What priority should you give Google+?

Does Google+ matter?

The short answer is “Yes!” Here’s the long answer:

• Of the 250 million Google+ users, 150 million are active users; and 50% of Google+ users sign in daily.
• Being frequented by pioneering industry influencers, and boasting a 33% growth rate per year, Google+ is a perfect addition to your B2B social media marketing strategy.
• Google+ is reported to be the second largest active social network in the world, after Facebook.
• Google owns 65-70% of search engine market shares. Naturally, Google+ profiles rank highly in Google searches:
  • Both Google and Bing use data about the social signals you emit and receive as a way to determine how high to rank your website. More social signals = higher rankings.
  • Interactions with your content such as +1’s, comments and shares let Google know that this specific should be ranked well.
  • Whenever you are mentioned on Google a link is created from the person mentioning you back to your profile. When combined with the link section in your Google+ profile, affirming which websites and business pages you contribute to, the result further boosts your SEO.
  • With Google hangouts, you can live stream to YouTube – the world’s second biggest search engine. Not only does this increase brand awareness, but video ranks extremely well in search engine results
• Google+’s communities are a great way to network with people and share high-quality content.
• Your Google+ page makes it easy for your customers to find you on all Google’s platforms from a basic search to maps.

Make it count

Here is Google’s checklist of nine steps to take to maximize your social media marketing with a Google+ presence:

(Note, you need to have a personal profile in Google+ before you can create a business page.)

1. Create a Google+ Page
2. Verify your Page
3. Enable social extensions within AdWords
4. Claim your custom URL
5. Assign Page managers (you can only comment as a user)
6. Add the G+ Badge to your site
7. Post exclusive content
8. Grow your follower base
9. Engage with your community

For further information and guidance on digital marketing, please contact us today.