Google+ Pages For Businesses: The AdWords Impact

Nov 8, 2011 at 10:39am ET by Pamela Parker

Google’s introduction yesterday of Google+ Pages for businesses will likely have a dramatic impact on +1s in AdWords.

When businesses create a Page on Google+, they can link the page to their web site URLs and also to their AdWords account. When that’s done, +1s for any of the linked URLs — on web sites or landing pages for AdWords ads — will all accrue to the brand, making the numbers much larger.

Image provided by Google

Previously, +1s were specific to individual URLs and only accumulated when people +1ed the URL in organic results or an AdWords ad that used that URL as a landing page. Google is now displaying +1s with ads both on Google.com and on the display network and has said ads with +1s perform better than ads without, presumably because they’ve been socially recommended.

Google says the new +1 aggregation will not affect the auction on the display network. Google uses +1 data to better target ads on its display network, serving advertisers’ ads more often to friends of those who +1ed the ad or the landing page URL. This new way of aggregating +1s for the brand as a whole will not affect the auction or ad targeting any more than previously, however. [Note: Before I heard back from Google, in a previous version of this story, I had speculated that the additional +1s might have a stronger affect on the auction. It won't.]

To enable these social extensions, advertisers need to enable Social Extensions in the Ad Extensions section and enter their Google+ Page URL. AdWords Express users can choose their Google+ Page as a landing page for their ads by selecting that option and entering in their Page URL. The option may not be available to all advertisers immediately.

Related Topics: Channel: SEM | Google: +1 | Google: AdWords | Google: Google+ | Top News

About The Author: Pamela Parker is a contributing editor for Search Engine Land and Executive Features Editor at Marketing Land. She’s a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since 1998, including a stint as managing editor of ClickZ. She’s also worked to help monetize independent publishers’ sites at Federated Media Publishing. She blogs about media and marketing at The River and about cooking, gardening and parenthood at Free Range. She can be found on Twitter as @pamelaparker. See more articles by Pamela Parker

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TimmyTime

“When that’s done, +1s for any of the linked URLs — on web sites or landing pages for AdWords ads — will all accrue to the brand, making the numbers much larger.”

Yay! Buy rankings more openly. WTF is going on?
http://www.infinity-tracking.com Paul

Interesting article and I can see how Google can use this data to expand what basically is quality score rules. But I can only see this working with large B to C brands. Would you +1 a business service I know I wouldn’t.
http://isg.us slueck

I don’t see how this won’t interfere with broad match modifier.
http://www.chicagostyleseo.com roddesu

You say, “advertisers need to enable Social Extensions in the Ad Extensions section.” Also I see here http://adwords.blogspot.com/2011/11/get-closer-to-your-customers-with.html a screen shot of the Social Extension. However, I’m not seeing the Social Extension in any of my clients’ accounts or in my accounts. Is this being rolled out and it just hasn’t gotten to me yet? Or, is there something I must do?