We recently wrote about the furore that Google has been facing thanks to its increasing inclusion of Google+ results inside search results. You can find out more in our articles Google Search Plus Your World and Twitter Criticises Google+ In Search
Now it appears that Google is bringing in another Google+ option for search results, giving logged in users the option to ask a question about their search in Google+.
Ask On Google+
All this really does is add a post to your stream, with a generic greeting and a question using your search term, which is then visible to whoever you want to share it with.
So, while it’s a nice idea, it doesn’t seem to be particularly useful yet. (It’s not exactly a search, and if you’re Googling something, chances are you’re about to get the answer anyway, without having to expose your ignorance to all your circles).
Google+ Search Penetration
What is does do, of course, is take up a little more of that results page real estate, and of course, tries to funnel you back into Google+.
This extreme level of search personalisation may have a number of implications for optimisation, although right now, it’s impact in SA is still fairly limited. The “Ask On Google+” option doesn’t appear to be available to us yet, although it will no doubt be visible soon.
We’ll be keeping an eye on what this means for optimisation, and as always, we’ll keep you up to date with the latest news on the subject.