Q&A WITH…E-Moxie’s Gina Mabry: Adding Up What Google +1 Is All About
Posted: October 14th 2011 in General
So just when you’ve accepted that social media is here to stay and set up your business Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, Google throws you an unexpected curve ball: +1, the newest sharing button on the web. While Google’s +1 can offer more opportunities to grow your business, at this point it offers at least as large of an opportunity to reveal just how clueless most business owners are about the best way to tie social media in to a broader web marketing strategy.
To help you start to figure it out, JigSaw sat down with industry expert Gina Mabry, website designer and project manager at E-Moxie Data Solutions, who presents a helpful primer on what you need to know about Google +1 and how it impacts your web presence.
Q: We’ve been hearing a lot about the Google +1 button; could you tell us what it will mean for websites?
A: The Google +1 button has the potential to be very important for websites. Essentially, the Google +1 button is a rating system similar to Facebook's "like" that allows users to recommend a site by placing a "+1" badge next to the URL in a Google search. Now that Google allows users to recommend a particular website with a "+1" badge, a website’s design and the user experience becomes more important to the overall success of the website. Users are going to be more inclined to click on a link with the Google +1 badge associated with it than a website without one.
Q: How will it compare to other social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Advantages? Disadvantages?
A: The Google +1 button will eventually change how people browse search results, but it will take awhile for it to take effect. The other portions of Google+ are too similar to other social media sites and really have no advantage over Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Q: Google believes the Google +1 button will help websites stand out against competitors. From a web designer’s point of view do you think the Google +1 button has the ability to do this?
A: Absolutely, the Google +1 button is like a recommendation that will help a site stand out against competitors who may not have a “+1” badge. There is something to be said about personal recommendation which is what the Google +1 button implies. Those conducting the search will be more inclined to click on a site that is recommended to them by others. It also encourages web designers to push their designing abilities further. The Google +1 button will separate good, professional design from amateur design.
Q: If someone is interested in using the Google+1 button how do they go about adding it to their site?
A: Your webmaster or web design firm should be able to easily add this for you, or you can follow the simple directions provided by Google to learn how to add the Google +1 button to your website.
Q: How do you stay current on constantly changing industry trends like Google +1?
A: The main way I keep up with industry trends is through reading web design blogs and tweets. Twitter has become a great resource for finding new techniques and articles about web design and development.
Q: What is the most valuable web marketing tip you would like to share with our blog readers?
A: Web design/development is a process. Successful projects start with one simple idea and expand throughout time based on feedback from users. When a site launches, many people think and hope it will be an instant success. However, a site needs to be constantly reviewed and analyzed based on user feedback. Even the most successful sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google are always being analyzed and revised to create a better user experience.
To learn more about website design and development please visit www.e-moxie.com or feel free to contact Gina directly at gina@emoxie.com.
About Our Guest Expert:
Gina Mabry is part of the talented team at E-Moxie, a website design, development and marketing agency based in Havre de Grace, MD. A graduate of Stevenson University with a B.S. in Visual Communications Design, Gina has been designing websites for more than 13 years. In order to meet the needs of today’s on-the-go society, for the past three years Gina has specialized in designing mobile-friendly websites and applications.
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