Last week online statistics agency Experian Hitwise tweeted that the total number of Google+ visits in the US alone had reached more than 49 million in December of last year, apparently it was the sites “biggest month to date”, up by an impressive 55% when compared with the number of visits made by users in November 2011, further proof (if it were needed) of the burgeoning demand when it comes to digital media marketing sites. (more…)

A few weeks ago Twitter announced that they would be rolling out a new version of their social platform for desktop and mobile users, which included enhanced features for businesses, to rival those already available via Facebook and Google+ Pages.

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The global online marketing intelligence service Experian Hitwise has published it’s list of the most popular search queries posted in 2011 in the US, with social media sites topping the poll.  The survey analysed the top 1,000 search terms of last year and (perhaps unsurprisingly) Facebook is once again head of the list for the third consecutive year.

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Adobe has launched it’s latest product SocialAnalytics, a software platform which aims to quantify the business benefits of Facebook and Twitter; identifying how social media marketing can increase revenue and maximise the exposure of a brand online.  According to Adobe their SocialAnalytics software provides data analysis that allows businesses to monetise and directly measure the impact that sites like Facebook and Twitter have on their profit:

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Earlier this year micro-blogging site Twitter acquired BackType, a social analytics platform that enabled companies to track their impact on social media marketing.  Now the acquisition has paid dividends for Twitter, who have recently launched their new tool, to rival Google’s existing portfolio of web analytics products.

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According to a recent study conducted by Facebook partner Nielsen, in the month of May alone, Americans spent more time on Facebook than on any other website.  TIME magazine has reported this week that:

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Although Google’s new social networking site Google+ is still available to users by invitation only, according to digital marketing specialists comScore, Google’s social project has already established itself among the online global population, stacking up 20 million visitors across the world, in just it’s first three weeks:

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Google recently launched one of their newest developments on the social networking scene Google +1, a new button which people can use to show their appreciation of websites and recommend them to your friends. One question is whether this new addition to the web will have any effect on search engine optimisation.

Very much like the Facebook ‘like’ button, it’s a way of demonstrating to your friends and acquaintances that you recommend a website. Several ‘likes’ from people who have more influence on the internet (bloggers, writers) will more than likely be counted as a vote of confidence and a almost carry the same weight as a link when making algorithm changes to their search engine.

You will have to be signed in with a Google account for your +1 vote to be counted, and if you don’t have many friends connected to your Gmail or Google Plus account then there is little chance that the +1’s that you make will have a huge effect on any results. This is one of Google largest worries – that people don’t tend to use Google for their social interactions. This is not to say that people won’t begin to move over to Google so that their E-mail, search engine and social media platform are all conveniently located together. Facebook have tried having the same effect by creating Facebook Email addresses which prevent you receiving emails from people that they aren’t friends with. The advantages of this are quite plain to see, but unless people decide to entrust their entire life to Google by giving them all information stored in their emails, all interactions within their social network and all of their search history, Facebook looks like it will continue to prosper.

Will Google +1 have any impact on SEO?

One main effect will be that Google will be in the position to add another string to their bow in terms of fighting junk emails and spam, just like Facebook. In the same way as other factors of social media marketing, a lot of users showing their appreciation for something will demonstrate to Google that your site is of good quality, relevant and deserves to be ranked high up on the search engine results. It’s almost like link building in a different but less powerful way. At the same time, I still think that links will be the determining factor when it comes to affecting rankings for websites in the coming years.

Will Google +1 have an effect on PPC?

I think that PPC adverts will end up standing out more from the others without +1 votes, thus producing a much higher CTR (click-through-rate) on average. At the same time it may also create a lesser quality of clicks on those adverts because people will be automatically drawn to the +1. Either way, I think that users will ultimately be keeping an eye out for sites with Google +1 to sway their decision.

I think that this may be a genuine and adequate attempt to go up against Facebook and achieve a social connection with search engine optimisation.

Last week via Google’s official blog, Vic Gundotra the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google, announced the Google+ features that will define their new social platform as the future of online networking.

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Google has announced the acquisition of PostRank, a social engagement analytics provider that develops solutions for businesses to monitor social media interactions.  PostRank specialises in delivering: “objective, real-time data and analysis on any topic, trend, or interest relevant to you or your business”.

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The steady increase in tablet PC sales is altering the way that consumers interact online, as well as affecting the approaches adopted by marketers when it comes to targeting their audiences directly.

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Following the floatation of the social networking site Renren (China’s equivalent to Facebook) on the New York Stock exchange on Wednesday, share prices soared, reaching twice the predicted value, finishing slightly under $19 per share, up 35% on it’s opening level and raising $743m (£448m) for the Chinese social networking company.

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While aboard the International Space Station last year, astronaut Doug Wheelock maintained contact with life on earth, by using social networking sites Foursquare and Twitter.

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An HP survey has found that in the UK, 48% of small and medium enterprises (SME’s) use social networks to help establish future growth for their business.

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