Why you should already be on Google+
Posted by Jonstokes on Feb 16, 2012 | 38 commentsSearch and social are linking more than ever
There are many ways that SEO and social media can overlap, using social channels like Twitter to find guest blogging opportunities, for example, or just for raising awareness of your content. The way that social shares and bookmarks affect ranking is not unknown, but now that Google+ shares and profiles are becoming integrated in search results, the lines between the two areas become even more blurred.
With the arrival of Google Search Plus Your World, the search giant have made it clear that they are very serious about social search, so you should really consider having a social media strategy as part of your overall SEO plan.
I would say that now is as good a time as any to get involved, here’s why:
History with Google matters
Historically, Google has given older websites weight over newer ones. It makes sense really, as an established site will have more of a track record online than a fresh one that nobody really knows about. Older sites also have the benefit of having a historical backlink profile (whether gained naturally or by SEO).
It should make sense then that the same applies for a social media profile. As a Google+ account is designed to tie all of your online and social activity to one person or company, it lets you establish a digital footprint that will include a range of activity from shares, +1s, being circled and vice versa.
The size (and quality) of your network matters
I would never say that the number of fans, followers, likes etc. that you have is the only thing that matters in social media – the real focus should be on the level of engagement with your audience. But – with Google+, the size of your network does have a direct impact on how many people will see your recommendations appear in search results.
Naturally, not everyone will be able to generate a network on Google+ the size of the likes of Mashable or certain celebrities – but that doesn’t matter if you approach it in a strategic way. The more, and sooner, that you are interacting on Google+, the sooner you can begin growing your influence. You can also think creatively for ways to find people related to your business (FindPeopleonPlus is a great resource for this).
What you do now matters!
Like all things involving SEO and social media, results won’t come overnight and you will need to place time and effort in to reap the rewards. Google+ offers such an advantage right now, though, that getting involved early and learning the ropes will be great ground work for a solid strategy that involves both social and SEO.
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While I agree that doing anything Google related is a must from a search perspective, I am not really sold that Google + will ever really become like twitter or facebook. I hardly use it to be honest.
You know I feel the same way. I don’t use it for my personal life, and I should use it more for my site. The only thing that really sold me to join was to get myself as an author in the results which I have now
I would agree with this as well, but it remains to be seen if it will catch up. I seem to remember that people thought the same about Facebook when MySpace was the social network of choice. Regardless, I see Google+ as being more of a business social network anyway due to the benefits it gets in Google queries. In fact, I think it might be more correct to judge Google+ against LinkedIn rather than Facebook.
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That’s a very interesting idea – comparing it more to LinkedIn. I hadn’t thought about it like that, thanks for commenting Chris!
I had the same feeling when Google+ debuted, that it would never overtake the Facebook juggernaut. I may eat my words. But one thing is for sure — people have invested a lot of time uploading photos and videos to Facebook — will they transfer all their media to their “other” main profile?
Same here, I have a google+ but I mostly use FB and twitter.
I really hope that Google+ catches on for the average user. As a Google+ user I notice daily how it can effect my search engine results. An advantage of getting on Google+ now is that people are still excited about growing their own networks, and I have found my network grow much more quickly that Twitter.
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True! Being on + is definitely required and should not be neglected. Google is continuously making changes and definitely they are going to be huge in coming time.
I have gone back and forth with Google+ since it has come out. We went with it but have yet to use it effectively. I am hoping to get more insights on how to use more effectively, so I am definitely open to any suggestions there if others are having success with this. Thanks
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Hi Jon,
I completely agree with you. The sooner people get on Google Plus, the better. I’ve really come to love the platform because of the hangout feature. I’ve been able to create some great friendships and connections there. The circle sharing aspect is what will help spread the word too. So in my opinion it’s a better platform than Facebook.
All the best,
Eren
That’s a clever step taken by Google to outrank facebook through it’s Google+ influenced search. Let’s see how much success it received, though I generally logged out before searching on Google.
Google+ is an nice social media site introduce by Google
I have a google + account. Google + is one of the best social media to drive more traffic to your blog. I think Facebook and google competing now that google + had been released by google.
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Been in Google + for a while not one of my favorite SM platforms. For me it seems to fall somewhere in between FB and Twitter…None of my personal friends are in G+, for our small business clients most of their customers aren’t in G+, so it comes down to having to be a part for SEO.. No wonder SEO gets a bad rap at times..
