Google seems to be quite determined to succeed in their latest social networking venture and have managed to intrigue users all over the world...thanks to their Google+ invite only policy.

Long before anyone got even the slightest hint of Google again stepping into the social networking world through Google+, they'd rolled out their own social button: +1 to bring more value and quality in search results. Moving a step further, Google now lets website owners measure the power of this +1 button and analyse its usefulness through Google Analytics and Webmaster tools.



What I like the most about this latest feature is that other than +1 button, you can also analyse the value of Facebook Like, Facebook send and Tweets through their latest Social Plugin Tracking in Google Analytics.


Social Reports In Google Analytics





























In order to add Social Engagement feature to your Analytics, you will need to implement updated JavaScript code to your website that can be obtained from this link. Once you configure this code, you will be able to analyse following reports:

Social Actions: This lets you track number of clicks on social buttons like Facebook like, Tweets or +1 on your website.

Social Engagement: It tracks the social behavior of visitors on your site. You can view the number of visits through these social buttons, average time, new visits and bounce rate.

Social Pages: This lets you view and compare social activities of each page on your website that helps in determining as to which of these pages attract maximum social actions.


+1 Metrics in Google Webmaster Tools






























Through Google's Webmaster Tool you can analyze the affect of +1 button to your site through following reports:

Search Impact: This report lets you analyze and compare click-through rates and impressions of pages that have been +1'd and also pages without +1 annotations. "We'll only show statistics on click-though rate changes when you have enough impressions for a meaningful comparison." explains Google.

Activity Report: This report lets you view the number of +1's that your site has received from within your website or other sites as well.

Audience Report: This report brings you geographic and demographic information of those who have +1'd pages on your site.

"Social reporting is just getting started. As people continue to find new ways to interact across the web, we look forward to new reports that help business owners understand the value that social actions are providing to their business. So +1 to data!" shares Dan Rodney, Google's Software Engineer.


We have reached a stage where online social sharing and networking is increasingly becoming a part of our daily routine, and companies are doing everything they can to make sure that users bring their products and services on the social front. And analyzing this behavior only makes sense and its a positive sign to see Google making an effort to make this information avaialable, not only for their own social button but also of its competitiors.

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