Google is aiming to expand the reach of users' Google+ profiles and social data across the Web through new partnerships with Janrain and Gigya.
Both Janrain and Gigya offer services designed to "socialize" businesses' websites by letting people log in and engage with the sites using their existing profiles on networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Including Google+ in Janrain and Gigya's services serves two functions. On one hand, Google is hoping to provide an easier sign-in process whereby people can log into Janrain- and Gigya-supported sites and apps with their existing Google+ profile. But the integration will also provide those sites with back-end social data on users that businesses can employ for targeted marketing.
Hundreds of thousands of developers already use Janrain and Gigya's user management and social infrastructure platforms to manage their sign-in systems, Google said Tuesday in a blog post.
The deal will bring Google+ Sign-In to 650 of Gigya's clients. Gigya customers who are already starting to launch their Google+ Sign-In integrations, for instance, include American Idol and Food Network UK. Janrain sites with Google+ Integration include NPR, Universal Music Group sites and HSN.
Google faces an uphill battle in its efforts to scale up Google+ as its competes against social networking mainstays Facebook and Twitter. The company only just launched the Google+ Sign-In feature in February, more than a year-and-a-half after Google+ launched, as a way for people to sign into third-party apps using their Google+ credentials.
Tuesday's integration plans do not change the way the Google+ social network itself functions, so the extent to which the changes will actually entice more people to sign into businesses' websites using their Google+ profile, if they have one, rather than their Twitter or Facebook profile, is not immediately clear.
But the Janrain and Gigya integration will also provide a number of other advantages to those companies' clients, Google said. Their sites and apps, for instance, will now have trusted authentication so users will be able to sign in with the same credentials they use on Google with the same sign-in protections, such as two-step verification, that people are already used to, Google said.
Additionally, the integration will let people customize their app experience on Janrain- and Gigya-supported businesses using their Google+ profile information, and also enable users to share interactive posts with friends, Google said.
Developers who already use Google+ Sign-In include OpenTable, Flixster, the Guardian and USA Today.
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service. Follow Zach on Twitter at @zachminers. Zach's e-mail address is zach_miners@idg.com
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