Google has made adding the +1 button fairly simple, but we wanted to provide self-hosted WordPress.org users with a quick walkthrough of the process of adding and enabling the +1 button to their site and their blog posts. We’re sure that dozens of +1 plugins will be available in the next few days, but in the meantime, this is what you need to do.
Step 1: Add a Line of JavaScript to Your Theme Files
The +1 button tool page lays out what webmasters need to add to their website. For users who have a standard XHTML website (or are using Tumblr), copying and pasting <script type=”text/javascript” src=”http://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js”> ;</script> before the </body> tag on a website works just fine. WordPress users, however, will need to add that snippet to their theme files.
Simply Go to the Appearances section in the WordPress dashboard and select “editor.” Then find the footer.php file in your template listing. Scan through the file until you see the area marked </body>, then paste in the JavaScript line.
Hit update and you’re ready for step two!
Step 2: Add a Button to Your Sidebar
After the JavaScript snippet has been added to your website, users can paste the <g:plusone></g:plusone><g:plusone></g:plusone> wherever they want a button to appear. Using the +1 button tool, you can configure the button size and include other advanced options.
Another common use for the +1 button, besides on individual blog posts, will likely be in sidebar widgets o n a homepage. This can...
