Lately we have been getting more inquiries from our clients regarding Google Plus and whether or not they should take the time to open an account. A lot of the inquiries are due to the 'search' benefits that come with Google Plus. While I have been a wait and see person regarding Google Plus since it's launch, the addition of Search Plus Your World, the game has changed.
Like some people I've just kind of hoped that Google Plus would just go away. Yes we're an advertising agency and one of the services we provide is social management, but it's not like we sit around and root for new social media platforms. Just as it is for small business owner each new platform means more time that has to be devoted to learning all the ins and outs of the platform, staying up-to-date, and monitoring all the changes-which can happen fast and daily.
Google Plus Then And Now:
It's now been 7 months since Google Plus has launched. I've been dabbling in Google Plus since its debut so let's take a look at the pros and cons for business owners that aren't IT geeks. There are currently just over 100 million Google+ users which means it has doubled in size over the past quarter.
Google Plus is still dominated by early adapters, Techies, social media marketers, and bloggers. If you were to now sign up today you still wouldn't see many of your friends who are part of Google Plus, and if many of your friends aren't there then probably a lot of your customers aren't there either. So then why in the world would I waste my valuable time signing up? Searches!
Most of you probably have Facebook business pages. You do because your customers are on Facebook, you join Google Plus because searches happen on Google.
Search Engine Journal wrote a great article on how Google's Search Plus Your World works and How To Create an Effective Google+ SEO Content Strategy.
It doesn't matter if you think Google Plus is a hit or miss, it is and looks to continue to be an effective tool to use to promote your business, not just to your current customers but to find new customers through better search search results.
Conclusion: if you don't yet have your business signed up on Google Plus I would recommend following the steps below sign-up and spend a few minutes a day with it...
- Set up a Gmail account
- Create one which is accessible to those whom you'd want to have access to the account.
- Create a Google Plus page by visiting http://plus.google.com/pages/create.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to choose the best classification for your business.
- Fill in your basic business information, be thorough.
- Customize your business page
- Add an image of your business' logo
- Include a tagline
Once your have your Google Plus page set up, start creating different 'circles' . Whether Google Plus recommendations will affect search results, or how they might affect results it's too early to tell. With all the recent Google changes, it's very likely to happen. Until then, creating a Google Plus page will help keep your business at the head of the pack.