Social media sites and search engines

[claybutler]

Oh right, simply because the number (of Likes) is on the page. I was thinking further back, and couldn't see how could they track the process.
I still don't see it as a major part of the algorithm - I have too many sites at the top of their results without the Like Button.

I don't mean that you can't rank without social signals, I mean, all things being equal, the addition of social signals alone can help your ranking quite a bit.

[mjtaylor]

Oh Google can most definitely see likes and do use them in factoring relevance. My WP socializer plugin can see likes. Any third party social plugin can see them. It's very easy to tap into that data.

Of course, they can. I must have been thinking of likes and how they show up on my Facebook profile.

Oh right, simply because the number (of Likes) is on the page. I was thinking further back, and couldn't see how could they track the process.
I still don't see it as a major part of the algorithm - I have too many sites at the top of their results without the Like Button.

It *is* just another factor, but as Clay points out, if all other things are equal, social factors can make the difference. Social signals are a factor, and many SEOs I respect predict the SEO value of social shares will increase.