should He Make The First Contact?
Vance Reply:
July 4th, 2012 at 1:25 am
Hi Derek,
Keeping on top of everything is hard. You have to pick and choose. Replying to comments is to me more important than a chit chat on Facebook if the comment is worth replying to. Comment luv is giving back to those who contribute good comments. I do turn it off when a comment is not contributing much and I wonder if it’s a spam or not. Ovbious spsam comments go to the trash anyway.
The new Google+ is such a nice Social platform, and the integration with the search results, makes it very important to be on Google+.
I like to see my friends faces on the search results, when they like some posts.
It is right for Google to also consider the site owner’s interaction with the readers through their comments. It is quite unfair for readers who are actually interested and comment then ignored. Whether it is a way of marketing or not.
Vance Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Hi Mary,
I’m not sure what you really mean here. Google I think does consider comments and replies to them on a site as being positive. Whether someone replies to comments is up to the site owners of course. Some comments are irrelevant or obvious spam so not replying to those makes a good sense. On the other hand, relevant comments that add value are appreciated by any site owner. If no reply is given to them that’s just too bad. More often than not it’s likely a lack of time on the part of the site owners.
However, sometimes I do feel trapped in all these social networks. There are so many of them today that you waste so much time checking all of them and chatting there and… I think that there would be a good point if all social networks united in a big one.
Viktoria@Apple news´s last blog post ..Blackberry To Be Divided Into Two Parts
Vance Reply:
July 20th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Hi Viktoria,
You have a good point about not wasting too much time with social networks. Just pick and choose a few and don’t spend too much time there. Uniting all social networks into one? That will never happen and I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea. They’d control everything.
I know interaction is important in SEO and Google+ is Google’s way of telling us that everyone should engage with our readers more. arabic music online
I find Google is great for my sites and business’ but on a personal level I don’t use it much, its full of a lot of rubbish and use bing or yahoo which is cleaner
Vance Reply:
July 23rd, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Hi Surminga,
Your comment is controversial and appears to make little sense. How can something full of rubbish, which is what you say of Google be great for your business? It would help if you could clarify what you meant.
Vance
It’s interesting reading this article from a year ago and looking at how things are now. I’ve always known about how search engines share a relationship with social media, but now its even more apparent when you look at everything merging into a single entity that seemingly knows more about your life than you do…Google = SkyNet
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Vance Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the nice comment. If you can read my latest post about Google, you’ll see how Google+ is kind of like a party membership if you are very active there. It’s kind of scary if it’s really the way it seems.
Cheers,
Vance.
Google has definitly gone social, I keep seeing this all over the Internet, using G+ is the way of the future if you care about your rankings, Google is finding there way into social media and that is the way to do it!!
Vance Reply:
February 22nd, 2013 at 12:10 am
Hi PJ,
I think that you are right. The people who have a lot of Google+ circles and are very active on Google+ clearly seem to have higher rankings for their blogs and websites in Google’s search results.
Thanks for commenting.
Cheers,
Vance.