Goolge’s +1 button, which just received a major update, is becoming one of the most popular sharing buttons available. Many sites that once relied on Twitter and Facebook sharing buttons are increasingly adding +1 to the mix. Not surprisingly, Google is looking to use +1 sharing data to re-rank search results.

In a recent email to the editors of Wired.com, a Google spokesman wrote:

Google will study the clicks on +1 buttons as a signal that influences the ranking and appearance of websites in search results. The purpose of any ranking signal is to improve overall search quality. For +1’s and other social ranking signals, as with any new ranking signal, we’ll be starting carefully and learning how those signals are related to quality.

Currently, Google uses more than 200 variables to determine the rank of a website. With wider integration of the +1 button, Google could rely more on social-sharing data to rearrangement search results based on what people are actively liking and sharing.

Unfortunately, there are concerns with this strategy. If +1 sharing evolves into an important ranking signal, it puts pressure on businesses and website owners to embed the +1 button. It would also appear that Google is unfairly using its search engine to boost its Facebook/Twitter alternative.

Google ultimately wants to use social sharing data to help filter spam out of its search results. With that aim, creating an unfair advantage isn’t automatically in the end-user’s best interests. After all, it would open the floodgates for spammers to create fake Google+ profiles and cast fake votes.

Nevertheless, as Google continues to refine its new social networking platform, the company still wants to build a better search engine as well. To do this, they’ll likely need to put more of a human touch on results instead of relying solely on an algorithm.

Every time a new social network comes on the scene there’s talk of it being a “Facebook killer,” a site that will draw users away from the most dominant social network on the Web. Although that term has been used to describe many up-and-coming social media platforms, no bona fide “Facebook killer” has emerged…until now.

Google+ has been growing at a staggering pace. After only two weeks, the social network had 10 million users. As you read this, Google+ may have closer to 20 million users.

The remarkable growth of Google+ has many experts wondering where it will stop. Most seem to agree that in the wake of the network’s early adopters, engagement and adoption will likely continue.

Chris Brogan, a renowned expert on social media marketing and online community building, is one expert that’s especially optimistic about the future of Google+. Recently, he even outlined his top 10 reasons why marketers need to pay attention to this new, but rapidly influential network.

Among the 10 things you need to know about Google+ are:

• It’s a social network made by Google, so it impacts search
• Google+ evolves from Gmail, which by itself has hundreds of millions of users
• Business pages are coming soon
• Google+ is already indexed and searched by Google
• Google’s commitment to the platform means it won’t be going away

Check out the complete list on Fobes.com to see why Brogan predicts Google+ to be a successor to the Twitter/Facebook throne.

I admit it. I’m a purist. It was hard for me to switch to a Twitter client but I’m now happily using several. It was almost impossible for me to switch to a Facebook platform other than FB itself, but I’m doing it.

When I was told to try out the new blogging platform in our Search and Social Dashboard, I was scared. Don’t get me wrong – I love the new dashboard. It does everything I ever wanted a dashboard to do. It’s just… well, I like the WordPress interface.

If you’re reading this entry, it means that I like and fully approve of our new blog-posting component. If I didn’t like it, I would have removed this entry and asked for the feature to be pulled from the dashboard altogether.

Alright, that’s it. Here we go. Either you just read that or you didn’t.

Fingers crossed…

When news first broke about Google’s “farmer algorithm” nearly a month ago, I received calls from partners (and a couple of competitors) asking if I was scared. On the contrary, I was ecstatic, and they didn’t understand why.

TK Carsites employs a content strategy for link-building that is unique in the automotive industry. We do not rely on automated techniques or content syndication to drive links to our dealers. Instead, we installed a technique back in 2007 that focused on building high-quality, absolutely unique content on blogs such as Toyota News and our social media blog.

We’ve been planning on this algorithm change for some time. It actually came much later than we had hoped, but it’s here now and we’re seeing the benefits.

Quality Over Quantity

The content that we produce on our sites is designed for the masses, not the search engines. As a result, many of the pieces that we post do exceptionally well on content curation sites such as Digg and Reddit. If it’s high-quality and promoted properly, the traffic and links that are generated are nothing short of spectacular.

The fact that most in the industry cannot recognize the difference between a content farm and high-quality, unique content produced on blogs is both disturbing (for the industry) and comforting (for our company).

