How to Stumble Like and Google +1 Effectively

I’ve been meaning to post articles on the importance and benefit using Stumble and the new Google +1 but in the meantime, I want to show you how to use these together when you find an article or post that you list or think someone else would appreciate.  Stumble and Google +1 articles coming soon…


1. Most importantly, in your Chrome browser ensure that you are logged into both your Stumble It and Google +1 accounts or your actions may not register.  You must have both the Google +1 and Stumble toolbars installed on your browser.  You will see the icons highlighted in the picture below, if you have the toolbars installed correctly. 

2.  Next make sure you are viewing the individual post you want to +1 or Stumble Like, not the home page of the blog/website but the direct post URL.  You can make sure by matching the URL address with the title of the post.


3.  Click on the blue Google+1 icon on your toolbar.  A speech bubble will open with a number and a white +1 below it.  Click on the white Google +1 button.  If you have done this correctly, you will see the button now turn blue and the number above the button will be added by 1. So if the number was 10, with your click of the white Google +1 button (turning it blue), the number should now be 11.  This is how you know you have done this action correctly.  Do not click the Google +1 button within the post, usually below the post in a comment toolbar with other “share” options OR sometimes it’s at the top of the post but still within the post.  This is not the same effect as the effect the post receives by doing the action I am describing in this tutorial.  The button you should be clicking is only on the Chrome toolbar, like in the picture.

4.  Next, click on the thumbs up icon with the words “I Like It” beside it.  The thumbs up icon will now turn green; this is how you will know you have done this action correctly.  I like to do my Google +1 action before this step so that I don’t forget to do both actions.  Do not click on the Stumble icon with the word “Stumble” beside it because this is not the same thing.  Tip:  Before you leave the persons website, why not click on a page or two before closing out of their website.  Not only do you increase their pageview stats, you will decrease their bounce rate.  You would appreciate the same and it’s a nice thing to do for a fellow blogger that takes virtually no time.

I happened to be Stumbling Frugal Mom of Two so this is why I chose this blog to use as an example for this tutorial.  I will be posting more about Stumble and Google +1 in the next week, where to get the extensions and the importance of each.  My apologies for doing this backwards but this post was written for a specific group of bloggers. 

Related Tutorial: How to Add the Google +1 Button to Blog Posts and more…