Online marketing gurus are blogging, posting and tweeting about the benefits of using Google Plus (Google+) for business. To follow up on our previous post, we compiled this list of “selling points” from credible sources including Socialmediatoday.com and Searchmetrics.
- Google treats Google+ content like a webpage. Your posts are indexed and shown in Google search results immediately, aiding your page rank.
- Using a #hashtag with keywords in your Google+ posts will connect them to a search on the platform. This is a great way for more people to find your posts, increasing your chances to earn +1’s (and the credibility that comes with them).
- Google+ posts boost “real estate” on your Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
- Links from traditional websites to Google+ content can give page rank authority to your Google+ post and pages.
- Google+ content lingers, increases and gives page rank, and appears in search results for a significant length of time (often as long as one year). A “tweet” (Twitter post) has an estimated lifespan of 15 minutes.
- When ranking search results, search engines are giving increasing weight to social signals from platforms such as Google+. Joshua Berg, social media and marketing consultant, refers to this as social media optimization (SMO) and explains that social signals provide a better way to include higher quality search results and exclude the unnecessary.
- Validating your Google+ profile with sites where you publish will allow your image (if provided on your profile) to be displayed on search results pages beside links to articles you’ve written (known as Google Authorship). The photo attracts attention to the search listing with which it appears.
- With Google Authorship, an individual builds credibility (with “Search” and readers) in the subject area of his or her posts. Persons with this credibility and “authority” are recognized by Google Search; their posts, and the posts they share, generally rank higher in search results. Having these individuals share your posts can result in higher authority for you (and page rank for your posts) as well.
- Studies have shown that posts with Google Authorship attribution can rank a full page higher than those without the authorship.
- All tags within a Google+ post (profiles, pages, embedded links, etc.) help promote page rank; numerous tags help your posts gain exposure due to the way they are shared by Google Search.
Google+ provides a direct advantage in search results on Google. As people search the Web while signed into their Google profile, the search engine tracks what sites they visit and notes their interests. With the data collected, Google customizes search results for individuals, giving Google+ posts more prominence. The more Google features you utilize (Authorship, Google Local, profile pages, etc.), the higher your ranking will be in these customized search results.
Google does not disclose its search algorithms and frequently changes them. Therefore, optimizing for search (SEO) is an inexact science, based on the experience of users and shared by those who study the process. Those who follow Google+ closely have determined it can provide a distinct advantage in online marketing. We recommend that you include the platform in your online marketing strategy for 2014 and beyond, taking advantage of the opportunities it offers. If you have any questions about using Google+ for your business, need help getting started or expanding your presence, please contact us.