Facebook revolutionized the way we shared content by introducing the like button.  Most of us can’t imagine the Internet without the ability to share online discoveries with our network.  From a business perspective the like button has been a godsend.  Word of mouth advertising is amplified and content becomes viral.

Facebook has been #1 when it comes to endorsing products/brands/organizations via the like button.  But Google announced today via the Social Web Blog it’s new product, the +1 Button, and it’s sure to give “Like” a run for its money.

Google describes it best:

“We think sharing on the web can be even better–that people might share more recommendations, more often, if they knew their advice would be used to help their friends and contacts right when they’re searching for relevant topics on Google. That’s why we’re introducing the +1 button, an easy way for Google users to recommend your content right from the search results pages (and, soon, from your site).”

The new Google button can increase traffic quality and quantity by showing users what their friends recommended.  Google is also working on a button to put on websites, blogs, etc. so people can recommend your content on Google without leaving your site.  Webmaster tools will be available to get notified when users +1 your page.

You can sign up to get notified when +1 comes out by clicking here.

As usual Google will be rolling out the new feature over the next couple of weeks and it’s only available for English searches for now.

I think this will be a great addition to the social sharing tools.  It will be neat to see how it affects page rankings and relevance.  I’m sure web developers and social media enthusiasts will be watching this closely.

Will you be adding the +1 Button to your site?