Our philosophy has always aligned with the search engines’ goals. Focus on quality over quantity is what makes the farmer algorithm so important and why our sites have gone up in rankings ever since. Content syndication as an SEO strategy is dead. If you want to win in search, you have to focus on unique content that appeals to the masses.

It’s what Google wants.

For years, TK Carsites only offered their powerful SEO services to those on the TK website platform. Now, we’ve stepped up the game.

Regardless of which platform you use or which vendor handles it, TK Power SEO is now your ultimate tool for getting ranked at the top of the searches that matter most to your dealership. With our proprietary link-building system and content creation service, we are able to help anyone. Even if you are on another platform such as Dealer.com, VinSolutions, or BZ Results, TK is now open to work with your website to help it dominate the search engines organically.

Visit Automotive SEO to learn more or call us today!

In what can only be described as good news for both consumers as well as white-hat search engine optimization firms, Google is going after the content-farm model by soliciting help from users themselves.

Rolling out as a new Chrome extension, the search giant will allow users to block content from their search results. While this isn’t new in itself, the collection of the data to help shape the search results is a strong statement and will benefit everyone other than spammers.

For dealers, this will help many (TK Carsites clients in particular) to lessen the effects of search-leaking. Sites that should not rank for particular terms but that do because of strong black-hat optimization will be more easily pushed down and/or removed from the listings. When attempting to have a perfect PODscore, this is a tremendous benefit.

More on this as we test it and gather more data.

Businesses and marketers often focus so much on driving traffic that they forget to convert the traffic they drive.

This infographic by FormStack gives an excellent general depiction of what a quality landing page should look like.

Click to enlarge.

In September Google quietly updated its SEO Starter Guide. Already, the guide has been translated into 40 languages and has helped countless website owners and webmasters gain basic knowledge about search engine optimization and website usability. Now, in its latest iteration, the guide is packed with even more helpful information that should not be missed.

What is the SEO Starter Guide?

For years, webmasters always asked representatives of Google in forums and at conferences, “What are some simple ways that I can improve my website’s performance in Google?” With so much information (and disinformation) on the Web regarding search engine optimization, Google realized that it could be intimidating for those just starting out on the Web.

That’s what led to the creation of the Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, which covers numerous topics and areas that webmasters should consider optimizing. Google also included illustrations and simple language to ensure topics were explained sufficiently, without causing confusion.

Two years later, the updated version improves upon the original guide in several ways. First, Google added a glossary to define the terms used in the guide. There are also more examples to explain the topics covered. Google also included a section on how to optimize your website for mobile devices, which is increasingly important. And best of all, the guide doesn’t just cover what you should do; it also explains what you shouldn’t do.

Why would Google encourage SEO?

SEOs often get a bad reputation. For the most part, that negative perception is grossly unfair, but it begs the question, ‘why would Google want to promote SEO?’

The simple answer is that SEO is good for your website, your customers, and even for Google, so an understanding of SEO ranking factors is essential. Having descriptive title tags, appropriately named images, simple-to-understand URLs , informative on-site content, etc., helps Google understand what your website is all about – and subsequently influences rankings. These elements also have the added benefit of improving the usability of your website.  And, providing users with what they are searching for means you’ll have a better chance of turning these users into customers.

I need more help with my SEO

If you haven’t already checked it out, you can download the new version of the guide here [PDF].  The guide is an excellent starting point for anyone in need of a little background on SEO and related terminology. But for those that need even more help beyond the basics, there are always automotive SEO experts available to help.

Most who have entered their adult lives in the last 5-10 years probably couldn’t imagine using a phone book or browsing through a JC Penney’s catalog. We have become so dependent on search engines and social media to ever imagine gathering our daily information from any other sources.

With reputable sources such as Georgia Tech and Forrester Research, this infographic we found on Performancing really hits home with interesting statistics and a time line of what has transpired in the world of search engines. Enjoy!

Click to Enlarge

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Read more about Automotive SEO right hear.

Social media drives reputation management

In our final interview with Ford Motor Company’s Head of Social Media, Scott Monty we discuss the importance for a Dealership to own their name and reputation online, which is better – Facebook or Twitter and we hear about the future of Ford’s Social Media.

In conclusion, it was a pleasure to interview Scott Monty and to hear his voice on the matter of social media within the Automotive Industry. We hope this brings further attention on the subject and encourages you to take the wheel within your Dealership’s social media authority.

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This story originally appeared on the TK Carsites blog. For more automotive SEO stories subscribe to this blog now.