To "+1" or Not to "+1" That Is the Question

How often do you +1 content?

Today, Google’s Matt Cutts succinctly summed up the question: Does +1s have a direct impact on my (search) rankings? In a word: no. He’s saying that it doesn’t directly impact it as part of Google’s algorithm. But hold on right there, the importance of shareable content definitely makes an impact on how popular you are. Really when it comes down to it, isn’t that the point of rankings? The popularity aspect?

When you search a business on Google, the most popular choice typically rises to the top with less known domains/companies/brands falling somewhere on the third, fourth, fifth pages which no one ever bothers to scroll through. You can’t depend on clicking through and +1ing everything you’ve ever written and deem yourself top rank worthy, but it certainly couldn’t hurt either as long as it’s serves as value to someone else.

I think that you can’t expect to +1 crap content and irrelevant material and expect to see your rankings on page one. But if you’re constantly improving the content that you put out both on your website and social media that people will find useful or entertaining, they will organically want to share that information with others. 

This will make you the cool kid so to speak and ultimately, help you boost your rankings. It’s not a scientific algorithm. It’s common sense.

What Does Being a Social Savvy Butterfly Mean?

Being a social savvy butterfly is my take at turning the industry news of the SEO, content and social media world into something that is easily understandable by anyone wanting to boost their website, brand and ultimately, their business.

In an attempt to create a website, I realized that I should really focus on what I'm best at: writing! My writing has evolved over time and professionally, I am able to provide clients content that best fits their business and point of view. With social media infiltrating the online marketing world, I made it my business to learn what works best to build an audience, create engagement, and truly make their social media thrive.

I am constantly learning and keep on the forefront of what's happening in the social media (and writing) world. Writing has already been a passion of mine and social media is a lot of fun as it continues to grow. Combining both is smart for any business, so I'm here with any questions you might have about either or to hear feedback from what you've learned about both.

Meanwhile, I will still slowly work on my website: www.courtneyhartmann.com but the content flows more freely than my design skills. 

Welcome to my new blog!