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totally agree with your point that in every search we cannot ignore Goggle importance. nice post Ben on changing our minds.
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google is really serious about this google+, they update some of their service and program just for it, so yeah you should really get one.
Based from what I read and hear they say that Google+ is gonna end up just like friendster.com (don’t know if you familiar). But it looks like Google+ has gained a lot of registered users in just a short time! I also make use google+ plus a lot to promote my blog and links. I also noticed how it changed the results I get from google.
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Just having your website url on Google Plus will help your seo. I noticed that when you’re logged into your account. The keywords that are one your profile help you rank in the google search results!
I created a G+ profile about a year ago, messed around on it, and then dropped it quickly. However, with the changes Google has been making recently, I decided to get back on G+.
To be honest, I still don’t really care for its interface. I don’t find it as friendly as twitter or facebook, but I believe Google is going to continue to keep investing in G+ until it becomes relevant.
With Google Search Plus Your World, I think they are making a huge step in the right direction in terms of becoming more popular.
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Ah, G+ how can I not adore its features specially the hangout. Aside from leverage in establishing my online credibility got a lot of fresh community updates from everybody everyday.
Certainly Google + takes the social networking into high level of socialization with its precise features that you can’t find with other renowned social networking sites. Got to have my own now! Thanks for a convincing thought you’ve shared.
Well getting linked with Google+ is beneficial as we are indirectly linking with the world’s top and effective search engine,which would be good for our blogs
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Hi Jon,
thanks for sharing, nice post.
I agree with you, if you have an online business, you need to be on Google Plus.
I do not really think that it can be bigger than Facebook someday, but it is definetely important to be in, as Big G has integrated the social network in SERPs.
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I have just signed up for G+, to use as more of a marketing tool. I wouldn’t hesitate to dive in to G+, because you have to believe Google is investing heavily in it.
From my own non-scientific research I have seen a drastic increase in traffic that has cycled through Google+ from Search. I have to believe that content posted on Google+ is given favorable positioning in Google Search especially if you are connected that person on Google+.
For that reason alone it’s an important network to utilize…
Thanks!!
Ryan H.
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Thanks for the perspective Ryan. You’re the first person who has had a really positive experience with G+. I’ve personally given it very little effort, but it’s nice to hear someone else succeeding with it.
P.S. Jason Acidre did a really insightful post on something he called PlusBlogging.
Hello Jon,We have been on Google+ with a business page for several months now, but people just aren\\\’t interested in it. We get a lot more engagement on our Facebook page. Now, admittedly we have spend much more time developing our Facebook presence, but at this point I\’m not sure if Google+ is worth the time investment.
Google+ is definitely a solid entry into the social media market, but I think at a certain point, the market is going to be saturated. Since people are already having to take classes on how to maximize their social media influence, we might see some social media sites die off because people will simply not have the time to use them
I don’t use Google+ for my personal use. I don’t think any of my friends use it for their personal use. But when it comes to business, I think it’ll be of great use.
Thanks for sharing this valuable information. In this modern era, people use social networking site to promote their business services effectively. But we don’t know how our services optimizing internally on these site because all social networking sites connected to each other. “Google search plus” the Google new searching technology. It will definitely generate new task for people. Thanks for sharing it.
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I think that you should always try to be better friends with Google. Google can really help you so you try to make Google help you. I have heard a couple of articles that say you can make it without Google which you can but why would you want to is what I don’t understand.
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Google has given older websites weight over newer ones. It makes sense really, as an established site will have more of a track record online than a fresh one that nobody really knows about
I’m enjoying while using Google+.. Most importantly it’s games are awesome. Google plus gives us a big platform to share our information and get more benefit.
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It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Google+ is going to make any kind of headway against Facebook. I think at the end of the day is simply didn’t have a unique enough USP to convince many people to make the switch.
I’m disappointed personally, since + is objectively the better designed social network, and facebook’s developers keep making unpopular changes just to look like they’re doing something – but that’s life.
great notes. hope you’ll continue writing more on G+ as business enterprise.
I am still not sold on Google+ and doubt i ever will be. Twitter and Facebook are more Known to everyone and i think that is what they are preferring to stick to. I think i only know one person that is on Google +. I think Google is trying to do to much, a search engine and now a social platform.
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Actually the google plus one is very good and helpful to share the information there.