There is one trend in particular that I think you should monitor for awhile. Right now it is a bit of a lonely place because very few people are actually using this service, but it just may just catch on and you will want to be in at the beginning to ride the crest of the wave.

Recently, Google made a real attempt to get some social-media cred with the introduction of its latest experimental addition (pardon the pun) to Google Search called “+1″ (It’s pronounced “plus one”).

You see those Social Media buttons on almost every website these days for a reason. They allow readers to share their favorite content with their friends or followers on Social Media sites like Facebook or Twitter.

Google +1 is another strong indication that Google wants to take the next step into transforming itself to a more social search engine. In its simplest terms, Google’s +1 button has easy-to-use features that let you tell the world you like something.

Although it behaves like the “Facebook Like” button, or the “Twitter Retweet” button on steroids, it really is nothing like “Liking” on Facebook, nor is it like “sharing” on Twitter.

Google +1 functionality is available only among Google account holders who are logged into their Google accounts and perform a search where they will see the same results page listing Web sites (and ads) that match their online Web queries.

Google +1 may change the nature of search personalization. All those +1′s they keep track of will not only help Google make their searches better, but also make them more relevant to your social circle.

This button will display when your contacts in your Google social network have “liked” a certain advertisement or website. It will eventually affect which results show up on the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERPs).

Users will be able to choose recommended sites to be more visible in search results. The difference between a standard result and a personalized result could get bigger and that would be an interesting SEO development for Internet Marketers.

It could easily redefine how those of us with online businesses do Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and even Paid Advertising through Google. The Google +1 button is whole new animal because it will position a new +1 button next to all Search Engine Results and Paid Advertising results on Google SERPs.

Social factors from Google +1 could be used to help replace links as the primary ranking factor in search. It will, in effect, bridge the Social Media to Search Engine Results gap. If the new Google “button” experiment is a success then there will essentially cease to be a major difference between the two.

Here is what it means for you and for everybody else who wants to learn how to market their services or opportunities online:

Social Media Marketing + Search Engine Marketing = More Web Traffic And More Leads

Your social network will have a dramatic impact on how much web traffic and leads you are able to generate through the Google Search Engine on a daily basis.

The reality is that this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been actively building an online business because networking has always been about social networks online or offline. Social Media marketing will be the new Search Engine Marketing. In a sense, this is the next logical step.

I’m not saying that this is the way the web is definitely going to go…

Because Google’s +1 button might not catch on…

But if it does, then hopefully you will remember you heard about it here first!