Google is not only helping web browsers find relevant websites, it's also aiding businesses in generating more visibility and traffic.

According to a new report from SEO Effect, websites with a high number of +1's generated more impressions than those that did not. Additionally, the markings drew searchers' eye to the website, thereby improving visibility and, by extension, click-through rates.

"All in all, this increased visibility and CTR can raise traffic to a website substantially. We measured an increase of 20 percent with our limited experiment," the report noted.

And while SEO Effect's report noted the importance of Google's +1 feature to B2B SEO campaigns, it was quick to advise against farming clicks – taking advantage of the system could result in firms being penalized, similar to if they abuse keyword or linking strategies.

Google's +1 button is unique in that it is adding yet another social sharing option to the mix. Google competitor Bing recently began using Facebook "Like" data in a similar way, sorting search results by how the links are rated by their Facebook friends and connections.

Bookmark and Share