Google +1 and Magento
At present it is not clear what effect Google’s Plus 1 will have on search engine positions for your Magento store. As Google move towards more on-site content driven SERP’s, I believe it will become more important in the future so we may as well start now.
Log in to Google webmaster tools and get the +1 code (its where you would manage your sitemaps) as pictured.- Design your +1 button then grab the java-script code that generates the button.
- Paste the code into your Magento store: System> Configuration> Design> HTML Head> Miscellaneous Scripts
- Insert the snippet where you want the button to display in your store. I position it in an unused space on the menu bar, or you could move it up into the header.
If you wish to do the same the file to edit is: app/design/frontend/default/YOURtempleNAME/template/page/html/header.phtml
The code I use is:
<span id=”plusone”> optional text <g:plusone annotation=”none”></g:plusone></span> - I give it an ID so i can use CSS to position the button. In my stylesheet i have:
#plusone { float:right; position: relative; top:-25px;}
Magento Extension
There is a free magento extension which you can get through magento connect but in my opinon it is poorly designed. While it does work, the +1 button is placed right next to the shopping cart. This may confuse people who do not know about +1 and think that +1 will add one item to the shopping cart. Anything that distracts the customer and complicates checkout should be avoided.
It is not difficult to do yourself, please ensure it is placed in a distinctive area of your store so it is clear that it is an optional extra rather than part of the magento checkout process.