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Google +1 Thumbnails Will Influence Click Behavior

August 26th, 2011

Have you thought about how much color has been added to Google’s search result pages? It’s as if Google took a cue from a Broadway musical and created their own version of a Joseph’s Technicolor Dream Coat.

The colorization of Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) come from customer reviews, Google +1 buttons, and color thumbnail photos of people in your network.

Dealers must prioritize implementing processes to collect in-store customer reviews; a topic that has been covered in recent articles in this publication. Dealers who have a proactive reputation management process in place also get an additional benefit; yellow stars next to their Google Places listing.

Yellow is a color that draws the eye as you can see in Section 2 of the example SERP page. The Amazon effect has clearly trained consumers to click FIRST on the “products” and now companies that have the highest ratings. This is an untapped opportunity for most car dealers.

Check and see how many yellow stars you have compared to other dealers in your market. My suggestion is that all dealers should have at lease 100 reviews on Google Places to be competitive.

Thumbnails Will Influence Click Through Rate

Yellow stars are not the only things that are catching the eye of the consumer. Google is now including photo thumbnails of people who click on the“+1 Button” on a website page that are connected in your network.

These thumbnails are very important and they stand out in Regions 3 and 4.

Do you agree that if you saw three of your friends photos under a search listings, that it would increase the likelihood of you clicking on the listing?

The addition of photo thumbnails adds color and relevance to people from their network of friends. The colorization and personalization of SERP pages can be leveraged to increase click behavior of online shoppers.

Your Family Friends and Staff Can Help

One of the easiest ways to leverage this new feature is to ask all your employees to create a personal Google Account and then to “+1” your key website pages. By having them click on the “+1 Button” next to your website assets, you expand the network of influence because each employee is likely connected to a few hundred local consumers.

Do you have a Technicolor search engine optimization strategy in place? If you have not updated your search engine marketing strategy to include the colorization provided by reviews and the Google +1 button, you need to get busy!

If you need assistance creating a market dominating search engine marketing strategy, give us a call for an assessment of your currently strategy and budget allocations. You’ll be surprised on the insights you can gain form a fresh set of eyes on your marketing strategy.

Brian