Mark Root-Wiley builds WordPress websites for nonprofits. He’s also a member of the Post Status community for WordPress professionals.
In the Post Status community, Mark recently shared some interesting changes he had seen in Google’s popular Site Kit plugin for WordPress. Apparently Google is about to launch a new “Thank With Google” payments option for WordPress sites. Mark found some Github issues that referenced the new project (#5366, #5365, #5364 ) and he shared these thoughts:
There is very little information I can find about the feature. This is the only thing on an official Google Site I see: “Thank With Google (Android only) allows en-US users to contribute free or paid digital stickers to sites where the creator has opted in. This appears in the App Menu and in the Follow Feed for enabled sites.” It’s like half reactions/half micropayments. Searching turns up some beta users, mostly DIY and recipe sites. It’s an interesting play. I can imagine how the company bringing you 80%+ of your traffic would be the one you turn to for monetizing it in ways beyond ads. I imagine the data they collect based on who’s making payments will get fed back into all sorts of other platforms.
You can click here to see images of this new feature. I’ve also added a key preview image below (the line across the image is in the original file).
One blogger described the service this way:
I am participating in the pilot program for Thank with Google which allows you to purchase a virtual sticker and directly show your appreciation for content on my website. Seeing the stickers you all send me truly makes me feel appreciated and inspires me to create more delicious recipes. Creating free content online can often feel like a thankless job, but I truly love it and the community we’ve built. Using the Thank with Google feature allows you to purchase a virtual sticker and directly show your appreciation for content on my website. You can feel more connected and engaged because you can express which posts are your favorite. I also love the personal messages you can send along with the paid stickers.
