Google+ adds recommendations feature to mobile websites

Readers will see new story recommendations, first launch partner for the service is Forbes

In order to extend the reach of its platform, Google+ is launching a new feature to allow Web developers to add recommendations to their mobile websites, it was announced via a blog post Monday. 

"When you help someone find a great article on your site, you’re not only making them happier, you’re inspiring deeper engagement and loyalty. That's why today, we're bringing together elements of Google+ and Google Search to suggest the right content from your mobile website, at just the right time," wrote Mario Anima, Product Manager at Google+.

Recommendations can be added to any site with a single line of javascript, and they will appear at the bottom of the screen as a widget. Recommendations can be seen regardless of whether or not the website's visitors are signed in to Google. But only those that are signed in will be ale to see articles that had been +1'd, or shared by the people in their circles.

Content recommendations work across mobile platforms, supporting iOS 5 and later, as well as Android 2.3.3 and later. They also work in the native Android browser, Safari, and Chrome for both iOS and Android.

The launch partner for the new Google+ feature is Forbes, where recommended content will be "based on the specific page the visitor is viewing, to boost the relevance of recommendations."  And the recommendations only appear when people tap for more, so as not to interrupt their browsing experience.

Forbes explained why it chose to team up with Google in an article published on Monday,

"I had been thinking about social filters and what constitutes a ‘credible recommendation’ when Google called in February.  They had a new product in the works and they were looking for partners to test it. Was Forbes interested?  In a word: Yes," wrote Andrea Spiegel, Senior Vice President of Product Development and Video at Forbes.

Two big calculations for entering into the partnership on Forbes' part were to capialize on both social and mobile.

"Social is the new portal," Spiegel said. While sites like AOL, Yahoo and MSN can still provide a fair amount of traffic, but they now have company in sites like Facebook, Twitter and Reddit. 

"Your friends are your editors.  People bounce back and forth from social hubs based on links their friends are sharing.  Your friends and those you follow are your editors; their links are your trusted recommendations," Spiegel wrote.

In addition, 35% of all of the traffic that Forbes sees comes from mobile, and that usage is going up for the social networks as well, including LinkedIn and Facebook.

"People are impatient, time is short, and one-more-click is a precious commodity."

While this initial release targets mobile web, Google has plans to expand them to other platforms in the future.

You can see how Google+ recommendations work in the video below:

(Image source: https://googleplusplatform.blogspot.com)