Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus, sometimes abbreviated as G+) is a social networking and identity service operated by Google Inc.

The service was launched on June 28, 2011.

At first, the Internet community thought of Google+ as the”social network flavor of the month,” offering features very similar to Twitter and Facebook, plus a few new elements we haven’t been offered before, such as video Hangouts and the ability to add anyone to a group (Circle) without requiring their acceptance.

Now that several months have passed, we’re beginning to see that Google+ is much more than a social network.  It’s becoming a layer that resides within many of Google’s products, including YouTube, Picasa, Gmail, and even Google.com search itself.

Google has introduced a its own version of the Facebook “Like” button, which Google calls “Google+1.”  This Google+1 button allows Google users to share and recommend sites, information, products, etc. with others. Google’s aim is to have all Google users introduce Google+1 to their sites.  This will have very important repercussions for SEO.

What’s more incredible is the ability Google gives users to actually see the Google+1 button’s impact to traffic, search engine rank (where circles are involved) and impression data within Google Webmaster Tools (see screenshot below).

The DigitalEYE Media Search Team will continue to watch and analyze +1 behavior–but it’s clear that creating a Google+ Page and adding +1 buttons to your website will become a standard in the design of a website and a pivotal component of search engine marketing.