Almost two-thirds (63%) of client-side respondents stated that they don’t know if Google+ is having an impact on their search campaigns, compared to just 28% of agency respondents.

This could of course be an accurate reflection of the situation, or it could be that agencies are less willing to admit they’re unsure of G+’s influence over search results.

Obviously this means that a greater proportion of agencies knew what impact Google+ was having on their clients’ campaigns and in the majority of cases this impact was ‘neutral’ (51%). 

An additional 20% believed the impact to be ‘positive’, and no agencies thought it was negative.

What impact is Google+ having on your/your clients’ search campaigns?

Google+’s positive impact

Respondents were asked to expand on why they thought Google+ was having a positive or negative impact on search campaigns.

Positive views from companies focused on the greater visibility allowed, and some have seen improved CTRs through use of Google+. Agency responses also focused on visibility and rankings.

A sample of agency responses regarding the positive impact include:

  • “Making content more visible in the SERPS through authorship mark-up.”
  • “Higher rankings for those that utilise Google+ accounts and have social share icons (including Google+) on their blogs.”
  • “Social extensions drive purchase intent.”
  • “Greater SERP ownership on brand terms.”
  • “Increased referral traffic.”