Google Plus One Button Now 3X Faster

The button is now automatically up to 3 times faster and best of all, webmasters do not need to update their code for the speed changes to take affect.

The change is automatic. Google said, “no action is required on your part, so just sit back, relax, and watch as the button loads more quickly than before.

Is 3X faster not enough? Google has also released a new asynchronous snippet that is even faster. This feature allows your web site to continue loading while your browser downloads the +1 JavaScript. 

To get the new asynchronous snippet, just go to this page. The asynchronous option should be the default, but you can check for sure by selecting “advanced options.

 Since its launch, Google‘s +1 button has managed to become as widely known as the Facebook Like button — especially to the over 20 million people who use Google+. To keep up with their stellar service as more websites adopt the platform, Google has made the +1 button 3 times as fast!

Google has been working hard to improve the speed of the +1 button since its launch. They’ve made 2 major updates that helped improve the button’s function. First, they improved the overall speed, making the button’s load time 3 times faster. Second, they’ve added a new feature that lets the whole +1 experience move more smoothly.

Google has managed to cut down on load time for the button by introducing a asynchronous snippet. This allows your Web page to load while your browser downloads the +1 JavaScript, making the whole process faster. If you’ve already implemented the button on your page, you’ll need to update to the new code before you can experience the faster load time. The code for the +1 button update is available on the +1 configuration page.

Google launched their +1 button for websites in June and integrated it into their search to make searches more social. Now users have an incentive, as the pages they +1 are posted in their Google+ feed.

INTERNET SEARCHZILLA: Google has upped the pace of its Google+ social networking web site.
The firm announced two updates to its Google+ service last night, one that makes it faster to load and one that makes it easier for users to express their satisfaction with something.
"One of the 10 things we hold to be true here at Google is that fast is better than slow. We keep speed in mind in all things that we do, and the +1 button is no exception. Since the button's launch, we have been hard at work improving its load time," wrote David Byttow, a software engineer at Google.

First, we've begun to roll out out a set of changes that will make the button render up to 3x faster on your site. No action is required on your part, so just sit back, relax, and watch as the button loads more quickly than before.

Loading buttons might not be the most exciting thing we've ever seen, but the next addition, the introduction of a synchronous snippet, should be better received and easier to identify in practice.

The async snippet allows your web page to continue loading while your browser downloads the +1 JavaScript. By loading these elements in parallel, we're ensuring the HTTP request to get the +1 button JavaScript doesn't lead to an increase in your page load time," explained Byttow.
"For those of you who have already implemented the button, you'll need to update the code to the new async snippet, and then you should see an overall improvement in your page load time."