How can I encourage my users to use the "Login with Google" button?

Question

I'm designing an application where users can either login with credentials they create on the website or login with their Google account. This is what the current mockup looks like:

^{download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups}

Here is what I'd like to do to encourage users to login with Google:

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Is there a better way to encourage this behavior?

Answer 1

In my opinion in your current layout is not clear enough that you have two distinct options. It may look like they need to enter their Google credentials to login before clicking Login with Google. If you wish to keep this layout you should make evident that they're alternatives. Your first mockup is not clear enough but it is going in the right direction however putting that button at the bottom makes it less visually prominent.

If you really want to encourage users to use their Google account then make it the first choice, forcing them to do extra steps if they wish to use their credentials:

^{download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups}

You may also consider (if your theme allows this) to color this button with Google+ brand color and adding its logo (it applies also if you wish to add more Open ID accounts):

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Note that this (if you do not provide a Remember me button) will bother who is using her own credentials for log-in. It's not directly related to your question but you should also make sign-up process smooth: if they try to login with Google and they don't already have a profile then simply ask them to create a new one and proceed (don't bother them to enter non mandatory data).

Answer 2

Firstly, if they have an account with their email, you'll find that they wont login via Google, because they know they already have an account with their email.

So instead, when the user is trying to register, you need to make sure that you add more prominence to Google's registration:

^{download bmml source – Wireframes created with Balsamiq Mockups}

However, if your concern is to ONLY have them registering with Google (and not with email), then why provide the option to register with their email (even though I highly suggest against this, because not everyone wants to connect their Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc accounts to other sites)?