3 SEO Reasons for Adopting Google+

February 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Google+ logoI am now having conversations with clients about why they should consider embracing Google+ even though it is currently a landscape populated by only early adopters and marketers. The bottom line is that SEO experts are saying that it is almost mandatory to have a page and be active there because Google is showing more of Google+ content in its search results. Here’s the scoop as I know it.

Recent SEO changes relating to Google+ participation

#1: Opportunity for users to receive search results from their Google+ connections

In January Google added the “Search Plus Your World” feature, which brings listings that have been shared or +1’d (Google’s version of Facebook like) by your Google+ connections to the top of the search rankings if you are logged into any Google account (gmail, YouTube, Google analytics, documents, calendar, etc).

Benefit: A wide Google+ community and high volume of +1’d content provides the opportunity for you to rank high in your connections’ searches and vice versa. This supports the philosophical game changer inspired by social sharing that recommendations from your online connections are more relevant to your personal search results than links and domain authority.

#2: Google+ profiles appearing in search results

Google has also created a search feature that displays Google+ profiles in the new “Related People and Pages” that displays in the right column of relevant search results.

Benefit: The more content you share on Google+ and the more people that engage with you, the more prominent your profile will become. Google+ profiles with no posts within the last 72 hours don’t show up in the “Related People and Pages” section of Google’s search results, making regular posting essential.

#3: Favored placement for Google+ publishers?

Google is strongly recommending that Google+ page owners link their page to their website with a piece of code that gives Google information they use to determine the relevancy of your site to a user query in Google Web Search.

Benefit:  This may suggest that Google is rewarding early adopters by giving them preferential search ranking.

Are these 3 reasons strong enough for you to adopt?

 

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Google Brings Social Search to Life with +1

March 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In what appears to be the continued “Facebookification” of Google, and a hopeful giant step forward in search, Google announced the launch of it’s social search service +1. Simply put, Google’s +1 feature is a “like” button for search results. After years of attempting to purchase social networks from Friendster to Twitter, Google has delivered what could be their best social innovation offering in +1.

Social Search +1′s Big Benefit: Voting on Search Results

In a nutshell, Google has been taking criticism for years for their search algorithm, delivery of old link search results, and allowing the gaming of the algorithmic system of search by black hat SEO companies.

According to BusinessInsider.com “The big benefit that +1 delivers is that the service will let users vote on search results, then will use the votes as a factor in ranking results.” Could this be the beginning of a new era where gaming the search algorithm no longer is the focus of search engine optimization? Could this be Google’s social graph answer to their critics?

Get Started Using +1

Although it’s still technically in beta and not available to everyone, here are a few of the steps to take in order to begin using +1:

  • +1 Sign Up: Here is a quick tutorial on how to sign up for +1
  • Google Profile: Users will need a Google Profile to use +1. After you  create a profile, your contacts are accumulated from sources like your Gmail contact list as well as people you follow on Google Reader
  • Experimental Version: once you have created your profile, you will be asked to opt-in to one of the “experimental” versions of +1
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