Google Analytics Tracking Social Media Influence?

[ColinC]

What do you think?

http://mashable.com/2011/06/30/google-analytics-social-plugin/

Google Analytics now has a new section to track traffic from Facebook Likes, Tweet buttons and +1 clicks. I think this is so cool!

Surely a another sign from Google (if we needed yet another?) that social influence is becoming more and more important in the algorithm.

 

[Diana Jouney]

Tracking yes but no evidence they have integrated it into their algorithms as far as I know.

 

[ColinC]

You're right, there is no evidence yet to suggest it there but I think we can make the save assumption (if we haven't already assumed) that this will become increasingly significant and is only a matter of time before Google integrates it into algorithms.

I'm thinking... Google Parrot?

 

[C.Rebecca]

Oh, yes! Google does consider social media reputation as a prime ranking factor. Here’s Matt Cutts (Anti-spam head at Google) validating it - “We do use Twitter and Facebook links in ranking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofhwPC-5Ub4

 

[AlexKnows]

Yeap, but in the same time social media can be cheated so that won't save google from black seo methods.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

I wrote about this on my blog a little while back.

The point is that the social web etc is not black and white, it is naturally citation friendly.

Google have pretty much everything there is to know about me. They have my bank details as they pay me money. They have my home ddetails they have my emails, they have pretty much all they need to know that I am genuine, I exist, and they pay me money. Terefore, if I +1 a site that is within my circle of inluence (they know who follows me on twitter and what their circle of incfluence is), then there is a fair chance that will carry more weight than Billy no mates who +1's a site.